A Fragile Thread Of Love. ~Maphinz~

4

Daniela⊹ ࣪

I didn’t need a psychology degree like Lara to figure out what was going on at that table.

Sophia was loud, sure, but not in an annoying way—more like sunshine that didn’t know how to dim itself. And Manon? She was pretending to be cool and detached, but I knew her too well. That little twitch of her mouth, the way her gaze followed Sophia even when she thought no one noticed… yeah. She was slipping.

I leaned on my elbow, watching Sophia practically implode every time Manon opened her mouth. It was hilarious. And kind of… adorable.

When Lara cracked the joke about “Sophia and Manon” having a nice ring to it, I thought Sophia was going to launch herself under the table. She went red so fast it was like flipping a switch. Megan nearly fell over laughing, Yoonchae looked ready to disown her friends, and Manon—oh, Manon—just smirked behind her cup like she wasn’t eating up the reaction.

Classic.

I nudged Lara with my foot under the table, and she grinned back at me. Yeah, we were on the same page.

Ship secured.

As the group started packing up to leave, I caught Megan shooting me these lovesick side-glances. Cute. If only she knew I noticed. If only she knew I didn’t mind.

But that was for later.

Right now, my entertainment was watching my best friend—the girl who never let anyone in—get completely undone by a loud, sweet, golden-retriever type who didn’t even realize the effect she was having.

I couldn’t wait to see how this played out.

The second we stepped out of the café, the cool air hit us, and Lara wasted no time.

“Well, that was fun,” she said, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. “Especially watching Sophia almost choke on her drink every time Manon looked at her.”

I barked a laugh, slinging an arm around Lara’s shoulder. “Tell me about it. I thought she was gonna melt right into the seat.”

Manon groaned. “You two are insufferable.”

Lara smirked. “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

“I noticed,” Manon said flatly, but the way she shoved her hands deeper into her hoodie told me everything. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

“Sure,” I drawled, dragging the word out. “You just happen to comment on her laugh, make her blush tomato red, and pick up her fork like some lowkey knight in shining armor. Totally meaningless.”

Lara cackled.

Manon shot me a glare, but I just grinned wider. She’d thank me later.

Because here’s the thing: I knew Manon. She was guarded, careful, always keeping her heart behind this cool-girl wall. But I’d seen the tiny cracks tonight. And Sophia? She was the kind of person who could slip through those cracks without even trying.

As we walked back toward campus, I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips. Megan thought she was the mastermind, dragging us into that café.

But really? This was my playground now.

And I was definitely going to have fun with it.

We weren’t even five minutes away from the café before Lara nudged me, eyebrows raised. “So… are we gonna talk about it?”

I grinned. “Oh, we’re gonna talk about it.”

Manon groaned, already tugging her hood further over her head. “There’s nothing to talk about.”