Chapter Fifteen
1896 Words
A Dog Who Wants The Bone Back I
“He did?”
I nodded as I heaved a sigh and yes, I told everything to Aiden. Everything Jett said and what we did last Saturday when he couldn’t come fetch me after tutoring. It’s not like I never tell him everything that’s happening with my life, even. It just became a hobby that naturally occurs when we both sit down and talk about stuff. Besides, he gets jealous most of the time and I think it’s cute – and funny, but mostly cute.
“I didn’t even think he’d confess to me that fast.” I shrugged, running my fingers through the rim of my tumbler.
“You were giving him the attention he needed, the comfort he wanted, why wouldn’t he fall for you?”
I was surprised this came out of Aiden’s mouth. “Why?” I asked, leaning closer with a wide grin. “Would you also feel that way if it happened to you?”
“I already like you.” He replied casually. “You can’t fly back up if you’ve already fallen. Unless you have superpowers.”
I snorted out, looking away in amusement. He got so much braver than I remembered. “Then go get struck by lightning so you can get superpowers so you can reverse the fall and be happy again.”
“Why would I reverse it if I’m happy with you?”
I raised a brow, a smirk creeping out of my face.
“You’re the only coward here, Gwynn.”
I frowned at his last comment. “Jesus, you don’t have to say that like it’s a bad thing. What’s wrong about not wanting to commit to anyone? Collect then select, baby.”
He hummed, tilting his head in disagreement. “You only collect and collect. You’re never gonna select because that just how you are.”
I grinned in agreement. “I do collect and collect, yeah.” Then I chuckled. “I would date him if he’s a jerk. Pity, he’s not.”
“Sometimes I think, you, playing with boys, isn’t that bad. It’s like you’re giving them lessons. So they know what to lose when they try to mess things up. But you need a taste of your own medicine too.”
I scrunched my nose a little in discrepancy. “That, and I like seeing boys in general because it’s fun. I don’t really care. I just set my boundaries loud and clear so they know not to fall too hard on my feet.”
“I take it back, actually.”
I frowned at him with a questioning and disappointed look. “You ruined this kind guy once. He was nothing but sweet to you but you just played him bad.”
The who?
“So bad he had to transfer to another school just to stay away from you.” He added and I was just making a face. I couldn’t remember doing that to anyone. Then again, I don’t remember most of the things I do with the people I play with.
“Who’s he?” I asked out of curiosity. I feel like I remember but my mind refuses to remember the giddy things that happen to me and my flirting. When I see one and I like what I see, I go for it. When I learn what I need to learn from them, I set my game – that’s it. No strings attached, baby.
“Sid was his name, I think.”
“Ohhhh.” My jaws dropped in realization. “Sid…” I bobbed my head, trying to remember what I can. It’s vague, but there’s something. “Who’s Sid?” I turned back to Aiden with a guilty grin of giving up on trying to recall who this Sid was.
He raised a brow in disbelief and just chuckled. “Nevermind.”
I scratched my head, clueless still.
“So, Jett, what happened?”
I sighed and completely giving up on it the Sid thing. “He took it pretty well, actually.” I replied, remembering that night I was eating ice cream with him. “I mean, he wasn’t my date target in the first place so there’s not much to—”
“Still, you like befriending guys you don’t pick as your date target and have them like you.” The way he said date target was so offensive yet satisfyingly sassy of him. “Friend-zoning them is just as painful as ghosting them once you actually try to date unexclusively.”
I shrugged, not understanding his point this time. “A little less painful to me.”
He creased his brows, planting his chin over the back of his hand. “I just don’t understand why these guys fall for you even if people know you for how you treat your dates and boys, in general.”
I arched a brow at his direction. “Says the one who doesn’t like me.”
“We’ve been friends for what, ten—”
“Four.”
He fell silent in shame.
“We’ve only been friends for four years. What are you saying ten?” I immediately corrected before he starts convincing himself that we were actually friends for ten years.
“Minus six.” He defended making me scoff. But I do feel like we’ve been friends for more than that. The level of comfort and ease I feel with him is like better than friendships over twenty years. Maybe that’s a little farfetched but you get my point. “And I know things about you more than your toys.”
I gasped at the way he called them. “That is extremely inappropriate of you to call them!”
