Gibby was staring at Seth strangely, and looked like she was going to open her mouth and say something, but Nick got there first. “Whoa. That … was … amazing.”
Seth’s eyes widened. “What?”
“No, seriously. That was perfect. Holy crap, Seth. Did you think of that off the top of your head? Oh my god, we need to collaborate on a fic together. Why didn’t you tell me you had an imagination?”
Seth groaned, putting his face in his hands.
“Did you guys hear that?” Nick demanded, looking at Gibby and Jazz.
“I think so,” Jazz said, squinting at Nick. “We’re sitting right here.”
Gibby didn’t say anything. She continued to stare at Seth, brow furrowed.
Seth groaned again.
“Yes, I know,” Nick said, reaching over and putting his arm around Seth’s shoulders, pulling him close. Seth came willingly enough, and Nick was pleased. “It’s shocking when you discover the depths of your creativity. Believe me, I would know. It happens to me on a daily basis.” He smacked a kiss on the top of Seth’s head. “By the way, I’m stealing everything you said as my backstory when I become an Extraordinary if I want to be the brooding kind. I haven’t decided if I’m going to do that, or go the happy, sarcastic, kick-ass way.”
“You don’t know how to brood,” Seth mumbled.
“Aw, isn’t this cozy,” Owen said, tossing his bag on the table, almost knocking Jazz’s quinoa tabbouleh into her lap. She glared up at him, and Nick wondered if Owen was about to go through the rest of his life without his fingers. Thankfully, Gibby put a hand over Jazz’s and squeezed, keeping her from getting up. Owen was too busy staring at Nick and Seth to see how close it’d been. “You two are so adorable, I can’t even stand it. Seriously. Stop. It’s disgusting.” He sat down, the bench creaking beneath him.
Seth pulled away, even though Nick was loath to let him go. It felt … nice, sitting like that with Seth. “You just missed Seth being so badass,” Nick told Owen.
Owen rolled his eyes. “First time for everything, I suppose.”
That didn’t sit well with Nick. It never did when someone talked badly about Seth. “That’s not fair. He’s badass all the time. More than you could ever be.”
Owen winked at Nick. “I highly doubt that.”
“You have sunglasses on top of your head.”
“And?”
“You just came from class. Which means you’re inside. Which means you look like an idiot.”
Seth snorted.
Owen shrugged. “Or I look good no matter what I’m doing.”
“Men are terrible,” Jazz told Gibby.
“I’m glad you think that way,” Gibby replied. “Means more of you for me.”
Owen reached over and stole one of Seth’s sugar snap peas. Seth looked like he was going to say something but swallowed it down instead as Owen continued with his nonsense. “Why are the dorks being all touchy-feely with each other? Not that I care.”
“Right,” Gibby said. “You don’t care so much that you asked anyway.”
Owen grinned at her, razor sharp. “I’m pretending to be interested. It’s what friends do.” He glanced at Nick. “And exes, I suppose.”
“Where did you come from?” Jazz asked suddenly.
For a moment, Owen’s facade morphed into a look of surprise, before it cooled again. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You weren’t friends with us. With any of us. And then all of a sudden, you were here. Why?”
Owen bit into the sugar snap pea, teeth crunching it cleanly. “You knew me before they did. My parents are donors to the same charities your parents are. We saw each other all the time.”
“Rich people stuff,” Gibby whispered to Seth and Nick.
“Right,” Jazz said, gnawing on her bottom lip. “And I remember seeing you at our country club, but we never talked. Well, except for that one time when you asked if I wanted to go back to your house and see your bed.”
Gibby’s eyes narrowed.
For the first time since Nick had known him, Owen almost looked scared. “Yeah,” he said hastily. “That wasn’t one of my better ideas. But if you could tell your guard dyke that it was before her, that would be great.”
“It was,” Jazz said, putting her hand on Gibby’s arm, much to Nick’s consternation. He wanted to see what Gibby would have done. He thought it would have been gory. “And I wasn’t the only one he tried to get with.”
Owen shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve got a big … heart. Ain’t that right, Nicky?”