By the time they both arrived at the Dining Hall, it was empty. Whether it was because of Liam or another reason, Amber was just thankful she didn’t have to wait in line. After missing breakfast this morning with only a macchiato and water for brunch, her stomach was growling.

Hunter was chuckling to himself as they maneuvered around a couple of chairs and tables towards the trays. “Is he always like that?”

“Liam? Yes.” Amber eyed her wrist, where he still held it in his grip. Why did it feel so natural, as if they were meant to be? And why hadn’t she pulled away? “But you made the situation worse.”

“You’re welcome,” Hunter grinned at her before finally letting go to grab a tray, oblivious to her turmoil. “Besides, I will not let him ruin our lunch date. So now, what will it be?”

Amber turned her head around the massive dining room with its various selections of cuisine separated into sections. There was a wide variety of choices, from hamburgers and fries to Chinese or a nutritional salad bar. All one had to do was stand in line to get to the food at the front, and most were line-free.

“Guess it’s Chinese.” Hunter saw where her eyes landed and began making his way towards the Asian cuisine avenue. “I hear today’s special is extra spicy, and it’s been a while since I’ve had some spice in my life.”

Amber hesitated before she grabbed her own tray and followed behind him. “You’re welcome to try other things. You don’t have to follow me, and I won’t run away if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“You’re not one to run away from a fight.” Hunter’s eyes perused the menu hanging atop their heads. “It’s your promised half I’m worried about.”

Before Amber could respond, the female staff on the other side greeted Hunter. She waited while Hunter made small conversations before agreeing to go with the Chef’s Special. The female staff then filled a bowl with meat, veggies, and the Szechuan sauce before delivering it to Hunter. Amber couldn’t help but notice the extra-large sizing he got without too much effort.

“And for your girlfriend here? What would she like?” The staff lady turned around to greet her with a smile once she finished with Hunter.

“Oh, I’m not—”

“I’m still trying to win this one.” Hunter intervened before she could continue. “She’s proving a bit stubborn.”

“It’s no use running, honey,” the personnel lady chuckled affectionately at her. “Now, what would you like?”

“I’ll… I’ll do the special as well.” Not because Hunter got it, but because it looked delicious. It also was not because she didn’t read the menu. Yes, it looked scrumptious and spicy, and Amber loved her tangy stir-fry. “Do you know him?”

“Nope,” the lady grabbed a bowl and started filling her order. “But if I were younger, we’d be rivals.”

“We’re just friends,” the words sounded weak, even to Amber, and especially since she’d done her best to avoid him at every twist and turn.

“Of course.” Another bright smile from the staff before she handed Amber’s bowl to her. The staff was too agreeable, but before Amber could say another word, the lady ended the conversation. “You both have a great day now. I’ll be seeing you two around.”

Amber turned to find Hunter already by the fountain, helping himself to a large cup of water. His movements were steady and precise, like someone who knew what he wanted and had all the time in the world to get it.

Amber paused, observing him longer than she intended.

He was a good four or five inches taller than her, and it wouldn’t be his final height. Judging from his demeanor, there was some growing left in him. There were already signs of the man he’d become, with the wide shoulders, lean waist, and powerful build—hints of muscles in those arms and legs—not that she had been paying attention.

Perhaps… she mused. If she was single—as in—not trapped since birth, she might have considered it. The fact of the matter was that her parents and Liam’s parents had this planned before she was even born, and going against it would disappoint them greatly. She thought of Liam’s parents as her own already. With their agreement to hold off on the marriage until after college, Amber owed it to them to stay faithful, at least.

Moving, she grabbed herself a drink and followed Hunter towards the booths at the end of the vast dining hall, away from the massive windows overseeing the front. It was a quieter place for students who wanted privacy while eating, with less traffic being so far back.

They picked an unoccupied booth, away from prying eyes, and sat opposite one another.

Amber waited until Hunter had a spoonful of food in his mouth. “It’s like you said, I am promised to someone else, so you might as well give up.”

Amber expected him to drop the plastic utensil in his hand or at least show his surprise, ever the dramatic fellow. He did neither. In fact, Hunter never stumbled nor gave away his thoughts. But, for a split second, Amber could have sworn his eyes darkened. Still, even that dissipated as Hunter pulled the empty spoon from his mouth, and she questioned if it had been a trick of the light instead.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hunter’s eyes expanded in disbelief. “Can’t a guy be friends with a girl without assuming he wants to hit on her?”

Amber narrowed her eyes at him without saying a word and took a spoonful of her stir fry. The smoothness of the rice, sauce, and vegetables emerged like a burst of the rainbow in her mouth, and she took bite after bite without pausing. Next time, she’d have to ask for more peppers, though, because it wasn’t spicy enough.

“Let’s just focus on being friends first before you try to seduce me?” He grinned as the words registered in Amber’s brain, and she started coughing, the food suddenly stuck in her throat.

