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I watch Aadam from the corner of my eye as he casually leans against the display, a lazy smile playing at his lips, as if he hasn't just dropped the biggest bombshell of the year. My mouth hangs open, and I feel my eyebrows shoot up in shock.
"What? Are you serious?" My eyes were wide, probably almost comically so, as I stared at him, my mind still processing his words.
He shakes his head, his eyes bright with amusement as he meets my gaze. "Of course, I'm serious." His voice was teasing, and I could see that familiar spark in his eyes-the one that always seemed to dance when he was messing with me. "George has been mooning over Freya for ages. And he's finally going to ask her to be his girlfriend. About time, right?"
I honestly never thought they were anything more than good friends. They always seemed so casual. I blinked, completely baffled. "But... I thought they were just friends! I mean...they're always hanging out, but-"
"Sweetheart," he said slowly, his tone half-laughing, half-serious, "don't tell me you haven't noticed how they are with each other."
How was I supposed to know? They act like friends most of the time... don't they?
I pouted, my eyes narrowing slightly as I studied him. "No, I didn't notice," I said stubbornly clutching a sleek pastel pink crossbody. "They always seemed just... friendly."
Sure Freya's eyes did seem to light up around him, but I'd just assumed it was normal for friends to act that way.
Aadam's laugh bubbled out of him, loud and genuine, filling the space between us. "Come on, sweetheart. You've got to be kidding. You're telling me you didn't pick up on the way they looked at each other at the festival? Or how they were practically glued together at the basketball party?"
I duck my head, feeling a sudden rush of embarrassment. How did I miss something so obvious?
I've never been good at picking up on things like that, and it's not like Freya and I are super close-I've only known her for a while now. But still...
"I... I guess I just thought they were comfortable with each other, you know? I just thought... friends can look at each other like that. It doesn't have to mean something romantic."
"God, Rose, you're hopeless," he says, his voice dropping to that low tone that makes my heart flutter. "You're the only one who didn't see it. He's has been crushing on Freya forever."
"All of us knew. Even Cameron. You know what he said when I told him George was planning on asking Freya out? 'Finally.'"
"Even Cameron?" I echo, feeling slightly betrayed, like I've missed out on some huge inside joke that everyone else got except me. "But I... I didn't even get a hint of it. They never acted like that when I was around!"
