Chapter 9

sophia stabbed her potatoes into a skewer, then pushed them back onto the plate. “you know, soph, that all you’re doing is poking holes in them, right?” megan teased.

sophia ignored her. where were the girls?

“wassup bitches!” manon slammed her bottle onto the table.

“manzy!” sophia cried and buried her face in manon’s neck. “tell megan to shut up about how adri texted her,” she mumbled halfheartedly.

the buffet hall doors swung open, and dani, lara, and yoonchae slipped in quietly, trying not to draw attention. manon, already at the table, waved frantically.

“finally!” she called. “come sit before meg eats everything!”

megan glanced up from her plate, eyes narrowing slightly at the new arrivals. dani’s gaze met hers across the table for a fleeting second, tense but unreadable, before she turned away to grab some breakfast herself.

sophia, still twirling her fork, shot a glance at megan, noticing the faint crease between her brows as she scrolled through her phone. “what’s got you all twisted this morning?” she asked casually, though her tone carried a hint of concern.

megan huffed softly, not wanting to reveal her heartache over adri just yet. “nothing,” she said, though the slight quiver in her voice betrayed her.

manon nudged sophia with an exaggerated sigh. “ignore her. she’s fine… ish. dani’s just over there brooding, like she always does when meg looks cute while eating.”

dani nearly choked on her toast, glaring at manon, but the smirk tugging at manon’s lips made it impossible to stay mad.

lara rolled her eyes, nudging yoonchae. “chaos level: max. and breakfast isn’t even over yet.”

the group laughed quietly, a bubble of tension and camaraderie forming, but megan’s mind was elsewhere. adri’s messages burned in her memory, and she felt a knot in her stomach tighten as she watched dani move around the table. something in dani’s distracted glances told megan that dani’s thoughts weren’t just on the present—they were tangled in complicated, unspoken feelings.

the girls were everywhere. trays clattered, silverware clinked, and manon practically bounced over to the table, hair still messy from the morning. “okay, okay, spill. who’s freaking out more—megan or dani?” she demanded, sliding into the bench across from them.

megan’s hand hovered over her fork like it was a weapon. she glanced at dani, who was calmly stabbing a piece of bacon but… oh. her eyes flicked up, and for a fraction of a second, the world slowed. dani’s smirk was sharp, teasing, just enough to make megan’s chest thump.

“i’m not freaking out,” megan said, voice tight, precise, but her fingers trembled slightly.

dani raised an eyebrow, unbothered. “uh-huh. totally not. see, i’d believe you, but… your hand is shaking.”

megan glared. “it’s the fork.”

manon laughed so loud it made sophia glance up, smirking. “sure, sure, blame the fork. classic.”

sophia leaned back, sipping her matcha, eyes darting between them like she was watching a slow-motion disaster. “okay, so… megan, you’re clearly tense. dani, you’re enjoying this way too much. i see everything.”

“i’m not tense,” megan muttered.

“totally tense,” dani said, voice low and playful, leaning just slightly closer across the table. sparks. too many sparks. megan felt her stomach twist.

manon elbowed her lightly. “hey, breathe, megs. maybe don’t glare at her like she stole your soul just yet.”

megan opened her mouth, closed it, then jabbed her fork into a pancake, stabbing harder than necessary. “it’s fine,” she muttered.

“ohhh, it’s not fine,” dani whispered, leaning in just a little, smirk sharp. “i see you. every single tiny thing you’re doing to avoid looking at me. adorable.”

megan froze, cheeks heating. not a word. just tiny, controlled breaths. dani didn’t flinch, didn’t stop. the tension between them stretched across the table, thick enough to cut with a knife.

sophia rolled her eyes, whispering to manon, “why is this breakfast like… some weird rom-com showdown?”

manon grinned. “because these two are idiots. i live for it.”

the moment manon, sophia, yoonchae, and lara returned from the buffet, manon hollered, “oh my gawd megan and dani you will not believe what happened in the buffet hall.”

daniela raised an eyebrow, smirk sharp, calm as a storm. “try me.”

manon leaned in, conspiratorial. “okay, so, the concierge almost tripped over your luggage, megan, and dani literally saved him, and also—wait for it—lara made a pancake tower that collapsed on yoonchae. it was chaos.”

megan blinked. “you’re… excited about that?”

“chaos is life,” manon declared, dramatically gesturing with her fork.

daniela’s eyes flicked to megan, just slightly closer than necessary. “and you, floor-sleeping champion, how’s your pancake strategy?”

megan’s jaw tightened. “i’m… fine.”

“oh, you’re fine?” dani leaned in, smirk tugging at her lips, eyes glittering like mischief and fire. “because i see you. i see every tense little finger movement, every eye flick to me.”

megan froze, fork halfway to her mouth. not a word. dani didn’t care—she just watched, leaning ever so slightly closer, testing the invisible line between teasing and… whatever this was.

sophia rolled her eyes, sipping her matcha. “oh, lord. breakfast or slow-burn torture session? you decide.”

“i vote torture,” manon said immediately, barely suppressing laughter. “these two are priceless.”

megan’s hands clenched around her fork, and dani’s smirk widened. sparks. too many sparks.

word count: 841 words

-drqstclii.