"Try me, bitch."

My eyes narrowed in on the black disk floating across the table. I'd been staring at it for so long that the lines began to blur behind my gaze of competitiveness, but I wasn't about to let Calum of all people win. He'd never let me live it down if he did.

Calum glared at me from the other side of the air hockey table. "You got nothin' on me, Lex."

Something about hanging out with Calum for the past few months, a man who took a video game challenge as a personal threat against his entire existence, proved to turn me more competitive than I was before I'd met him. Whenever we hung out, if we weren't cashing in on our friends-with-benefits status, we were playing some game to help us pass the time. For the most part, he was still better than me at most games, but I was working on my skills, especially with Zachariah's help. He spent a lot of time hanging out with us as well and he had the skills to match his friend.

When Calum smacked the disk toward me, I ricocheted it off the right side and into his goal.

I swayed around the table and held out my hand for high-fives from our spectators. My opponent, on the other hand, was not as graceful in defeat and acted much like he did when he'd lost at beer pong.

"Guess you got tried, bitch." My winning smile was smug. "I think it's about time you get me that Cinnabon I've been waiting for."

Calum grabbed his backpack from the ground with a frown. "What is it with you and Cinnabons?"

The four of us walked out of Fun Factory after picking up our small batch of prizes from the counter, and as we neared the food court, the breeze rushing in from the mall doors cloaked us in the smell of fresh rainfall beating down on the island all morning.

"I don't know why people hate when it rains," I commented as we stood in line for my reward while Emmie and Zachariah went to find us a table.

He peeked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Maybe because most people don't come to Hawai'i to see rain?"

"But it's so beautiful." I countered. I watched jackets being lifted in the air as shields and a rainbow of umbrellas scattered about. "Have you ever driven to Kaneohe while it's raining? It's stunning."

"Leave it to you to find beauty in a rainstorm," he remarked with gentle laughter. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me out of the way of a family trying to walk past.

I shrugged as we parted. "There'd be no rainbow without the rain."

"I have the house to myself this weekend." The line moved forward a few steps and the smell of rainfall competed with the aroma of cinnamon and icing. "I know how much you love marathons."

My body tingled at the thought of it. When I peeked up at him through heavy lashes, he stared down at me, equally as excited, though it faded when the next words came out of my mouth.

"You mean a Criminal Minds marathon? I thought you'd never ask."

There was no dodging the pinch he placed on my butt that had me smacking his hand away.

"No more trouble in paradise it seems," he noted. He gave a sly nod toward Emmie and Zachariah. The two of them had found a table and were wrapped around each other as if the rest of the world simply did not exist. "Guess those first five months were them figuring shit out."

"You'd think they'd settle that before jumping into a relationship but at least they got there eventually."

He swiped his finger against the tip of my nose. "I don't know how you manage to make cynicism look hot but you do."

"Excuse me for being realistic."

"I said cynical, not realistic."

"And I'm rejecting that claim."

"Well, that's too bad because you're the glue in this crafty situation, ma'am."

"How dare you."

After successfully acquiring the goods, Calum and I walked back to the table with our large cinnamon roll and cup of cinnamon roll centers, as well as a couple of water bottles. Emmie and Zachariah disengaged by that point and were laughing at something on their phones. The former glanced up at us as we took our seats.

"Didn't you say you were gonna start working out soon?"

I stabbed the cinnamon roll with my fork and lifted it to my mouth. "Don't shame me and this cinnamon roll, Ems. What we have is something special."

"I would never get between your love." She leaned forward, a playful gleam in her eyes. "But if I'm going to suffer by subjecting myself to taking care of my body, I need you to hold up your end of the deal."

"What deal?" Zachariah asked, intrigued.

Through a bite, I muffled, "There's no deal. I have no idea what she's talking about."

"We made a deal to start working out and not eat as much junk food," Emmie answered. "Somebody seems to have forgotten about our deal."

"Deals made while intoxicated are null and void."

Emmie gasped. "What about that time I said I'd buy you pizza for a whole month if you could beat me in a game of beer pong!"

"That was different."

Emmie stared at me. "How was that any different?"

"Because you're the one that made the deal, not me. We both know I have no issues with backing out on a deal made."

