?Chapter 1706:


    Josie read the message and backed down.


    Rufus gave a quick nod and turned to input the order. The moment he stepped away, Sharon leaned over and winked conspiratorially at Ste. “That young guy is absolutely adorable. And he’s obviously into you, Stel. Who is he? Howe I’ve never seen him before?”


    Ste met Sharon’s mischievous gaze and shook her head in exasperation. “Sharon, stop inventing things. Rufus is just a graduate student from my school. Remember? I mentioned him yesterday.”


    Sharon’s grin turned downright devilish. “Oh, so that’s the guy! No wonder his face turned red the second he spotted you. And Stel, I saw how he was looking at you just now — that was definitely not how an academic mentee looks at his mentor.”


    Ste had zero interest in pursuing this line of conversation. She dropped her gaze and took a long drink.


    Several minutester, Rufus reappeared bncing a trayden with bottles and set them down on the table with careful precision. “These are our most popr drinks. They’re not too high in alcohol content, but they taste great.”


    Ste offered him a warm smile of thanks. Rufus’s cheeks colored again. Since he was still on shift, he allowed himself only one more lingering look at Ste before stepping back. “Okay, just wave me down if you need anything else. I should get back to work!”


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    The moment he was out of earshot, Sharon and Josie leaned in close, practically vibrating with curiosity. “Stel, he’s clearly crushing on you. Why not give him a chance?”


    Ste released a weary sigh. “I’m not in the headspace to think about anyone else right now. William is giving me enough headaches tost a lifetime.”


    Sharon’s expression soured. “Didn’t we agree we weren’t going to talk about him tonight?” She paused, then said it anyway. “Look, you two are essentially over. He won’t even acknowledge you as his girlfriend. There would be nothing wrong with you seeing someone else.”


    Josie drove her elbow sharply into Sharon’s ribs, signaling her to drop it. The topic died there. Ste had no desire to continue the discussion anyway.


    She was reaching for another drink when Sharon abruptly jumped to her feet and waved across the room. “Rufus! Come sit with us!”


    Ste’s head whipped around in horror. “Sharon!”


    Sharon shed her an unrepentant grin. “The more the merrier! Stel, rx a little. Stop being so uptight.” She refused to let Ste sit here drowning her sorrows while still mentally shackled to William, acting as though she owed him her loyalty. If William could spend his time with Alisha, why the hell couldn’t Ste share a table with an attractive young man? Even if nothing came of it beyond sharing drinks, it was better than Ste sitting here pining.


    Rufus hesitated, his eyes darting toward where his supervisor stood, but ultimately he made his way over to their booth.


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