Bella sat in the cafeteria with her tray untouched, the sandwich in front of her going stale as she picked idly at the crust.
Around her, the room buzzed with the midday rush — laughter, clinking cutlery, hurried conversations about deadlines and clients. But none of it reached her. Her thoughts were too heavy, as her focus was too tangled elsewhere.
Chloe dropped her tray onto the table with a soft thud before sliding into the seat across from her. She glanced at Bella's distant expression and frowned. "Okay," she said, unwrapping her salad with deliberate slowness, "you've been staring at that sandwich like it insulted someone dear to you. What's going on?"
Bella blinked out of her daze and sighed. "It's Jake."
Chloe's brows rose immediately. "What about him? Did he snap at you again? Or pull one of his 'are you confessing or not' routines?"
