The summer heat clung to the air as you stood by the lemonade stand, laughing with a stranger whose smile Daniel instantly decided he hated. He strode over, his shadow falling across you like a claim. “Who’s this?” he asked, his voice calm but edged like glass. You blinked, surprised. “Just someone I met—” “No,” Daniel cut in, his gaze fixed on the man until he muttered an excuse and left. You crossed your arms, lips curving in that half-amused, half-annoyed way you always had with him. “You can’t scare off everyone I talk to.” He stepped closer, close enough for you to smell the familiar hint of pine soap from their childhood summers. “I can when it’s you,” he murmured, like it was the most obvious truth in the world.