"I have a surprise," Zachariah announced after the three of us argued over whose dessert was the better choice. "In honor of our newfound appreciation for"—he paused and tilted his head at us—"double dates?"

Calum and I both shrugged our shoulders. We could live with that label for now. "What'd you get us?"

He reached into his pocket and dragged out his phone. It took a few moments to pull it up on the screen, but once he was ready, he held the device out for us to view.

Calum and I squeezed ourselves together, struggling to read the small text on the screen. With a frustrated huff, I yanked the phone out of Zachariah's hand, and Calum leaned over my shoulder.

"No way," I breathed. "Middle school me would be crying. I think I actually might cry."

Emmie giggled and reached her hand across, swiping her thumb lovingly across my cheek. "I told him you'd be happy."

"That's an understatement," I cried. "All Time Low was my life. Absolutely nothing gets you more hyped to accomplish goals you've never set quite like Weightless."

Emmie sighed dreamily. "Our anthem every year. Before we inevitably did nothing."

I handed Zachariah's phone back. "None of Emmie's ex-boyfriends bought me a ticket to see All Time Low, so you have my blessing for her hand in marriage."

He slid his phone back into his pants. "Who needs a father's approval when I've got Alex's."

I lifted my chin in the air. "Also, we're done asking men for permission to marry whomever we want."

"Wait, babe," Emmie interrupted, rifling through her purse. "Did you see my wallet? I can't find it."

Zachariah replied. "I think the last time was in the car. When you were looking for that gift card?"

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. Emmie flipped her hair out of her face before she looked across the table at Calum. "Yeah, I think I left it in your car."

Calum scooted his chair back. "I can walk you," he offered, and the two of them stood up.

I, on the other hand, was perfectly content with sitting here and enjoying the last few moments I had with my Cinnabon.

I'd almost forgotten Zachariah was still sitting there when he cleared his throat.

"Oh. You're still here."

"Yes, I am."

I dabbed a napkin around my mouth. "So what was the special occasion?"

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"The concert tickets. It's cool and all but I don't believe for a second they're just random surprises.

Zachariah didn't take offense to my skepticism because, as I would be proud to accept, I was completely right. Nobody just shelled out for concert tickets out of the blue like that unless he had something else planned.

"Things have been going well. I just want to keep the momentum going."

The mall buzz muffled out the sound of me crumpling all of my trash together. But even in chaos, our conversation felt intimate like one shared between two lifelong friends.

"Sounds like you're expecting a shoe to drop soon."

Zachariah looked down at his hands, twirling the now empty Cinnabon cup. "Maybe I'm just enjoying myself."

"And maybe I'm not as cynical as Calum says I am but I think we can all agree that's not the case."

"You're too hard on yourself," Zachariah responded with equal conviction. "You expect the worst from yourself and pass that expectation onto everyone else. It's not fair to anybody."

"Are concert tickets this philosophical?"

He smiled at me. "Only around you would they be."

"That is cool, though," I admitted, changing the subject. "I feel like All Time Low is one of those bands you feel weird admitting you like. But every time I listen to them it brings me right back."

"It's a little ridiculous how many times I used to play Remembering Sunday." Zachariah sounded embarrassed.

"Better than having to listen to some jackass play Wonderwall at a talent show," I teased. "Like, we get it. It was the first song you ever learned how to play but please move on to something else. I'm begging."

He groaned along with me. "Wonderwall has become my actual sleep paralysis demon."

I couldn't stop laughing at the image—Zachariah stuck unmoving on his bed while Liam Gallagher stood in the corner singing.

"I was gonna text you yesterday but did you want to check out that yakiniku place that opened up downtown?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. "They have a lunch special. I can pick you up whenever you're off."

Before I answered, I spotted Emmie and Calum walking back through the main doors with her wallet in her hand.

"When do I ever turn down a buffet?"

Zachariah leaned forward before the other two came close enough to hear him. "Whatever reasons you think I might have for getting those tickets, don't let Emmie know, alright?"

If things were going well, I didn't want to be the reason to ruin it. And I wasn't going to jump to any conclusions.

"Don't worry." I lowered my voice to match his. "Your skepticism is safe with me."