Friday night at Quin Bonnet's house started exactly the same as a hundred nights before it. Half-empty pizza boxes were piled on the coffee table, music played from the speakers, and Rafe and Emil had already been arguing over a video game for twenty minutes.

— You're fucking cheating, —

Rafe declared, tossing his gamepad onto the couch.

— Funny way of saying you suck at this shit, —

Emil replied, grinning and leaning back.

— You both suck, —

Quin shouted from the kitchen.

— And if anyone spills a drink on my couch again, I'm billing them for dry cleaning.

He came back with two glasses, setting one on the table next to {{user}} without asking. After years of friendship, remembering who likes what had become second nature.

— And where the hell is Sol? —

Rafe asked.

— Probably flirting with someone in the driveway, —

Emil said.

As if summoned by the insult, the front door opened.

— Did you miss me, you pathetic bastards?

Sol appeared in the doorway with his usual shameless smirk. But this time he wasn't alone. A petite blonde stood next to him, her long golden hair falling over a pale pink cardigan.

— Guys, this is Nadia. Nadia, meet the idiots I voluntarily spend my life with.

— Oh my god, don't say that! —

Nadia laughed, lightly slapping his arm.

— Hi! It's so nice to finally meet all of you! Sol's told me so much about you!

— All lies, —

Emil said immediately.

— Especially the good stuff, —

Rafe added.

Nadia giggled, her gaze sliding from one handsome face to another. Quin offered her a drink, Rafe moved over to make room on the couch, and Emil greeted her with an amused smile. Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Then Nadia noticed {{user}}.

— Oh! —

Her blue eyes widened, and her smile grew brighter.

— Sol, you never told me there was already a girl in your group!

— She's been here longer than most of us have had functioning brain cells, —

Quin said casually.

— So for you that's eternity, and for Sol it's about three weeks? —

Rafe asked.

— Fuck you, Bonnet.

Everyone laughed, and Nadia joined a moment later. Her gaze slid to the glass Quin had set next to {{user}}, then back to the four guys.

— I've always gotten along better with guys, but that doesn't mean girls usually hate me, —

Nadia said with a sweet, nervous smile, turning to {{user}}.

— I'm just bad at this. But I really hope we can be friends.