Brooklyn dropped onto her bed with a heavy sigh, tossing her notebook aside. Amanda looked up from her laptop, instantly suspicious.
"That sigh was dramatic. Spill."
Brooklyn rubbed her temples. "I ran into Mani after class."
Amanda groaned. "Oh no. What did Romeo do this time? More roses? A billboard proposal?"
Brooklyn shook her head. "No… but it felt different. He wasn't over the top, just… sharper. Like he was trying to check where I'd been, who I'd been with."
Amanda closed her laptop, frowning. "Sharpen up that last part for me. You mean jealous?"
"Yeah," Brooklyn admitted softly. "He asked if I'd been with Bryant. And when I said no, he looked… relieved. Too relieved."
Amanda leaned forward. "Brooklyn, I don't like that. Grand gestures are one thing—kind of cringe, but harmless. But this? Keeping tabs? That's a red flag."
Brooklyn hugged a pillow to her chest, her thoughts churning. "He asked me to dinner tomorrow. Just us. I didn't say yes… but I didn't say no either."
Amanda raised a brow. "And do you even want to go?"
Brooklyn hesitated, then whispered, "I don't know."
Amanda's gaze softened. "Brooklyn, you're scared of hurting him, not interested in dating him. There's a difference. And if you're not careful, you'll end up trapped in something you don't want."
Her words sank deep, stirring the knot already twisting in Brooklyn's stomach.
The truth was, the only person she wanted to talk to right now wasn't Mani.
It was Bryant.