Twenty minutes later we were seated at a cafe called The Morning Tide, right on the boardwalk with outdoor seating and ocean breeze. I ordered pancakes with bacon. Aurora got French toast with strawberries. Addison ordered waffles with whipped cream and extra syrup, then proceeded to dump hot sauce on everything.
"That’s disgusting," Aurora said.
"You’re disgusting." Addison took a massive bite and moaned around it. "God that’s good."
I watched her demolish her breakfast like it had personally insulted her family. She caught staring and raised an eyebrow.
"Sothing on my face?"
"Yeah. Hot sauce."
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand instead of using a napkin like a normal person. "Better?"
"Marginally."
Aurora kicked my shin under the table. Gentle. Playful. I kicked back and she grinned, that satisfied little smirk that ant she’d gotten exactly the reaction she wanted.
Addison observed this exchange with narrowed eyes, her fork pausing mid-air. "You two are gross."
"Jealous?" Aurora reached across the table and plucked a piece of bacon right off my plate with her fingers.
"Of what? Your milk vampire boyfriend?"
I choked on my coffee. Actually choked. Coughed for what had to be ten solid seconds while both of them watched struggle with varying degrees of amusent on their faces.
Aurora leaned over to pat my back, still radiating that insufferable satisfaction. "Breathe, Jace. In and out."
"Did she just call a milk vampire?"
"She absolutely did." Aurora’s smile belonged in a museum exhibit dedicated to human cruelty. "I told her everything last night. During our sleepover. Very detailed conversation."
"Everything."
"Mm-hmm." She took a leisurely sip of her orange juice, completely unbothered by my glare. "Every single detail."
Addison crunched through another massive bite of her waffle, chewing with her mouth open like so kind of goth barbarian. "Aurora said you drink girls’ tit milk to stay alive and in exchange you make them stronger and copy their powers. That about right?"
I turned my attention back to Aurora, who was now examining her nails with exaggerated nonchalance. "You really told her everything."
"Addison’s my best friend. We don’t keep secrets." She set down her juice glass and t my eyes with that playful challenge I was starting to recognize. "Also she already figured out most of it on her own. I just confird the details. She’s smarter than she looks."
"Fuck you," Addison said cheerfully.
"Love you too, babe."
Addison pointed her fork at , a chunk of waffle still stuck to the end of it. "The milk thing is weird as fuck. Like, genuinely bizarre. But Aurora says it works and you’re not a creep about it. You ask permission, you don’t force anything, and apparently you’re good at it." She shrugged, going back to her breakfast. "So whatever. Do your thing. Just don’t hurt her or I’ll use my scythes on parts you’ll miss. Starting with your dick and working my way up."
"Noted."
We ate in relative silence for a few minutes. The cafe filled with weekend morning crowd, mostly locals and a few academy students who’d caught the early ferry. Nobody paid us attention except for one guy who kept glancing at Aurora before his girlfriend elbowed him.
Addison finished her waffles and started on mine without asking. "So how many girls you got in this operation?"
"Depends on how you count."
"I count in whole numbers. Try ."
Aurora watched this exchange with clear entertainnt.
"Three right now. Naomi, Belle, Aurora."
"And you’re what, dating all three?"
"Dating’s a strong word."
"What word would you use?"
I thought about it. "Complicated mutual benefit with feelings involved."
Addison snorted. "That’s the most fuckboy answer I’ve ever heard."
"It’s honest."
"Honest fuckboy. Even worse." She stole my last piece of bacon. "Does Naomi know about Belle?"
"Yeah."
"Does Belle know about Aurora?"
"Yeah."
"Do they know about each other?"
"They’re in a group chat where they compare notes."
Addison’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "You’re kidding."
"Nope. Belle and Naomi have a whole system. Complete transparency. Weekly debriefs. Probably a spreadsheet."
"Holy shit." She looked at Aurora. "You knew about this?"
Aurora nodded, completely unbothered.
"They added you to the group chat."
"Yep. It’s called ’Managing the Milk Vampire.’ Belle made it."
I put my head in my hands. "I hate all of you."
"No you don’t." Aurora kissed my temple. "You love that we talk about you."
She wasn’t wrong. Sothing about knowing they were coordinating instead of competing made the whole thing less nightmare and more manageable.
Addison leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "So what’s your endga here? You gonna marry all three?"
"I’m eighteen and trying not to die. Marriage isn’t on my radar."
"But you like them. All three."
I t her eyes. "Yeah."
"Even though you’re using them for your survival thing."
"I’m not using them. They know what I am. They choose to be involved anyway."
"Because you give them power."
"Because we help each other."
Addison studied for a long mont. Then she nodded once. "Alright."
"Alright?"
"You’re honest about it. That’s more than most guys manage." She stood and grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair. "I’m gonna walk around. You two do your couple shit. et back at the hotel at noon?"
Aurora agreed. "Noon works."
Addison left without looking back.
I watched her go, black hair swaying with her confident stride. She turned heads walking through the cafe despite looking like she’d slept in her clothes.
Aurora slid into the seat Addison vacated, closer to . "She likes you."
"She threatened to kill twice."
"That’s how she shows affection." Aurora stole what remained of my pancakes. "If she actually hated you, you wouldn’t know until your insides were on the outside."
"Comforting."
"Addison doesn’t trust people. Ever. But she trusts . And I told her you’re worth knowing." She t my eyes. "So now she’s testing you. Seeing if you’ll fold or if you’ll stand up."
"And if I fold?"
"Then you’re not worth my ti either."
Fair enough.
We paid the bill and walked down the boardwalk hand in hand. The morning sun made the ocean look like hamred gold. Tourists milled around with caras and ice cream despite it being barely nine in the morning. Street perforrs set up near the pier.
Aurora pulled into a bookstore that slled like old paper and coffee. She disappeared into the romance section while I browsed fantasy, finding familiar titles that existed in this world too. Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, authors I’d read in my old life.
My phone buzzed. Belle again: Naomi wants to know if you’re coming back today.
Yeah. Probably around three.
Good. She’s worried you’re gonna ditch us for your hot second-year girlfriend.
Not ditching anyone.
Better not be.
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