“Not kidding,” she deadpans.

Silence.

A smile stretches across her face. “Relax. Of course, I’m kidding.” She turns to Sofía. “Looks like we’re taking in another stray.”

Then Chloe’s gaze settles on me. “Welcome to the crew.”

9

JACK: Hey! You around?

Shit. What do I say? Be cool, Chase.

Jack and I have been hanging out casually the past two days, grabbing dinner at the dining halls. Super breezy AF. No more stawkward (stalker + awkward) run-ins.

It shouldn’t be a whole thing to …

Breathe.

ME: Yeah. Wanna chill?

I hate myself! Who even says that anymore?

JACK: No.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but my hand goes numb, and I resist the urge to scream and throw my phone like it’s a ticking bomb because oh. My. G—

JACK: Hahaha just kidding. Be outside your dorm in five. I have a quest for us

Never mind.

Jack is waiting just beyond the entrance to my dorm, donning his Red Sox baseball cap and a tight plain white tee that hugs his chest.

He smiles, and my entire body aches for him. I don’t know why, but all of a sudden, I hear Chloe’s words in the back of my head: If he’s not into you it’s, better you know sooner rather than later. So you can move on. The flustered butterflies followed by all the questions about him and the potential of us nag at me. Because the reality is he hasn’t made a move of any kind, despite how close we’re getting.

“What’s this quest?” I ask.

“Ah, good sir—err, what’s a gender-neutral term for sir?”

“Uh.”

That’s a good question. I’ve never really been called a “sir,” and it’s never crossed my mind that I would, so fuck if I know. I hold up my hand, take out my phone, and do a quick Google search.

“Boss? Ew. Gentleperson? Friend?”

“Ahh, good friend,” Jack says, with a knightly bow, and my stomach drops at the use of friend.

To be fair, I did walk right into that, and maybe I’m reading too much into it, but maybe I’m not, and he just friend-zoned me?

“I hath been bequeathed a quest.”

“Are you high?”

“I ameth not.” Jack’s trying so hard not to smile, to maintain a stately composure. “Dost thou not enjoy the words that are forthcoming from mine mouth?”

Honestly, just watching his lips move is enough to sustain me for life, but I can’t say that because it’s wildly creeptastic. So I go with it. Hand on stomach, I bow back. “Thou hast tickled mine fancy with thine quest.”

He straightens his back like a Buckingham Palace guard and motions for me to walk first, a gentlemanly move. I could be Jack’s princess. Hell, I’d settle for the damsel in distress if it meant he would sweep me off my feet. But he doesn’t tell me what his quest is about or where we’re going, and I don’t question it until we get on the bus that takes us off campus and down into the small college town square that sits at the shore of a lake, resting between CIA’s and Laurene’s campuses.