Page 10 of Almost Ours

I nod sagely. “My mum is the same. Well, she kind of had to be since Dad was hardly around.”

Brooke’s smile fades a little and she gives a small nod. “Yeah, my grandparents came over from Jamaica. Mum and Dad were both born here, but they’ve always been really big on us making the most of every opportunity.”

“Brooke doesn’t need to worry, though.” Ewan pats her knee. "She'll be good at psychology. She's nosy enough."

"I don't think I'm nosy at all.” She shrugs, looking mildly uncomfortable. “I just take an interest in the people I like.”

“Does it make you overanalyse people?” I ask, genuinely interested.

“Not yet, but I’ve heard it does.”

I nod at her before I turn to the two boys. “And you?”

"We're studying Law." Ewan clasps a big hand on Joshua's back.

My eyebrows shoot up. "Law? Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Josh asks, his eyebrows pulling together slightly.

I feel my face heat. "Do I? I'm not. It's impressive."

He stares at me, like the compliment is a lie or something. His shoulders draw in a fraction, and he rubs his thumb over the rim of the cup. "Right."

Confused by his reaction, I jut chin out. "I wasn't joking. Seriously. It's impressive." Oh my God. Stop. Talking. My legs cross under the table, the toe of my Uggs bumping lightly against his boot before I pull it back. "You should be proud."

"For studying Law?"

"Wouldn't you have had to take the LNAT?"

Josh seems momentarily surprised. His fingers tap twice against the cup, the tiniest tic of anxiety. "Uh... yeah.”

"And isn't that notoriously difficult?"

"Only if you lack comprehension." He gives a sharp shrug. Everything about him is sharp. His gaze. His voice. The way he seems to shave every sentence down to its bare bones.

Every time our eyes catch across the table, I almost start vibrating right off my seat. He’s so gorgeous that butterflies swoop in and my palms get slick, even my bloody toes tingle. Did you know that could happen from the sight of a boy? I did not.

To be honest, I don’t think chemistry between two people can be manufactured—you either feel it or you don’t. And even if my brain wasn’t reacting to him, my body certainly is.

"Josh?" A female voice sounds from my side.

The four of us turn our heads towards her. There’s a girl standing next to Josh's chair—tall, tanned, long dark hair pulled into a ponytail, gold hoops, flawless makeup. She's wearing almost the exact same thing I am; beige jumper, black leggings, Uggs.

As his eyes land on her, Josh goes rigid. His shoulders tighten and his jaw clenches before he forces his expression blank again.

Ewan mutters, "Oh fuck," under his breath. Brooke slowly lowers in her seat like she wants to disappear. I frown, looking between Josh and the intruder.

"Bonnie?" Josh reels his head back as if he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I go here," she snaps, looking equally as furious. "What are you doing here?"

"I go here.”

"I thought you were going to Oxford?"

"Plans change, Bonnie. You know that."

"Yeah." She chews her bottom lip and glances at the table; her eyes sliding from Josh, to his friends, to me. She turns back to Josh. "Look, can we talk?"