Harper stayed where she was, staring at Luca while he stood a few steps away with his football bag hanging off one shoulder. For once, she had nothing sharp to say. That alone threw her off.
Usually it was simple. He said something, and she fired back. He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. He pushed; she pushed harder. It was a rhythm she knew without thinking. This wasn’t that.
Luca was looking at her like she wasn’t just background noise. Like she had caught his attention and he hadn’t decided what to do with it yet. Harper shifted on the bench.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Luca blinked, then looked away toward the field. “I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I was thinking.”
“About my face?”
He glanced back at her. “Unfortunately.”
Harper frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t kno