“Fits how you treat them.”
That’s true too…
I snorted out loud. “Toys? Seriously?” I laughed harder. The terms he used were funny but the way he says it is a lot funnier. “I mean, yeah, such gorgeous toys though, right?” I wiggled my brows at him teasingly. “They’re my…” I paused, thinking of something co-relate them with. “Real life Ken dolls.”
“Ken dolls… right.”
Knock! Knock!
We both turned to the door and I saw Year 5 library guy, whose name I already forgot. I stood and left Aiden to head to the doorway. “Hi! What are you doing here?” I asked, smiling as I greeted the man.
He smiled and pushes a hand on his pockets. “It’s about the lunch we’re supposed to have together today.”
Right, lunch.
What lunch?
“I thought we were going to meet at the cafeteria though.” I said as a compromise to forgetting his name and the lunch I agreed to have with him.
“You forgot, didn’t you?” He smiled.
“How could I forget?” I totally forgot. “I’ve been waiting here waiting for lunch time so I can go meet you at the cafeteria.” I lie so smoothly that even my brain was amazed. Suddenly, I could hear Smooth Criminal playing in my head.
He chuckled but nodded either way. Surely, he didn’t take my lie. He was far too smart to bite into my lies. I figured he was only being respectful with me in the case that I might actually be telling him the truth. “Anyway, I came to say that I can’t go have lunch with you today because we have a project to prepare and I’m a part of the team that involves the project.”
Yada yada. “That’s okay. We can do always do it some other time.” I flashed a reassuring smile.
“I brought you lunch, though.” He brought a brown paper bag up and a cold and bottled fresh milk tea. I’m not sure the tea came from the campus but I’m sure I like me some tea now that he was giving me some. The benefits of flirting with guys is truly overwhelming. “I wasn’t sure what to buy so I took the most generic one I could think of.”
“This is—”
“Lunch, huh.” Aiden suddenly snatched the bag from the guy, whose name I still can’t remember, and opened it like a mad man before I could even reply to him. “Sandwich is not lunch.” He barked at him, creasing his brows and acting like the real dad he was every time a guy tries to hit on me.
“A-Ah, yes but the café I ordered from didn’t serve full course meals. They only had light snacks that I think is a good lunch regardless.”
Aiden sighed loudly to show his dismay. “Why order from a café when you can just buy from the cafeteria? You don’t have to go that far to impress a girl, you know.”
“I wasn’t trying to—”
“Just look at this girl’s arms.” Aiden grabbed my hands and stretched out the skin of my arms. “She eats like a worm.”
Worm?!
I gazed back at the guy with a nervous smile, shaking my head to show him that he was just messing around. “He… doesn’t know what he’s talking ab—”
“You know what, it’s okay. Gwynn won’t eat this but I’ll eat these, no problem.” Aiden reached out to the guy, patting his shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. I won’t let your money go to waste.” He cheekily flashed him a grin.
I pushed Aiden’s face away, grabbing the bag from him. I smiled at the library guy shaking my head to assure him that what he bought was better than any lunch Aiden would give. Lies. Aiden gives me the best food. “This is totally fine. I’ve been craving for some tea too, so it’s pretty good timing.”
He lets out an awkward chuckle. “I’m glad I had you one then. I was worried you weren’t into teas.”
“I love teas!” Especially those that gets scattered around – tea.
That was bad.
Really bad.
“Tristan!”
Tristan.
Oh right, Tristan my library man.
I feel like I’ve been too focused and preoccupied with Jett that I forgot Tristan’s name when I could confidently clearly remember it just a few days ago.
“Let’s go.”
I looked at the guy who was calling behind him and raised my brows. He’s looking pretty cute – cuter than Tristan, too. I should make a good first impression in case I see him again and attempt to go for his friend. God, I’m even worse than I thought. “Go. Thank you for the lunch.”
“I’ll see you around then, Miss Bartel.” Tristan began taking steps backward to meet his friend, and I waved at him with a wide smile, taking a quick glance at his friend who seemed to glancing my way too. That’s a good sign.
“Yep, don’t bother!” Aiden suddenly yelled causing me to glare at him in fury. “This girl doesn’t wash her hair in the morning!”
D-Doesn’t wash her… “Oi, Mitchell!”
- Writer
