Their laughter stretched on until it softened into sly grins. Sophia's voice dropped, a conspiratorial whisper that carried sharper than the laughter itself.
"Alright, tell me seriously, Lila, how far have you gotten with him?"
Lila smirked, leaning against the wall. "Oh, it's going perfectly. Stage one is complete. He's absolutely smitten. You should see him, Sophia - he's acting like some hopeless romantic from a bad rom-com."
Sophia's laugh was cruel. "Really? That bad?"
"Worse. He keeps talking about how 'surreal' this all feels, how he can't believe someone like me would notice him."
Lila's voice dripped with mockery. "He actually said he's afraid he'll wake up and realize it's all a dream. Can you imagine?"
"God, that's pathetic," Sophia said, and Lila could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "He's really that desperate?"
