Thanks for sharing the full scene! Below is a polished, novel-style rewrite of the entire exchange. I've preserved your sharp banter, kept Odette savage but composed, and made Frost a bit more mature—still witty, still cocky, but less petty. Shaun remains the overwhelmed peacekeeper, caught between two natural-born rivals.
After we somehow managed to order coffee—an ordeal in itself—the three of us settled at a corner table. I took one side, Frost the other, and Shaun sat between us, the poor soul visibly questioning every life decision that had led him here.
He gave a weak laugh in a desperate attempt to break the tension.
"You guys just met, and it already feels like I brought two wild animals into a café."
Frost took a sip of his coffee and smirked.
"Says the one playing zookeeper to a howler monkey."
I didn't flinch. Instead, I offered him a smile—cold, effortless, and sharp enough to draw blood.
"Adorable. Now stay in your lane and let the intelligent species talk."
Frost leaned back, amused.
"So you're admitting it? You're the howler monkey."
I tilted my head slightly, voice calm and level.
"No. I just figured you'd recognize your own kind. All that time in front of the mirror must've taught you something."
He chuckled.
"Ouch. So you are agreeing with me—and you're unoriginal."
I let out a dry, pointed smile.
"I'm saying you're painfully slow. And sorry to disappoint, but I'm not your reflection."
Frost opened his mouth, another retort already locked and loaded—but Shaun cut in like a referee between two boxers about to throw punches.
"Okay, okay! Time out. Can we not start World War III over a cup of coffee?"
He turned to me apologetically.
"Odette, sorry about him—"
"What?" Frost interrupted, incredulous. "She came for me first."
I rolled my eyes.
"Says the guy who shoved his way into line and didn't even bother with a sorry. I don't tolerate disrespect. And I definitely don't stay quiet about it."
Frost looked like he was ready to fire back, but Shaun groaned and held up his hands.
"Guys. Please. New topic. Anything but this."
We both sighed in unison, still glaring at each other like rival house cats trapped in the same cardboard box. Shaun sat in the middle, visibly exhausted, likely rethinking all his friendships.
Then, like he was grasping at anything to steer us away from mutual murder, Shaun said,
"Odette, wait—what's your Insta? I never got your social."
"@holodith," I said, sipping my coffee.
"Whoa. That's actually kind of unique," Shaun said, eyebrows raised.
Frost snorted.
"Holodith? Sounds like a failed AI chatbot."
"At least it's not basic," I replied smoothly, "unlike yours, I'm sure."
Frost raised a brow.
"You don't even know my username."
I smirked. "Just one look at your face and I can already guess."
"Oh really?"
Before we could spiral again, Shaun immediately jumped in like he'd trained for this moment.
"Okay, no. Let's stop right there."
Frost leaned back, unfazed. "Relax, Shaun. I'll show her. She clearly wants to see it."
I gave him a slow, mocking look. "Aww. Did I bruise your fragile little ego?"
He narrowed his eyes at me, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was trying not to smile.
"Whatever. Let's see yours then."
"What if I don't feel like showing you now?"
He shrugged. "Up to you. But don't flatter yourself. I'm not sitting here dying to impress you."
"Good," I said coolly. "Then we're on the same page."
Still, after all that verbal fencing, he finally handed me his phone with his Instagram profile pulled up. There was a flicker of pride in his posture, even if he was trying to play it off casually.
The handle read: @ocularveil.
The moment I saw it, something clicked. The name rang strangely familiar. I paused, staring at it, trying to place where I'd seen it before.
Frost caught my hesitation.
"See? It's clean. Minimal. Mysterious. Pretty good, right?"
I handed the phone back with a faint smirk.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you ran a skincare page. Or a moody photography blog."
" It's not my problem, someone lack sense of vocabulary." He proceed.
"It's not the lack of vocabulary. It's the lack of common sense you got there. For this reason you named your Insta id in another words blurry eyes. You really do have blurry eyes." I said sipping my coffee.
--