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"Keep your head on, love. I'm not staying long," Ludwig said flatly, his face unreadable.
Levi didn’t look shocked, just tense. His brows drew together as he stared at Lila and Ludwig, his expression like stone.
“Omar, meet Ludwig. He was one of Levi’s friends back in Germany,” Lila said, then turned to me. “Ree? You remember Ludwig, don’t you?”
Of course I do. He’s been all I’ve thought about for days.
“Oh… yeah, I do. Hi,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
Ludwig’s eyes flicked to me, just for a moment, then went straight back to Levi, saying nothing.
Ouch. That stung. Well, I guess it’s back to Jax then.
“Come on, let’s all go downstairs,” Lila said quickly, trying to smooth things over. “Ree probably needs to get ready for her sleepover, and we have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Why do you always think you know what’s best, Lila?” Levi snapped. “I don’t want to be friends with him again. And that’s final!”
He stormed past her, brushing her shoulder as he went.
“Levi? Levi, get back here this instant!” Lila’s voice cracked with fury. Her face was flushed, her entire body trembling. Honestly, it was a miracle smoke wasn’t shooting out of her ears.
"Teenagers are so hard to raise!” Omar said dramatically. “Always acting up and being saucy!”
Lila looked like she could combust from sheer embarrassment. She tried to speak calmly, but her words came out through clenched teeth.
“Ludwig, wait downstairs. I’ll have your mother pick you up after dinner.”
“I drove here. I'll go on my own” he said with zero emotion, then turned and walked off. Lila followed right after him.
Today officially goes down as the first time my room has felt like a market square. Too many people, too much energy.
“You sure you don’t wanna share the cupcake with me?” Omar asked, giving me a ridiculous puppy-dog face.
"Just pick one and go,” I snapped, grabbing my phone. “And promise me you won’t ruin the sleepover.”
“Why would I do such a thing? I’ll just watch,” he said, feigning innocence.
“You’ll be our special guest. We’ll practice makeup on your face. If Levi comes out, maybe we’ll drag him into it too.”
“As long as you’re not the one applying it. You’re terrible at makeup,” he said with a teasing grin.
I aimed a kick at him, but he dodged easily.
“What are we even going to eat?” he asked.
Honestly, I didn’t plan a sleepover today. No menu, no vibe, no Pinterest-worthy setup.
“There’s food in the house. And snacks. You guys will just have to make do,” I muttered.
He rubbed his chin like a chef about to enter battle. “Alright, I’ll help you out.”
“Why are you being nice today? Did you hit your head or something? Are you dying?” I asked, raising a brow.
Omar rolled his eyes. “Because you’re not feeling well.”
“Or… are you trying to impress my friends?” I smirked. “Do you have a crush on one of them?”
“No,” he snapped, a little too quickly. “Let’s just go and make rice or something.” He avoided my gaze as he walked out of the room.
YOU ARE READING
A kiss for Ree
Teen Fiction"You got hotter?. How long have I been away?" Jax drapped an arm possessively over my shoulder. I smiled, but my gaze met with Ludwig's again, his eyes narrowed in a possessive way I knew too well. Well if he's dancing with another girl, then I'm g...
