Jasmin's POV
I nearly bit my tongue at his shameless boldness when he said, "I came to chase after you."
The scroll crumpled under my tightening grip, my knuckles turning bone white. Mariyah's knowing smirk spread wider across her face, her eyes sparkling with pure mischief as if silently announcing that she had been right all along about our relationship.
"We absolutely are not!" The denial burst from my lips without permission.
Max's dark eyes fixed on me, genuine bewilderment flickering across his carved features. Mariyah, on the other hand, erupted into delighted laughter, the sound ringing with teasing satisfaction.
"See you later, lovebirds!" She slipped into her vehicle with practiced ease, her hand waving at us through the window as she pulled away, abandoning me to face him alone.
A long breath escaped me as her car vanished around the corner, but his overwhelming presence crashed over me immediately, intense and suffocating in its proximity.
