Page 42 of Byte

Crap. Once again, I’d forgotten about my study sessions with Lauren. I really needed to get some study time in, but there was no way we could meet at my house. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I texted Byte to see if he had any ideas.

Byte:What about the diner?

Gabby:Perfect.

I replied to Lauren and asked her if she could meet me at the diner to study.

Lauren:Why can’t we study at your house?

Gabby:My house is being fumigated.

Lauren:Where are you staying? I can come there to study.

Gabby:I’m not staying anywhere else. I just can’t go back home until later tonight.

Lauren:Fine. I’ll meet you at the diner.

Gabby:Great. See you then.

She was a bit of a pain in the ass, but I tolerated it because I did get a lot done during our study sessions.

I let Byte know that she agreed to meet me at the diner and hurried to finish my lunch before my break was over.

Thankfully, I was able to leave the office on time. We barely had time to run back to Luca’s place so I could change clothesand grab my books before we were supposed to meet Lauren at the diner.

When we arrived, I felt rushed and a little frazzled. Lauren was already seated at a booth with her books open on the table. I slid into the booth and scooted over to the side so Byte could join me.

“I’m going to sit at the counter,” he said and knocked his knuckles on the table twice before leaving.

“Why’s he here?” Lauren asked.

“He has to eat, too,” I snapped. What was with all of her questions? She was really beginning to annoy me.

“I made you brownies,” she said and pushed a container toward me. “You like those, right?”

“I do,” I said and opened the container to take a peek. “Thank you. They smell delicious.”

“Try one,” she said.

“I should probably have dinner first,” I said. I hadn’t had anything since lunch, and I was starving.

We placed our orders and started going through notes while we waited for our food.

“What’s the deal with this Byte guy?” Lauren asked.

“He’s a friend of the family,” I said, repeating what I’d already told her about him.

“Yeah, but how long’s he staying with you? I thought you said it was only for two weeks.”

“I’m not sure. He said the project he was working on was extended, but I didn’t ask for how long. Can we get back to the notes?”

“Sure,” she said, but she didn’t sound like she was interested in studying.

When our food arrived, she took the opportunity to ask me more questions about Byte. She wanted to know how old he was, where he was from, how my family knew him—all the samequestions she asked me the first time she met him. Once again, I tried to pacify her with vague answers and redirect her back to the task at hand, but she was relentless. And I couldn’t leave early since I told her I had to stay away from my house until later that night. I was stuck, and it sucked. I found myself watching the clock instead of studying. The whole night was a bust.

Finally, it was time to leave, and I couldn’t have been happier. Lauren took her time packing up her stuff while I was ready to go in seconds. I stood by the table and resisted the urge to yank her out of the booth and shove her out the front door.

“You seem irritated,” Byte said once we were on the way back to Luca’s estate.

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