Before I could even think, I was shrugging off my jacket and leaning over, draping it around her shoulders before Owen could make a move.

Aurora looked up at me, eyes wide. “Mason.”

I swallowed hard, holding her gaze. “Can’t have you freezing out here.”

She hesitated, then slowly pulled it tighter around herself.

It was too big on her, swallowing her frame, but seeing her in my jacket did something to me. Something primal, possessive.

Ethan exhaled sharply from behind me. Owen just smirked, shaking his head.

But Aurora.

Aurora dropped her gaze to the blanket, her fingers curling into the worn leather of my jacket, like she was trying to ground herself.

Yeah. I knew the feeling.

This thing between us?

It was getting dangerous.

The movie faded into the background as the buzz of conversation grew louder around us.

The faint scent of popcorn, a mix of warm vanilla and butter, drifted on the evening air, but none of it could pull my attention away from Aurora.

The closer we got to the end of the film, the more restless I felt.

I couldn’t focus on anything.

My mind kept circling back to her, her smile, the way she looked in my jacket. Hell, just the way she breathed.

Ethan, Owen, and I were all on edge, all of us trying to play it cool, but it was impossible. I could feel the tension in the air like static, and I knew they felt it too.

The three of us might as well have been sitting in a pressure cooker.

As the last credits rolled across the screen, people started to gather their things, but no one was in a rush to leave.

There was something magnetic in the air, the hum of energy that kept us all rooted.

The night was still too young, and everyone was hanging on to the last few moments of the evening.

I looked over at Aurora. She was standing now, folding her blanket.

“Hey, you headed out for a drink?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I could second-guess myself.

She turned to face me, the soft glow of the string lights catching her eyes.

“I don’t know.” she said, biting her lip as though she was weighing her options.

There was a pause, the briefest moment where the silence stretched between us. It was a quiet invitation, unspoken, but clear.

She was hesitating, not sure if it was the right move, but I saw the uncertainty in her eyes.

Before she could respond, I added, “You can always come for a drink at my place. It isn’t far.”

Ethan, who had been hanging back, spoke up suddenly, his voice rough. “Yeah, I could go for a drink.”

Aurora shot him a quick glance, then Owen too.