Chapter 3: Showdown at Midnight

I rehearsed a dozen apologies in my head, none of them quite right. It felt like I was about to bungee jump without a cord.

I opened his messages, but the meltdown I’d imagined didn’t happen. Blinking, I scrolled through his replies in disbelief:

"You broke up with me, and now you want to get back together?"

"Do you know how long I cried after we broke up?"

"A whole week. What are you going to do to make up for that?"

"Now you just say ‘get back together’ and that’s it?"

"I’m telling you, impossible."

The messages stopped there, a time stamp slicing through the screen.

I stared at my phone, eyes stinging. I half-expected him to cuss me out, but this—this hurt more. He sounded wounded, vulnerable. The Mason only I ever got to see.

But ten minutes later, another message popped up:

"?"

"Where are you?"

"Heh, I was joking."

"Actually, we can get back together."

"But I won’t love you as much as before."

"Now I’m as shrewd as a fox."

"If I make $15,000, I’ll only let you spend $14,700."

Pfft—

I couldn’t help it. I snorted, then burst out laughing. Heads snapped around, the whole table freezing to stare at me like I’d grown a second head.

I tried to rein it in, but the image of Mason pretending to be stingy was just too much. The laughter bubbled up and spilled out, loud and impossible to hide.

Harper bolted over and snatched my phone:

"He replied, didn’t he? Let me see!"

She moved fast for someone who claims gym class is her nemesis. I lunged for my phone, but she danced away, holding it above her head.

"Harper!" I hissed, but she just grinned, scrolling through my messages like she was getting paid.

I watched Harper’s face go from deadpan to so giddy she nearly started moonwalking. She waved my phone and announced:

"Mason said yes!"

She spun around, practically bouncing. The rest of the group whooped and hollered, clapping me on the back like I’d just won an Oscar.

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and zeroed in on me again.

It was like the bar hit mute, all eyes locked on me. My cheeks burned, but I couldn’t stop grinning.

"Ahahaha! I agreed for you, so from now on, you can’t compete with me for my brother anymore~"

Harper was about to reply for me, finger poised over the screen, when a pair of slender hands swooped in and snatched the phone away.

He moved quick—ninja quick. Harper spun and saw who it was:

The whole room seemed to hush, tension humming in the air. Sebastian Whitman, crisp button-down, hair perfectly tousled, had arrived looking like he owned the place. He had that young exec vibe, but his eyes were soft when he glanced at me.

"You... wow, Lauren, what a coincidence, running into you here."

Her scowl melted the second she saw it was Sebastian. She scurried over and latched onto my arm.

Harper flipped from brat to bashful in record time, clinging to me like a little sister in a thunderstorm.

I was totally lost. Sebastian handed the phone back, flashing an apologetic smile:

He gave me a lopsided grin. "Sorry, my sister’s a bit much. As for getting back together, I refused for you."

As he handed it over, he turned away, quickly tapping something on the screen:

"Sorry."

He hit send and then handed the phone back.

By the time I got it, Sebastian’s "sorry" had already disappeared.

I rubbed my brow and asked:

"What did you reply?"