"So what did he say?" Lucy asked again right in the middle of our class. I tried to ignore her question as I didn't know how to explain it to her.
"He agreed to meet me at the library." I tried to keep it short and crisp but she knew me better than that.
"Come on, there is more. I can see your face. You are blushing," She whispered, making my eyes go wide.
"What? No!" I immediately touched my cheeks and she tried so hard not to laugh out loud.
"You should have seen your face." She sniffled in laughter beside me, earning us both glares from our professor.
"You better tell me now before I snatch your phone," she whispered again.
"Oh my God! You are so annoying, Lu." I handed over my phone to her before the professor could throw us both out.
"That's much better." She grinned and started looking over at my texts. I tried to observe her expressions from the corner of my eye and noticed her jaw-dropping to the floor. We soon heard the bell go off and we started to collect our things to leave for the day.
"What is going on between you two?" She yelled, giving back my phone as soon as we were outside the classroom.
"Nothing. He is being an ass and I'm just being professional." I rushed out, not meeting her eyes.
"Are you really that naive? Tristan Harris is trying to flirt with you." She stated, making me stop dead in my tracks.
"Yeah, sure. As if he is desperate for a girl's attention. We all know that he is a man whore, Lu." I said in an annoyed tone and she shook her head.
"Whatever, maybe this is his way of texting girls but you really need to get laid, Ri. Too much stress is not good for your health," she winked at me in a suggestive manner, making me scowl.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Hi, ladies." I heard Andrew's deep voice from behind as he wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders, placing a small kiss on her cheek.
"Hi, Andrew." I greeted him as we all kept walking towards the exit.
"So I heard that you are not coming to the party this weekend," he started, making me glare at Lucy immediately.
"He asked me, babe." She pouted and I groaned in frustration.
"I don't wanna go, Andrew. Parties aren't my scene. You know me well, right?" I whined and tried to use my puppy dog eyes, hoping he would show me some mercy. He just laughed, making his crystal blue eyes twinkle. He was a good-looking guy with dirty blonde hair and he was pretty decent also which is a rare combination. I was glad that Lucy found a guy like him.
"How can I have a party without my girlfriend's best friend? She would be alone, Riley." He reasoned and I let out a huge sigh.
"Fine. I'll think about it." I mumbled and Lucy jumped in excitement.
"Yay! Thank you so much, babe." She wrapped her arms around my neck and I hugged her back, rolling my eyes at Andrews who threw up his hands in defeat.
"You guys owe me big time." I pointed my finger at them causing them to chuckle as we walked outside.
"Have fun, babe." She waved me goodbye with a wink and walked towards the parking lot with Andrew while I made my way towards the library.
At around 7:45 pm, I checked my phone to see if I had any messages from Tristan. I hardly saw him at school today and wondered if all this was one big joke. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail as it was falling all over the place. People were leaving the library slowly as it was almost 8 pm. I kept waiting patiently and the clock struck 8:15 pm.
The owner had strictly told us to keep the library open beyond 8 pm only if people were still reading inside. The library was empty now and I had no other choice than to lock it up. I started collecting my things and walked outside in a sour mood. After locking up the place, I started walking down the streets slowly all the while wondering why he stood up on me.
Did he change his mind?
Was this some kind of game to him?
I tried to stay strong and reached home quickly to find my dad in the kitchen, making us dinner.
"You are home early, sweetheart. What happened to the tutoring?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face and I sat behind the counter, watching him stir the sauce in the pan.
"He didn't show up. I should call him and ask later tonight." I replied, picking up a piece of carrot from the bowl.
"So it's a he?" he asked with raised eyebrows and I rolled my eyes.
"He is an asshole, Dad. I'm doing this only for money as shallow as it may sound."
"Alright, whatever you say." He laughed and continued, "Dinner will be ready in five. Go freshen up and come back," I nodded and ran upstairs to change.
After dinner, I kept wondering if I should send him a text or ask him why he didn't show up but I didn't want to seem desperate. At the same time, I was pissed off and wanted to punch his stupid face. My thoughts were interrupted by my phone going off and I picked it up from my bedside table.
Asshole calling!
Shit!
When did we go from texting to calling?
I attended the call with shaky hands and placed the phone against my ears. The line was completely silent and neither of us spoke a word.
"I know you are there. I can hear you breathing, Adams." His deep voice resonates through the phone and I took a deep breath, mouthing the words, 'Oh my God!'
Fuck, he sounded so sexy.
"What do you want?" I cleared my throat and tried to sound calm.
"I know you are mad but I had a family emergency and," he paused for a few seconds, "I'm sorry for not texting. I was caught up," he apologized for the first time to me and I went in complete shock.
"Did you just say you are sorry?" I asked again just to be sure and heard him chuckle, making me almost melt into a puddle.
"Yes, Adams. This won't happen again. Can you come over to my house from tomorrow to teach me after your shift? I'm not comfortable at the library." He asked, taking me by surprise.
His house?
I had no idea about his house or his family. I knew he was rich but I've never seen his house. I kept nibbling on my bottom lip, not knowing how to respond.
"I can pick you up and drop you at your home every day," he added and I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.
"Why are you doing all this? I mean, why go through so much trouble? You could hire a professional tutor considering how rich you are," I blurted out and there was complete silence on the other end.
"First of all, my dad is rich, not me and second of all, I don't like to waste money. Paying you double is actually a good choice for me and I prefer my house because it's more private. Anyone can see me at the library." He explained in one go and I was surprised and hurt at the same time.
Well, he wasn't a complete rich Asshole.
"Are you that much concerned about your reputation?" I scoffed, feeling irritated and I had no idea why it bothered me so much.
"Yup, so do you agree?" he asked again.
"Fine, I need my pay for today also," I stated in a serious tone, making him laugh.
"Of course. God, you are cute, Adams. See you tomorrow, and don't worry, I'll be completely professional," he replied in a husky tone, stressing on the last word, making me squeeze my thighs automatically and I licked my dry lips.
Holy fuck!
Did he call me cute?
Tristan fucking Harris called me cute?
"Bye." I squealed in a high pitch tone and cut the call immediately, not before hearing his rumble of laughter.
Talk about embarrassment!
I fell back on my pillow and groaned in frustration. Why am I affected by him?
Dear God! Please get him out of my mind.
I kept mentally chanting in my head over and over again that he is the enemy until I fell asleep.