Dare You to Hate Me

“Are you asking just so you can eat the half I don’t?” I swear her cheeks color. “I noticed, by the way. You’re welcome.”

She rolls her eyes and punches in the order before giving me an amount. “You can’t pretend you do it for me.”

All I do is smile and then pass her the money I owe. “Keep the change.”

“I don’t need your pity,” she grumbles under her breath, even though she doesn’t try to give me the remainder.

Fighting a smile, I pick up my coffee.

She clicks her tongue. “Did you come in here for coffee?”

I play along, sipping my drink. “What other reason would I come in here for?”

Her brightly painted lips part to answer, then quickly close. Ivy has never been the shy type when it comes to me, so catching her off guard is amusing.

Chuckling, I let her off easy. “I wanted to see you. Though the coffee really is needed. I’ve been procrastinating with my assignments, so they’re piling up in my room.”

She toys with the hem of her shirt sleeves, avoiding my eyes. “Are you still a brainiac and pretending not to be for the sake of your reputation as a meathead jock?”

I lift a shoulder, not confirming or denying that I break more than one of the stereotypes tied to football players. “Maybe.”

Her eyes narrow, the honey brown color filling with skepticism.

Relenting, I smirk. “4.0 GPA.”

Not that she says so, but I can tell she’s impressed. Something clouds over that though, and I cock my head when she murmurs, “Is there anything about you that’s changed besides your appearance or are you still perfect?”

Pride swells in my chest despite the need to tell her I messed up plenty of times in the past, leaving me far from how she views me. “You been checking me out, Chaos?”

“Chaos,” a voice coos breathily from behind her.

I look over at Bea’s granddaughter. Elena, I think. Before I can say anything, Ivy shoots the young girl a look, making her disappear around the corner again, her laughter fading as she goes. When she turns back to me, she says, “No. Years tend to change people, that’s all. Hard not to notice. I gained weight. You gained…muscle.”

“You look good,” I tell her honestly.

She doesn’t say anything, only squirms on her feet.

/> I lean against the counter. “This is where you tell me I look good too.”

“Oh, do I?”

I nod, waiting for her to say it.

She doesn’t.

“That’s okay,” I yield. “I know you’re thinking it. It’s in your eyes. Caught you staring at my ass a time or two.”

Now she’s casting a glare at me that I’m finding endearing more than anything. “You mean like what you were doing when you walked in here? Felt like my butt cheeks were on fire.”

My eyes flash. “If you really want your ass to burn, I can—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” she warns.

I push off the counter and stand to full height, shrugging nonchalantly. “Guess you’ll have to fantasize the rest on your own. Thanks for the coffee, Chaos.” Her eyes roll as I wink and start backing away. “Are you coming to the game this week?”

“What do you think?”

“I think that I’ll convince you to eventually,” I answer casually, twisting to push open the door. “Unblock my number and text me sometime. Until then, I’ll see you around.”