Chapter 4

Zachary's brow creased, but he stayed silent, his face doing all the talking.

Ryan, though, was practically buzzing with gossip. He leaned in close to Juliette and Daisy, dropping his voice like he was spilling state secrets. "Y'all, you're not gonna believe this, but this dude was up all night causing a ruckus. The bathroom faucet? Nonstop.

"I got up three times to hit the john, and every dang time, he's in there taking a cold shower. Three times! Man's built like a brick house, but that's no way to treat yourself!"

Juliette's mouth fell open. "Whoa, Zachary, you coming down with something?"

Ryan waved her off with a grin. "Coming down? This guy? Pfft. Probably just his OCD acting up again. Bet he thought he had some mystery grime on him or something."

OCD? Daisy almost snorted her food across the table.

Zachary shot Ryan a look that could freeze lava.

At the same moment, Daisy caught his inner voice, loud and clear, fuming: [I'm not some neat freak! Ryan's just talking outta his ass!]

[If Daisy-boo hadn't been tossing and turning last night, hugging my… stuffed animal like it was her lifeline, would I have needed six cold showers? Come on!]

[Ugh, sweet torture.]

Daisy's cheeks went nuclear. Last night, she had been a hot mess in her sleep, flipping around and squeezing that stuffed animal for dear life. And apparently, he'd felt every second of it.

She snuck a quick peek at Zachary, her eyes flicking to him for a heartbeat.

[Holy crap! Daisy-boo looked at me! That's her second glance today!] Zachary's inner voice practically did a cartwheel. [This "bump into her" plan was genius. Here's hoping she throws a few more looks my way tomorrow.]

Daisy ducked her head, her face hotter than a summer sidewalk. He was way too cute. That whole tough-guy-on-the-outside, total-dork-on-the-inside thing? It was making her crush on him even worse.

Right then, a syrupy-sweet voice cut through the air. "Zachary, got room for one more?"

Daisy glanced up to see a tall, drop-dead gorgeous girl holding a tray, standing way too close to Zachary. Her eyes had this flirty, "I know you sparkle."

Zachary didn't even look up. "Seat's taken," he said, his voice cold.

The girl—clearly not getting the memo—kept going. "Zachary, it's been ages. No one's here, so I'll just park myself here." She moved to slide in next to him, tossing Daisy a quick, catty glance that screamed back off without saying a word.

[Amelia? Seriously? What a buzzkill.] Zachary's inner voice was dripping

Daisy took a sip of her milk, watching the show like she'd bought a front-row ticket.

Zachary, acting like Amelia was a ghost, casually picked up a piece of broccoli with his chopsticks and dropped it on Daisy's plate. "Give this a try. The cafeteria's greens are actually pretty solid."

His inner voice piped up: [Daisy-boo, don't even sweat her. She's nobody important. You're the only one I'm looking at.]

Amelia Rosewood's hand froze halfway to the empty chair, her face twisting like she'd bitten into a lemon.

She sucked in a breath and plastered on a fake smile. "Zachary, Grandpa said our families are grabbing dinner tonight. Don't flake on it." Her tone had a smug, he's mine vibe.

Were they engaged? Daisy quirked an eyebrow.

After lunch, Daisy and Juliette had barely made it out of the cafeteria when Amelia speed-walked up, cutting Daisy off like she was auditioning for Mean Girls.

"You're Daisy, right?" Amelia crossed her arms, chin tilted up like she was queen of the campus. "I'm Amelia. Zachary and I? We're tight—family friends.

"Our families are basically locking it down soon, so maybe pump the brakes on whatever you're thinking. Zach's just having a little fun with you. Don't get too attached."

A spark of annoyance flared in Daisy's chest, but she flashed a sly, dangerous grin. "Oh, wow, that's crazy."

She stepped closer, her voice low but sharp as a tack. "Here's the deal, Ms. Rosewood—I'm just having some fun with your boy too. Marriage? Couldn't care less. I'm just here for the good vibes, you know? As long as I'm having a blast, that's all that matters."