Hunter couldn’t have timed it better, and he knew it.

Amber patted her chest while grabbing a drink. Several, actually.

After a couple more minutes, her thoughts began to form. “Back there...” she paused, taking another mouthful of water before continuing. “You told the lady you were still—still working on me?”

“Oh, that?” Hunter waved his hand in the air. “I meant trying to work on getting you to hang out more. After all, you drove me to grovel at your feet just to have lunch with you, and after I bought you your favorite drink. Friends don’t do that to one another.”

There was a loud sigh from Amber. She couldn’t argue with him there. It sounded crappy and ungrateful of her to decline his good wishes after all his trouble. He also went out of his way to save her a seat. No one’s ever done that much before.

“Exactly.” Hunter nodded, following her thoughts. “You didn’t even bother to ask me what my favorite coffee drink is.”

She couldn’t help the way her lips curled naturally in his presence or how easy it was to talk to him. It was as if they had known each other for a long, long time. “Why worry about that now? We have the rest of the year for me to find out.”

At that moment, Amber’s phone vibrated. She turned away from Hunter to locate her device and the text that popped up on display.

“Yes,” Hunter murmured slowly, purposefully. “We have the rest of our lives to figure everything out.”

If Amber had been paying attention, she would have caught the promise behind those words, the expression he gave her. Instead, Amber continued grinning at the text messages on the screen and missed his remark completely.

Missed everything.

And the minute passed.

When she finally glanced up, Hunter’s previous expression was long gone, replaced by a mischievous smile as he finished his bowl of stir-fry. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s my mom,” Amber giggled, turning her phone to show him what was so amusing. “My parents just had a baby, and she’s been keeping them up at night, so they each take turns with her. Last night, it was my dad’s turn, and he fell asleep with Hope in his arms on the sofa, and Mom took this picture. I shouldn’t laugh but see how haggard my dad is….”

Amber’s words drifted off as she realized how much she’d spoken. Hunter didn’t seem to care, nor mind, and his eyes softened at the image. “Are those dark circles?”

“They are.” Amber didn’t even need to look. “My dad’s known for them when he doesn’t get enough sleep. When I was eight years old, I woke up one night to him working late and thought he was a ghost after seeing him with the dark circles under his eyes!”

“I bet that woke up your mom.” Hunter crossed his arms and leaned in, wanting to hear more.

“Actually, my mom was on a business trip that weekend,” Amber smiled, recalling the memories. “I didn’t stop crying until he got rid of them.”

“How did he manage that?”

“He had to use mom’s concealer to cover them up.” Amber burst out laughing, the memories flooding back. At that time, no matter how much her dad had coaxed or begged, Amber couldn’t stop crying. In fact, she cried even harder the closer he came, shouting and screaming at him, demanding only her daddy.

Hunter laughed along with her. “You sound like the perfect angel.”

Amber covered her mouth, still laughing, “I was, believe it or not. I rarely gave them a hard time!”

“There you are,” another male voice interrupted their conversation. “So this is where you ran off to?”

The rest of her laugh faded as Amber peered up at the beloved voice of her betrothed. Liam was the perfect image of a Debbie Downer if there ever was one.

Amber studied his troupe, no longer shocked to see a trail of girls with him. In one arm, he held his own lunch tray, while the other was wrapped around a lovely blonde female. The blonde was leaning into Liam and had both her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Shocker. Did no one want to hold his lunch tray for him to free up his other arm?

“Liam,” Amber smiled, but it never reached her eyes.

“Amber,” Liam responded. “What are you—”

“Liam, why did we stop?” The pretty blonde pouted at Liam before glaring at Amber. “Who is she?”

“Weren’t we going to sit at the large table over there?” The other girls behind them echoed. “Why did we stop?”

“Yes, Liam,” Amber answered sweetly, more annoyed than ever. Usually, he’d wait until after she was out of sight to bring in the girls. “Who am I?”

Liam’s face colored.

Normally, Amber wouldn’t gall him on, but she knew it would be difficult for Liam on this. Earlier, outside, Liam had no qualms staking his claim on her because there were no other females around, nor were they listening. However, right now, he couldn’t admit to his engagement in front of his favorite crowd. He had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Liam wanted to say something but thought better of it and choked it down. Fine, his eyes told her. You win.

With a bright smile, he answered his group more so than Amber. “I thought she was someone I recognized—my mistake. Let’s go, girls. Did I ever tell you…”

Of course, she’d win. Amber didn’t pick fights on the losing end, after all. She chuckled as Liam, and his gathering marched away.

As usual, Liam’s reputation was always more important. Not that she would have known what to do if Liam had actually announced their engagement right then and there. Thankfully, things played out as she expected.

She turned to face Hunter, to apologize once more for Liam’s behavior, but Hunter’s expression stopped her.