“You made food?” I ask her.
She looks at me from behind her shoulder. “I wouldn’t really consider popcorn food,” she says, ripping open the bag, the steam filling the apartment.
She really likes this guy.
I don’t know why that bothers me.
Maybe because she’s been hellbent on hating me since that first shitty interaction, or that she never gives me the time of day when we’re together. But why does this guy get this Madeline? The one who smiles and cooks for him, and can’t wait to see him. And I get…
“Are you sure you want to stay?” she asks.
That.
“Are you trying to kick me out?” I ask her, raising a brow.
She shakes her head, filling the bowl with the popcorn. “I’m not kicking you out. I’m giving you an out. It’s probably going to be boring,” she says with a lift of her shoulders as she places the bowl on the table. “I know you want to make sure nothing happens, and I can honestly tell you nothing will.”
I don’t buy that for a second. She seems way too excited for someone about to study. No one likes studying that much, especially on a subject they hate.
I let my eyes drift down her outfit. Tight-fitting jeans and a long sleeve brown top clinging to her. Who dresses like that to study? Someone trying to impress a guy, that’s who.
I pull out a chair and take a seat, watching how her eyes narrow when I do. “I’m good here.”
“Seriously?” she asks, placing her hand on her hip. My eyes linger on her curvy figure, slim in the waist and full in the hips. There is no way this guy will be able to keep his hands off her.
“Very.”
Her eyes narrow in a squint. “You don’t trust me when I tell you nothing’s going to happen?” she asks.
I think back to the photoshoot when she was a nervous wreck, panicking when she thought I was going to kiss her. It pained me to think she was so afraid I’d cross her boundaries when I had given her my word. She doesn’t trust me. Why should I trust her?
“Trust is a two-way street,” I tell her, stretching my arms over the chair beside me. “When you learn to trust me, I’ll do the same.”
She purses her lips before heading to the sink, where the window is wide open, the air hitting her skin and her hair. Is she in fucking slow motion? I blink, begging myself to remember all of times she’s driven me crazy. “You’re going to get sick,” I tell her, gesturing to the open window.
She raises an eyebrow. “I’ll be fine,” she says, turning back around to finish off cleaning the counters.
I turn my head and grab a few chips she laid out on a plate before bringing them to my mouth, letting out a laugh when I see all of the snacks on the table. “Look at you,” I say, shaking my head at her. “You’re wearing jeans and heels to study, you have food out for this guy, cleaned the place, and you honestlywant me to believe nothing’s going to happen?” I let out a strained laugh when she comes back to the table. “I’m not a fool, Madeline.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” she says, glancing down at me. “We made a deal.”
I want to believe that, but the way she’s fidgeting over the idea of this guy coming over doesn’t ease my suspicions.
When a knock hits the door, and her eyes widen, I see how nervous she is. Her eyes drift to me, and I’m guessing she would rather I not be here, but I don’t care about what she wants right now. She lets out a sigh and heads toward the door, but not without fluffing out her curls before she opens the door.
What is it with her and always having to look perfect?
She opens the door with a smile, and he smiles back. I don’t like that at all.
I rub my jaw, watching how they interact. How she smiles and laughs with him, a little shy – something she never is with me – and how he eats it up, laughing with her.
But as soon as he walks inside and sees me, the laughter stops.
I lift my eyebrows and give him a wave, trying not to find his reaction amusing as fuck, but it’s hilarious. He definitely didn’t expect to see anyone here, let alone a guy.
“Connor, this is Lucas,” Madeline tells her little crush.
“Her boyfriend,” I finish for her. Yeah, this dude did not like that, and neither does Madeline. I can tell by the way she’s narrowing her eyes at me.
