Page 22 of My Treasured Obsession

“You have a sweet tooth, don’t you?” Hunter asked after finishing his meal.

“What gave it away?” I joked. “The six donuts or the sugary drink?”

He chuckled, unscrewing his bottle of water. “By the way, you have frosting on your lips.”

Oops. I licked at my bottom lip and glanced up. “Is it gone?”

Hunter paused, the bottle halfway to his mouth, his eyes fixated onmymouth.

Oh, God.

Too close.

That look was waytoo closeto the one from last night before he hungrily stamped his lips to mine. And unfortunately, I meant it when I told my girls I wasn’t planning on acting on this attraction. I wouldn’t let Hunter’s and my newfound friendship—if we could even call it that—develop into anything beyond platonic.

Although my tongue slipped back in his apartment and I almost asked him about last night, I realized it was best not to broach the subject. As far as I was concerned, we were both on the same page. It was a great kiss, but it was just that—a kiss shared between two consenting adults who found each other attractive.

Plus, our revenge plan worked. Tom unfollowed me on social media this morning. Either because he realized he’d forgotten to do so before or because of my public display of affection with Hunter. Regardless of the reason, to a certain extent, Tom’s ego was bruised. In our one-month friends with benefits arrangement, I learned that he was a bit cocky and didn’t like to be outdone by anyone else. And he may have claimed to have ‘found better’ with Morgan, but I was the one who hit the jackpot. Ditching the mediocre football player for the team’s star quarterback?

Hah. I hoped Tom had the worst week ever.

“Hunter?” I prompted when he kept staring at me, feeling self-conscious.

Hunter inhaled a sharp breath, forcing a smile onto his lips. “Y-yeah, all gone.” He guzzled his water like he was parched, his Adam’s apple rising up and down in his neck before inquiring cheekily, “Did you save a donut for me?”

I snatched a sprinkle donut, giving him a mock stink eye. “I guess you can have the last one.”

He grabbed the remaining mini jelly donut and plopped it into his mouth with a wolfish smirk. “Which one was your favourite?”

“I’m a chocolate lover, so the chocolate-dipped one for sure.” I pressed my cheek into my palm. “Do you have a sweet tooth?”

“I do.” He dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. So princely. “But I have to maintain a stricter diet during football season. Therefore, I rarely indulge.”

Interesting. Wanting to learn about his hobbies and interests, I couldn’t help but needle him for more information. “How did football become a thing?”

“My dad got me into it.” He reclined back in his chair. “I started playing it when I was a kid and continued throughout my schooling. He always dreamed of me going pro.”

“And is that what you want?”

“Nah. I want to be a lawyer like him and follow in his footsteps.”

My face softened. “That’s so sweet.”

A sad smile curved his lips. “My dad was my best friend. I looked up to him my whole life. He was the greatest person ever.” After a moment of hesitancy, he added, “Unfortunately, he passed away from cancer when I was nine.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Hunter spoke about his dad with such unabashed hero worship, it made my heart clench for him.I couldn’t imagine the pain he must have gone through with losing a parent so young. “I’m sure he’d be very proud of how far you’ve come. With your academic career and football.”

The sad smile turned into one filled with fondness. “Yeah, he would be.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “What about you? What incited you to pursue finance and the Women in Business Student Association?”

Despite us not conversing prior to the last twenty-four hours, it was abundantly clear to me that we’d both kept tabs on each other. Me through social media and Hunter through his conversations with Josh, perhaps.

“I’ve always been good with numbers. I debated going into mathematics briefly but decided to do my undergrad in commerce with an finance major instead and I’m quite happy with my decision. I enjoy the classes and my workload isn’t too overbearing.” I sipped my mocha. “As for the Women in Business Student Association, I attended some of their events last year and their message really resonated with me. I wanted to be a part of a group of individuals who helped educate and empower the university’s student body by providing them the tools and resources needed to become successful future business leaders. The association has been great at creating events that give opportunities for students to learn about different industries and network with professionals to open doors for internships and jobs post grad. So far, it’s been a very rewarding experience working with this team. I applied to be the finance coordinator this past spring and officially got the position just shy of summer.”

Hunter appeared fully engrossed, like my passion for my work resonated with him. “That’s amazing, Gabby. What exactly does your position entail?”

“I’m responsible for our overall budgeting. I get to decide how much of our capital gets allocated to certain eventsand activities. I work closely with the event coordinators, the sponsors, and our team president, Hera. We have a mixer event coming up in two weeks and we’ve rented out the entirety of the MacGregor Bar. Tickets are currently being sold.” I bit my lip before biting the bullet and saying, “You should come.”

Hunter’s eyes widened a fraction, pleased.