They were both men, so how could Sam not notice Paul’s subtle feelings for Miranda? They might not have been obvious, but they were definitely there. And as long as they existed, there was no way they would escape his keen observation.

Sam paused mid–step and suddenly spun on his heel. Miranda, who was half a step behind, didn’t see Paul because Sam blocked her view.

She nearly bumped into him when he stopped so abruptly but managed to steady herself just in time.

“Sorry.”

Sam said, glancing down at her. “I just remembered something.”

Miranda looked puzzled. “What is it?”

The next moment, she found a hot cup of latte thrust into her hand. The comforting heat seeped through her palm, and she stared at it, momentarily stunned.

“Hold it carefully. I’m not responsible if it spills,” Sam joked..

“When did you buy this?” Miranda asked in confusion.

They had been sitting face to face the entire time, and she hadn’t noticed him placing any order.

Sam smirked. “That’s a secret.”

“Oh!” Miranda nodded, then teased, “You seem pretty slick, huh? I bet you use this trick often to charm all

those women.”

“Wrong. I’ve only ever used it on you.”

Miranda’s smile faded, feeling the air grow awkward. She subtly stepped back, trying to put a little Belongs © to .

distance between them.

Sam noticed her slight retreat, and though he understood what it meant, he knew better than to push her too hard now. If he pressured her, she might just run off into someone else’s arms in a panic.

“Alright then, you should head inside. I won’t walk you up–you probably wouldn’t want that anyway.”

Miranda nodded, “Goodbye.”

“Yeah.”

Without lingering, Sam watched her cross the street safely, then turned and drove away.

As she held the cup of latte, Miranda was still contemplating what to do with it when she looked up and spotted Paul standing under a tree.

She was startled.

“Dr. Jefferson, you’re still here?”

“I was waiting for you,” Paul said, glancing at the latte in Miranda’s hand. “Do you like drinking those?”

“Not often, just once in a while. It’s okay.”

Paul stared at the latte and suddenly spoke up. “I’ve never tried the ones from that café.”

Miranda looked puzzled. “Huh?”

“I don’t know what it tastes like. Is it good?”

Miranda hesitated, “Uh…. do you want mine?”

Paul nodded, “Sure, thanks.”

“N–No problem.”

Sam was in high spirits, tapping his fingers to the rhythm on the steering wheel. Even waiting at a red light, he seemed unusually patient.

Just then, Calvin’s call came through, connecting automatically via the car’s Bluetooth. Instantly, loud heavy metal music blared through, making Sam frown,

“Sam, what’ve you been up to lately? Calvin’s voice cut in, moving to a quieter spot, though the background noise was still quite loud.

Sam replied simply, “Work.”

“What about outside of work?” Calvin’s tone turned sly. Any progress on the romantic front?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Who are you asking for? Is Hansel with you? If he wants to know, he can ask me himself.”

Caught off guard, Calvin glanced at Hansel smoking beside him and shrugged. “What are you on about, Sam? Don’t be paranoid! I’m just making conversation, not asking for anyone!”

“Really?” Sam chuckled, clearly unconvinced. “You might as well know–by the way, shouldn’t you turn on the speakerphone now?”

Calvin was at a loss for words; he was already on speaker.

“You’ve got it on, right? Making sure he can hear? Okay, here’s the update.”

Hansel, who had been casually smoking, straightened up, suddenly feeling tense.

Sam continued, “The progress is–I just left her place, and she accepted the latte I gave her. Is that enough?”