Chapter 18

eighteen

. . .

Asher

The library is quieter than I expected for a Sunday night. The low buzzing of fluorescent lights fills the space, along with the occasional rustle of pages or the clatter of a keyboard. I spot Jacklyn and Brian near the back, hunched over a pile of books. They’re probably cramming for midterms, judging by the amount of coffee cups cluttering the table.

I stroll over, not really thinking about it. “Hey, Jacklyn,” I say casually, giving her a small smile.

She looks up, surprised for half a second before she recovers. “Oh, hey, Asher.”

Brian doesn’t even look up from his notebook, just grunts some kind of acknowledgment. I chuckle to myself as I slide into the chair behind them, setting my bag down and pulling out a book. Not that I’m actually here to study. I needed an excuse to get out of the frat house, and this seemed like a good enough place to kill some time.

That, and it’s a prime spot to eavesdrop.

Their whispers start almost immediately.

“Why did he say hi to you like that?” Brian’s voice is low but sharp, like he’s genuinely offended.

“What are you talking about?” Jacklyn whispers back, her tone dripping with mock innocence. “He just said hi.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t a normal hi. It was, like, a special hi.”

I stifle a laugh, pretending to flip through my book. Brian’s paranoia is too easy to pick up on.

Jacklyn sighs. “Okay, fine. If you must know, we dated for, like, two months freshman year.”

Brian jerks upright, and I catch the way his head snaps toward her out of the corner of my eye. “You what ?”

“Relax,” she says, laughing softly. “It was nothing serious. We were basically kids. Why, are you jealous?”

“Absolutely not,” he says, way too quickly to be convincing. “I’m just…curious. And also slightly horrified.”

“Horrified?” she repeats, her voice rising a notch before she catches herself. “What, is Asher some kind of monster now?”

“No, but—ugh, never mind.” There’s a pause, and I can practically hear the gears turning in his head. “You know what? I’m inviting him to game night tomorrow.”

Jacklyn snorts. “Game night? Why?”

“To show I’m not jealous,” Brian says, like it’s the most logical thing in the world. “And to prove there’s absolutely nothing weird about this. Totally normal. Just a bunch of friends hanging out, including your very platonic ex-boyfriend.”

“Oh, Brian,” she says, laughing under her breath. “You’re so transparent, it’s almost cute.”

“It’s not about me, okay? It’s about setting a tone. A mature, adult tone.”

I glance over my shoulder just in time to catch Brian scribbling something in his notebook, probably a reminder to send me the invite. Jacklyn rolls her eyes, clearly amused but not pushing the subject any further.

As for me? I’m already thinking about tomorrow. Game night, huh? With Sloane there?

The whispers between Jacklyn and Brian continue, growing quieter, but I can still catch snippets. Something about "not being jealous" and "totally normal game night" drifts over. I shake my head, amused, flipping another page in my book for show.

A chair scrapes behind me, and suddenly Brian’s standing there, towering over my table. His expression is somewhere between casual and calculated, like he’s trying too hard to play it cool.

“Knox,” he says, his voice overly loud in the hushed library.

I glance up, one eyebrow raised. “What’s up, Brian?”

He shifts awkwardly, crossing his arms. “Hey, so, uh…Jacklyn and I are hosting a game night tomorrow. You should come.”

Jacklyn groans from behind him. “Brian?—”

He holds up a hand, ignoring her. “It’s just a chill thing. Sloane will be there. A couple of other people. Nothing formal, you know? Totally normal. Like… super normal.”

I bite back a grin. “Totally normal, huh?”

“Yup,” he says, nodding a little too enthusiastically. “Just friends hanging out. Playing games. Eating snacks. Being…chill.”

Jacklyn rests her head on the table with a dramatic sigh. “Brian, you’re so bad at this.”

“Bad at what?” he asks innocently, glancing back at her.

“Subtlety,” I offer, leaning back in my chair.

Brian narrows his eyes at me but doesn’t take the bait. “So, you in?”

I shrug, fighting the urge to smirk. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Great,” he says, clapping his hands together. “Monday at eight. Don’t be late.”

As he turns to leave, Jacklyn shakes her head at him. “I cannot believe you’re doing this.”

Brian waves her off. “It’s called being a good host, Jacklyn. You should try it sometime.”

I chuckle as he strides back to the table, clearly satisfied with himself. Jacklyn mutters something under her breath, probably about how ridiculous he is, but I don’t bother listening.

All I can think about now is game night. And the fact that Sloane will be there.

This just got a lot more interesting.