"Hey, do you mind?" Aria said sharply to Brittany, whose hand was still resting on my thigh under the table.
"Oh… I forgot you two are dating," Brittany replied, her tone light but pointed.
Brittany gave Aria a small, knowing smirk, the kind that said she knew things Aria clearly didn't.
Aria's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, the edge in her voice growing sharper.
The tension between the two girls was rising fast. David, still seated across from us with his newspaper lowered, decided to jump in before things could escalate further.
"Hey, hey, girls… calm down. Let's have breakfast in peace," he said with a forced chuckle. Then his gaze shifted to me. "And Alex… what about Autumn?"
The question landed like a spark on dry grass.
Aria immediately turned toward me.
"Who's Autumn?" she asked, her voice tight with fresh suspicion.
