Cameron Cole has a plan.
After yet another relationship ends because of certain shortcomings-literally-Cameron decides it's time to swear off dating and focus her energy into her junior year at the University of Charlotte. There's an internship up...
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The smell of sweetness, spice, and charcoal fills the warm evening air.
"Liam," Tasha says, waving a fry at him like it's a gavel, "I need you to understand something very important."
Liam leans back, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
She gestures to the menu, specifically the section labeled Flavors to Remember. "You're sitting in a restaurant with twenty-six wing sauces, and you're about to order plain. Again. Do you know what that says about me?"
"That you're lucky to have me?" he offers with a grin.
Tasha stares at him for a beat, then sighs dramatically, turning to the table. "Y'all, this man is trying to ruin my reputation."
"Plain wings?" Yasmine says, wrinkling her nose. "You're really out here just exposing yourself like that?"
"They're not plain," Liam says for what feels like the hundredth time. "They're classic. It's literally the name on the menu."
We all laugh at a pouting Liam as he continues to fight against accusations of being basic and white, which is literally his genetic coding. We're out having food again, and yes, I can hear my bank card crying.
But this one's worth it. It's a new wing shop, Red's Hot Cantina, and it has just opened up close to campus. Which, of course, means it's filled to the brim with Charlotte students on opening night.
The restaurant feels like a carefully curated fever dream of Southern comfort and TikTok aesthetics. Edison bulbs dangle over tables made of repurposed barn wood, while neon signs buzz phrases like Heat Freakers Welcome and Flavors Worth Crying Over.
Photos of crispy wings dripping in sauce cover the walls, interspersed with pictures of the restaurant's founder—some influencer-slash-chef who turned his clout into a chain of spots across the country. Supposedly, this is his first venture outside the big food cities like LA, Dallas, and New York.
Charlotte must be an experiment. And judging by the crowds flowing in, it's working.
The smell of smoky sweetness and spice wafts through the air, making my mouth water. I mean, I'm not a huge spice person, but I'm also not Liam.
"You really picked a man who's afraid of hot sauce?" Kiki asks, sitting across the table and arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Tasha.
Tasha beams, leaning over to kiss Liam on the cheek. "The things you do for love," she says sweetly.
Liam chuckles and blows us an air kiss. "See? Love truly conquers all. Y'all could never."
"We've literally been together longer than you two," Kiki counters, extremely offended. "We set you two up!"
"And the students have become the masters," Liam responds as we all laugh, loving when Liam and Kiki get into their usual squabbles.
They've been best friends since diapers—it's a common thing with them.
