Page 50 of Doctor Hot Mess

“Sleep well?” she asks, taking a slow sip of her coffee, her eyes practically dancing with amusement.

“I—uh, yeah. Thanks,” I manage, praying for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. My mind scrambles for something casual to say, anything to deflect. “Jonah and I are just heading out for coffee.”

“Coffee,” she repeats, her grin widening. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

“Lila.” My voice comes out sharper than I intend, but it only makes her laugh.

“What?” she says innocently, holding up her hands. “I’m just saying, it’s nice to see my brother not acting like a total idiot for once. And, for the record, I’m thrilled about this. Seriously.”

“There’s nothing to be thrilled about,” I say quickly, my pulse hammering. “We’re friends. That’s it.”

“Uh-huh,” she says, clearly unconvinced. “Friends. Got it.”

I force a laugh, but it feels hollow, and I’m begging Jonah silently in my head to get out here and save me. The seconds stretch on like hours as I try not to squirm under Lila’s knowing gaze.

“You know,” she adds, taking another sip of her coffee, “it’s nice to see someone who can keep him on his toes. He needs that.”

Before I can respond, Jonah finally walks into the room, his hair damp from a quick rinse and his usual smirk firmly in place. He glances between me and Lila, his brow lifting.

“Am I interrupting something?” he asks, clearly amused.

“Not at all,” Lila says breezily. “Just getting to know yourfriendbetter.”

Jonah’s eyes narrow slightly, but there’s a hint of a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Uh-huh,” he says, grabbing his keys off the counter. “You ready, Harper? Lila, can I grab you a coffee or a bagel?”

“Absolutely,” I say, maybe a little too fast. I shoot Lila a smile and head for the door before she can say anything else.

"No, I'm good. Thanks, though. Bye, lovebirds!"

As Jonah follows me out, I hear Lila call after us, her voice teasing. “Have fun, you two! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

I groan softly under my breath, and Jonah laughs as he catches up to me. “Lila giving you a hard time?” he asks, his tone light.

“You could say that,” I mutter, refusing to meet his eyes. “Remind me never to run into her unprepared again.”

Jonah chuckles, but there’s something warm in his voice when he says, “She likes you, you know.”

I glance up at him, my stomach doing a little flip. “Yeah, well, I like her too. Just...not at sunrise after a long night.”

His grin widens. “Noted.”

NINETEEN

Jonah

The Essential

8:01AM

The coffee shopis tucked into a quiet corner of downtown. It's all exposed brick and warm wooden tables. The kind of place Harper would like—cozy but not trying too hard. I figured neutral territory might be best, considering how our morning has unfolded.

She sits across from me, her hands wrapped around her cup, the steam curling lazily upward. She hasn’t taken a sip of her chai tea yet. She stares into the dark liquid like it might hold the answers to everything.

I watch her for a moment, the sunlight catching on the loose strands of her hair. There’s tension in her shoulders, a hesitance that wasn’t there last night, and it twists something in my chest.

“So,” I start, leaning back in my chair. “Were you trying to ghost me this morning?”

Her head snaps up, her eyes widening slightly before narrowing with a mix of guilt and annoyance. “What? No. I wasn’t—okay, maybe. But I wasn’t ghosting. I just needed some air. And, honestly, I wanted to get out of there before your sister woke up.”

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