"I'm telling you, the look on his face when you pulled out the phone was peak cinema," Alex said, nearly tripping over a loose paving stone as they navigated the crowded walkway toward the library. He was still animatedly dissecting the showdown at the girls' hostel from the day before. "The way he went from 'I'm a lion' to 'Please don't call the cops' in three seconds? I should've recorded it. We could've gone viral in Aurelia by sunset."
Jake adjusted his bag strap, a small, genuine smile tugging at his lips. "He wasn't a lion, Alex. He was just a guy looking for a shortcut. Paying him that thousand would've been the worst thing I could do. It's like feeding a stray cat—he'd just bring his friends next time."
"True, but you were cold, man. Stone cold," Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "Most guys would've just given him the cash to make the embarrassment stop. You turned it into a high-stakes negotiation and then pulled the rug. Remind me never to play poker with you."
