Page 32 of Cold Front
And then immediately questioned why the hell I cared. Clearly, I haven’t learned my lesson where Niall is concerned.
His gaze flicked toward Asher and me, his jaw tightening just a little. There was a beat of hesitation—so brief, I might’ve imagined it—before he moved, heading straight for our row.
“Morning,” he muttered as he dropped into the seat beside Asher.
“Hey, man,” Asher said easily.
“Morning,” I added, studying him for signs of awkwardness.
None. At least, not in a bad way. No tension, no weird stiffness. Just... a slight carefulness, like we were still figuring out the new normal.
Niall pulled out his notebook, tapping the pen absently against the cover. Asher stretched his arms over his head, letting out a dramatic yawn.
“Should I be concerned that you’re both this quiet?” he asked.
I smirked. “Maybe we’re just tired of your voice.”
“Unlikely.” He grinned. “But okay.”
Niall huffed a quiet chuckle, shaking his head as he flipped to a fresh page. The easy moment settled something in my chest, smoothing out the last of the lingering weirdness.
Professor Williams walked in, setting down her laptop with a decisive click.
“All right, everyone. Let’s talk about consumer behavior.”
Fifteen minutes in, I was halfway through my notes when my phone vibrated against my thigh.
I glanced at the screen.Niall.
Niall: Thanks for breakfast.
A small, stupidly pleased smile tugged at my lips as I thumbed out a response.
Me: No problem. You should eat real food sometimes.
His reply didn’t come immediately. Instead, I watched out of the corner of my eye as he typed... then stopped. The three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Dude. Just send it.
Finally, my screen lit up.
Niall: Since you made breakfast, maybe we should hit the store. Get some stuff.
A grocery run. Together.
I wasn’t sure why that made my chest feel weird, but I pushed it down and typed back.
Me: Yeah, sounds good. Tonight?
Another pause. Then–
Niall: Yeah.
A second later, another text popped up—from a different chat, the one with him, Asher and me that Asher had formed because we were doing our group assignment.
Asher: Pay attention in the damn class.
I bit back a laugh and shot back a reply.
