Page 118 of They Are Mine

And what I see? He never answers.

When he does, it’s short. Sharp. Final.

Leave me alone, Tammy.

We’re done, Tammy.

Fuck. Off.

It makes me swoon.

But the best part? The part that warms me right down to my bones? The way Noah and Orion have bonded.

Noah goes to the gym now. Orion shows up at open mic night. They laugh together, talk together, watch movies with me curled between them.

The first time Orion called Noah bro, I thought my heart would actually burst.

And our nights?

Perfect.

Some nights, I have one of them in my bed. Some nights, I have both. And when it’s all three of us? It’s magic.

I twirl my fork through my pasta, savoring this perfect little lunch date, the three of us in our own world.

Then Noah smirks. “So, Juliet,” he teases, nudging my knee under the table. “Now that you don’t have to stalk Orion, what are you gonna do with all your free time?”

Orion pauses mid-bite. Then his brow arches, slow and sharp. “You did what?”

Noah laughs. “Oh, come on. I told you. She was in love with you before she even knew your name.”

Orion looks too damn pleased with himself.

Noah leans in, grinning. “She even kept a little notebook.”

I take a slow, thoughtful bite of pasta. Chew. Swallow.

Then I say, casually to Noah, “I had two notebooks on you, actually.”

Orion chokes on his drink. “Holy shit,” he coughs, then laughs hard.

Noah looks delighted. “Wait. You stalked me too?”

I give him my softest, sweetest smile. “Of course. I loved you before we ever met.”

Noah’s grin melts. His eyes soften.

He knows I mean it.

I adore them. Both of them. Completely.

The next day, I go to art class.

One, because I paid for it.

Two, because Orion walks me there, and that’s sweet as hell.

And three, because I’m actually pretty damn good at it. Turns out obsession breeds talent.

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