Page 9

Watching Bear walk off doesn’t have the desired effect I know she wants it to have. She’s blessed me with a perfect view of her round ass in those form-fitting jeans, and the glimpse of smooth, golden skin peeking out between her shirt and waistband only makes me harder for her.

Yeah, she can definitely walk away from me more often.

Although I didn’t expect to see her here tonight, the moment I did, I knew I had to make things right between us.

Which is why I didn’t try to stop her from leaving. I already fucked things up. This time, I plan to do it the right way.

“Rude much?” Sadie scoffs as Bear disappears from view.

The sound of her voice sours my mood. I bite my tongue, deciding against calling her out for ignoring Bear while she hovered around me like a dog in heat. She won’t see it that way, and I’m not wasting my breath on her.

“Sadie, what exactly do you want?” I say through clenched teeth, trying not to lose my patience.

I consider myself a pretty good judge of character. I rarely stick my dick into just anyone, but if there’s one black mark on my record, it’s Sadie.

I knew her from a class we shared freshman year. We hooked up once, and the night was blurry at best. It wasn’t my finest moment, and I thought I did a good job making sure she knew it wasn’t going beyond that night. Hell, I literally told her so in those exact words.

We had some lackluster conversation, and the sex was just that—sex. No feelings or romantic gestures afterward.

Everything was fine between us until a few weeks later when we got stuck working on a project with three other classmates. For some reason, she latched onto me like a leech during those weeks. Now she thinks we’re friends or, worse, something more.

And it pisses me off how she tried to make us meeting up sound like something more.

We had all planned to go for drinks to celebrate the project being over and the start of summer break.

Still, it never worked out with everyone’s schedules.

And I haven’t thought about it since. That’s how insignificant it is to me.

“I thought we could set up a day to catch up.” She pushes her chest closer to me, an obvious attempt at drawing attention to her breasts, which are practically falling out of her shirt.

I take a step back, putting some distance between her fake tits and me. Thank fuck we aren’t sharing any classes this year, or I’d be forced to turn into a real dick so she gets the memo.

I stare blankly at her. “Catch up about what, exactly?”

We never spoke outside of group meetings or discussed anything beyond the project and a few mundane topics—not because she didn’t try, but because I made sure we were never alone together. So, either she's delusional or thinks playing dumb is cute.

“I don’t know, silly, just stuff.” The giggle she lets out irritates my ears. “Maybe we can have a repeat—”

“No.” I cut her off. Hell-fucking-no. “I need to get back to my friends.”

The glare Sadie shoots me doesn’t faze me. If she thought I’d jump at the opportunity to “catch up” with her, she’s mistaken. There’s only one girl whose attention I want. And ironically, it’s the same girl who won’t even give me the time of day.

“See you around.” Walking away, I realize that might’ve been the wrong thing to say.

Girls like Sadie take shit too literally and show up at the worst times, just like she did tonight. But that’s a problem for another day.

Right now, I need to figure out how to get on Bear’s good side. The thought of her thinking I'm just some asshole neighbor wrecks me inside. I don't know why I want her to see me as a good guy so badly. I just do.

When I return to the table, our usual appetizer of chips and guacamole is already waiting. My stomach growls at the sight of food. I slide back into my seat and grab a chip, but Mack swats at my hand, making me drop it onto the table.

“What the hell was that for?” I whine, but damn, that was the best-looking one in the basket.

“Did you wash your hands?” He stares at me intently. I glance at Sam and Austin, both giving me the same look.

I don’t know what’s happening right now, and I’m not sure I want to find out.

“The fuck? What do you mean, did I wash my hands?”

“When you went to the bathroom, did you wash them?” He repeats.

Oh, right. When I went after Bear, I told the guys I needed the restroom. They couldn’t have seen me talking to her from here.

“Yes, I washed my hands.” If I had gone to the bathroom, that is. “Now, will you let me eat in peace?” Without waiting for his reply, I grab another chip, and this time, it makes it to my mouth in one piece.

“Phew, thank fuck.” Mack releases a mix of a nervous laugh and a sigh. “Sorry, Levi, but Sam told us how disgusting public restrooms are. I’m talking fecal bacteria disgusting.”

“It’s true,” Sam jumps in, catching me up on the missed conversation. “My professor showed us a study about what stays on your hands if you don’t wash them. Gross stuff, man.” His face contorts like he’s caught a whiff of something awful.

I swallow what’s left in my mouth before responding. “Wait a minute, are you guys telling me you never washed your hands before, regardless of what's on them?”

A chorus of “Yes, of course!” rings out around me as I grab another chip and load it up with guac.

Man, this stuff is good.

“It’s just hearing it in scientific terms freaked us out,” Austin adds.

“Yeah, man, some of that data Sam was spewing had us worried, and then you came back and stuck your hand in my chip bowl,” Mack explains with a shudder.

“First, it’s our chip bowl. Second, I’m pretty sure even if I didn’t wash my hands, they’d still be cleaner than yours,” I say, pointing a finger at him. “I don’t even want to know who those fingers have been inside of.”

The table erupts in laughter, myself included. Mack gives me a light shove, but even his shoulders are shaking. Thankfully, we’re spared from more fecal talk when our main course arrives.

As expected, we eat until we’re stuffed. Once the check is settled, we head to the exit.

I linger behind the guys, trying to catch a glimpse of Bear, but like earlier, I don’t see her anywhere.

When we reach the parking lot, we go our separate ways—Austin and Sam pile into one car since they live on campus, and Mack catches a ride with them.

Inside my car, I tell myself to go home but make no move to drive away. If I go without apologizing to Bear, I’ll spend another night tossing and turning, thinking about her.

Who am I kidding? I’ll think about her regardless.

Another idea hits me. I quickly pull up Static’s website and find their hours at the bottom of the page. It’s less than an hour until closing.

The smart thing to do would be to drive away. I have training in the morning, but I can’t find the willpower to turn on the ignition.

Fuck it.

Mind made up, I lean back in my seat and get comfortable.