Lunch went well

Bella settled in on the picnic bench, the salad in front of her mostly untouched while she listened to Emily complain about a group project.

“I’m telling you, my partner still hasn’t answered the group chat!” Emily said, stabbing at her greens. “It’s like he thinks staring at the assignment is enough.”

Alex smirked over his sandwich. “Maybe he’s coding a solution instead of talking about it. Some of us prefer results over essays.”

“Says the guy who once stayed up till 4 a.m. debugging a single line” Bella teased, nudging his foot under the table with hers. Her voice was light, but she held his gaze a second longer than necessary. “You looked like a zombie the next morning. Kinda tragic in a way, but i liked you like that!”

Alex raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Tragic, huh? I’ll take the compliment… I think.”

Emily laughed, leaning closer to Bella. “She’s not wrong. Sleep-deprived Alex has a certain… intensity.” She tilted her head, green eyes playful. “Though I prefer him when he’s actually conscious and making coffee that isn’t sludge.”

Bella grinned, taking a slow bite of her salad. The residual warmth from her earlier private moment still hummed under her skin, making the casual banter feel a little sharper. She let her knee brush against Emily’s under the table, casual enough to pass as accident, lingering just a second.

“You’re both lucky I put up with you!” Bella said, voice soft and amused. “I could’ve roomed with someone boring. Instead I get a psych major who overanalyzes everything and a coder who burns stir-fry like it’s a competitive sport.”

Emily’s cheeks pinked just a little. “Hey, I only overanalyze when it’s interesting. And you both are definitely interesting.” She reached over and stole a cherry tomato from Bella’s plate, popping it into her mouth with a wink.

Alex watched the exchange, one corner of his mouth still curved. “Careful, Em. She’s already in a dangerous mood today. Look at her, she’s got THAT look.”

“What look?” Bella asked, raising a brow, deliberately slow as she licked a bit of dressing from her lower lip.

“The ‘I might cause trouble later’ look!” he said, not breaking eye contact.

Bella laughed, low and warm, and leaned back on her hands. The sundress shifted just enough to show a bit more of her thigh. “Maybe I will. Or maybe I’ll just go to art class and behave. Depends how inspiring the nude figure drawing is today.”

Emily nearly choked on her water. “They’re doing nudes already?”

“Apparently.” Bella stood, gathering her bag and giving them both a lingering smile. “So don’t wait up if I’m late. Might need extra… inspiration.”

Alex shook his head, still smiling. “You’re impossible.”

“And yet you both keep sitting with me” she shot back, already stepping away. “See you at home. Try not to burn the house down without me.”

She left them at the table, the easy laughter of her flatmates following her as she crossed the quad toward the arts building. The afternoon sun warmed her bare shoulders, and the light teasing still played in her mind

Emily’s soft blush, Alex’s steady gaze, the little sparks that kept flickering between the three of them.

Her art elective was on the second floor, a bright studio space with tall windows and the faint smell of charcoal and paint. Bella slipped inside just as the professor was setting up the easels, already wondering how the rest of the afternoon might unfold.