He looks down and stills them, laughing. “Shit, I didn’t realise I was so jittery.”
“You haven’t drunk a bunch of energy drinks, have you?”
“Only one. I’ve got an assignment due tonight and it’s freaking me out.”
“Ah. I hope I’m not taking you away from your studies for too long.”
He waves me away. “No, it’s fine. I was going crazy in that place. It’s so goddamn quiet, and if you make a single sound, everyone death glares you. I accidentally dropped my charger and everyone in a ten meter radius turned around simultaneously, like they were killer robots or something. It was scary.”
I chuckle.
“Anyway,” he says, “what did you want to talk about?”
“Nothing in particular, just wanted to catch up since it’s been a while.”
“It has,” he agrees. “I’ve just been so busy—”
I wave him off. “Nah, don’t worry about it, it’s all good. So, how’s life been?”
He tells me about the adventures he’s been up to, referencing people I think I met at his birthday party. The more he talks, the more he seems his normal self, his voice growing louder, his smile growing bigger. After a story about how he got thrown out of a nightclub, he slumps a little in his chair, likely exhausted from telling such a long, bombastic story. “What about you?” he asks. “What have you been up to?”
“Not much,” I answer. “Oh, well, Cleo and I aren’t together anymore.”
Gilly blinks, mouth parting. “What? When?”
“About a month ago.”
His eyes dart away. He must be feeling guilty that the only reason I’m telling him now is because he’s been so busy, but it’s no big deal. At least he didn’t have to see how sad I was in the immediate aftermath.
“What happened?”
“She cheated on me.”
He freezes, eyes wide. “Really?” his voice is loud enough to draw the attention of a nearby table, and he quickly lowers his voice. “How did you find out?”
“Lucas told me.”
Gilly’s fingers curl around his bubble tea.