“Well, I’ve run into you on campus, at parties, bars.” She waves a hand indicating The Hideout. “And you only noticed me when I was in the tightest dress I own and standing a foot away from you. If it hadn’t been for Nathan talking to Chloe…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you before. It isn’t because you aren’t beautiful. I’m sure you were just as stunning all those other times. Last year I did my best to keep my head down and focus. Yeah, I went out and partied, but I was living in a fog. I’m convinced of that more than ever now that I know we were in the same room and my eyes failed me.”

“You’re forgiven.”

Back at the table, the four of us chat—me and Sydney more than Nathan and Chloe. They’re obviously into one another, but they’re a lot more subtle than we are. I dig that about Sydney. She doesn’t make me second-guess whether or not she wants to be here. Her attention is solely focused on me and mine on her.

I wrap an arm around the back of the booth, fingertips brushing her shoulder. I refill my glass and take a small drink. “So, did you have a boyfriend last year?”

“No.” Her face scrunches up adorably. “Why?”

“Wishful thinking, I guess.” Though even as I say it, I get a little rage-y picturing her with someone else. “I’d like to think I only overlooked you because you were on some guy’s arm and I was being respectful.”

“Does having a boyfriend really stop guys from checking out girls?”

“Well, no, but it usually stops us from doing anything about it. Maybe I looked across the room and you looked happy and content with some guy and I sighed and reluctantly let you be. Being the bigger man and all that.”

Her body shakes with laughter. “What about you? As far as I know, you haven’t had any girlfriends at Valley, but there was a rumor about you and the women’s tennis coach.”

“Say what?”

“Gotcha! But have you seen her? She’s seriously hot.”

Before I know it, Sydney’s pulled out her phone and navigating to the Valley U athletics page to show me. And damn, Coach Ryan is hot. Not as hot as Sydney, but definitely hot. Somehow that leads us down a rabbit hole of passing her phone back and forth rating the hotness of all the coaches.

“Are you two ready?” Nathan asks.

I glance up and notice the pitcher is empty. Shit, I have no idea how long Sydney and I have been in our own little bubble.

“Yeah.” I look to her. “You want to come back to The White House?”

“Definitely.”

When we get back to the house, we find Datson already back from the Prickly Pear and playing Xbox in the living room.