I blink in surprise—I don’t recall him being so forward—and Milo laughs.
“Sorry, bad joke.” His glasses catch the sunlight as he tips his head and smiles. Then his expression sobers. “Wait, you remember me, don’t you? Milo Foster?”
I blink slowly, saying nothing.
Now his expression turns downright glum. “What? Come on! How could you forge—”
With a chuckle, I smack him on the shoulder, and he stumbles so hard his glasses slide down the bridge of his nose. “Come on, Foster. Of course I remember you.”
Milo lets out a relieved sigh as he pushes the glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Your humor is still dry as ever. You really had me fooled for a second there.”
“You make it too easy.” I flick my tail and cross my arms over my chest.
“Yeah, yeah.” He waves me off and uses his other hand to push his mop of unruly brown hair out of his face. Then his brown eyes light up. “Hey, let me buy you a drink.”
That would mean having to postpone my walk home. It would also mean having to be around other people for longer than I already have been today. Sounds terrible.
I open my mouth to tell him no, but he holds up a hand to stop me.
“Come on, no turning it down. They’ve got pumpkin ale at Boar and Badger. You’ll love it.” He sets off across the square, the same bouncy, lanky stride I’m so familiar with.
My nostrils flutter as I let out a heavy sigh and glance back at my cart. Then I follow him.
Chapter 15
Lyra
WHEN I GET BACK TO the dorm after a particularly grueling mathematics class—seriously, when will Ieverneed to know that stuff?—the air smells of sugar and spice. Immediately, Juniper pops her head out of my robe pocket and says, “I smell frosting.”
“Lyra!” Alina calls as I peel my loafers off and drop them on the mat beside the door. “Layla brought cupcakes!”
“Oh, sweet goddess,” Juniper whispers, whiskers twitching. “Her red velvet cupcakes are the best.”
I laugh and reach down to stroke a finger over her head.
“Poppy, your mom came by?” I call out as I pad into the sitting room in my stockings.
“Yup!” She’s pouring a cup of tea and looks over at me. “She claimed she made too many cupcakes and needed someone to give them to, but I think she just wanted an excuse to come visit.” Her lips pull up in a smile. “Go on, there are a few left over. Juniper, you can have one too.”
“Partof one,” I correct, looking down at Juniper as I take a seat on the couch next to Alina. “Too much sugar and you’ll be up all night.”
“You,” Juniper says as she scurries out of my pocket and into my lap, nose scenting the air, “can speak for yourself. I’m much older than you in rat years.”
I arch a brow at her. “But I’m the one you keep up when you’re on a nighttime sugar high.”
Juniper pretends not to hear me—or maybe she really is just too focused on the cupcakes to process what I said.
There are a few flavors still available: a chocolate-vanilla swirl, what looks like a chocolate cupcake marbled with caramel, and Juniper’s favorite, a red velvet.
“How about we split it?” I offer.
Juniper nods once. “Deal.”
I cut the red-velvet cupcake into two halves (mine isslightlylarger), then settle back on the couch to enjoy it. Juniper readjusts herself in my lap and takes a pawful of the dessert, getting crumbs all over her whiskers.
“Where’s Maeve?” I ask as Poppy takes a seat on the other couch, teacup cradled in her hands.
“Went on a run with Aric, I think,” Alina says from beside me. Yuki is curled up in her lap, and she has her nose stuck in a book.
