The girl, Phoebe Young, had a round, slightly chubby face.
She was clearly a foodie.
"I don't think we can do that," Skye said.
Skye calculated how much a private chef's cooking would cost. If she asked for too little, Claire would lose out; if she asked for too much, this girl might curse them behind their backs.
"Are you sure?" Phoebe pleaded, clasping her hands together.
"Please, I just want a small portion!"
Skye looked over at Claire.
She was out of options. With Phoebe begging like this, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"You can have a taste," Claire offered, "but there's no need to buy it."
She grabbed a small plate, picked out a few pieces of the braised meat, and
gestured for Phoebe to come in.
Phoebe stepped into the room, the mouthwatering aroma hijacking her senses once again.
"Can I... can I just eat it here?"
She took a deep, greedy breath of the fragrant air.
"You can take it with you," Claire said, slightly surprised.
"Yeah, you should take it," Skye chimed in. "I'm afraid if you eat it here, you won't want to leave."
Skye figured that if the aroma had lured Phoebe all the way over, one bite might make her stay for good.
Or worse, she'd sit there eating her portion while eyeing the rest of their food.
Skye reminded herself that her current luxurious lifestyle relied entirely on her roommate. Adding another mouth to feed meant less for her, and she absolutely refused to let that happen!
Phoebe raised her hand like she was taking an oath. "I promise, I'm just tasting it. I won't ask for more."
"It smells so incredible, I'm just worried that taking it back will make my roommates cry out of jealousy."
"If they all come knocking to ask for some, it would just put Claire in a tough spot, right?"
Phoebe knew exactly what to say.
Put that way, it actually made sense.
But Claire could see right through her.
She was just afraid of having to share her limited portion with her own roommates.
If she finished it here, she wouldn't have to worry about that.
And who knew? If she went back to her room, she might end up with only a tiny bite before her roommates devoured the rest.
Claire let it slide, deciding Phoebe's excuse was reasonable enough.
"Then stay and eat," she said.
She grabbed a spare fork and handed it over.
A disposable one, of course.
Thrilled that Claire had agreed, Phoebe's eyes lit up.
She practically inhaled the food.
When she finished, she barely suppressed the urge to lick the plate clean.
True to her word, she didn't ask for seconds.
Even though she kept craning her neck toward the rest of the meal and gulping down her cravings, she held back.
As a thank-you, she offered up a piece of gossip.
"Claire,
arounow that rumor
campus? The one saying you The one saying you
begged for an invitation to
birthday party and got rejected?
Zara immediately jumped to her defense. "Do you really think our Claire needs to
beg to go to anyone's party?"
"It's a total lie!"
Claire had already explained everything to her roommates. It was Sloane who had invited her.
She had a scheduling conflict, so she turned Sloane down.
As for who started the ridiculous rumors afterward, Claire couldn't care less.
Besides, Sloane had already
admitte
in front of all her friends el
the other night that Claire was the one who had decimmed her invitation.
Unless someone was deliberately twisting the narrative, no one should be getting it wrong anymore.
"I know it's a rumor. I was sitting
right by you in the cafeteria when it
happened so saw the w
thing.
unfold," Phoebe explained.
"What I'm trying to say is that Levi Charles, that junior from the Student Council, is
the one spreading it."