THE MAN WO CAN'T BE MINE

Chapter3

Coleen.

I really have a feeling about Tyler. Like something’s off, something’s not right. You know that kind of feeling? Ugh, whenever I get a feeling like this, I'm always right!

I suddenly looked toward my bedroom window when I heard a car honking in front of our house. "Oh, who could that be?" I muttered to myself.

I grabbed my phone and checked the time before standing up and stepping out of the house to see who had arrived. I froze in place when I saw the guy leaning against his car.

"Tyler?" He looked up, and that confirmed it, girls! It’s really him! "What are you doing here?" I asked next.

"I'm here to pick you up." He flashed a big smile, looking so proud of himself for being here.

Huh? I gave him a what-are-you-talking-about look. Who wouldn’t be confused? He just showed up at my place out of nowhere!

He removed his sunglasses when I still didn’t say a word. He looked at me like he couldn’t believe my reaction. "Coleen, we have research to do, remember?" he said in disbelief.

"Oh, right! Okay, wait a minute. Let me just grab my notebook," I said before going back inside to ask permission from my mom.

"Ma, I’ll be out for a bit," I quickly told her when I saw her.

"Where are you going, sweetheart?" She looked at me and stopped what she was doing.

"To Tyler’s house, Ma," I said briefly, not wanting to prolong the conversation.

"Alright, take care, okay?"

I stepped out of the house after grabbing everything I needed.

"You took so long, Coleen," Tyler grumbled impatiently. I ignored him because I might just end up smacking him. It was only 15 minutes! So dramatic.

"Thanks," I simply said when he opened the car door for me. If I praised him any further, he might get too full of himself.

It took us about 15 minutes to reach his house. To be honest, I was nervous. I heard his mom was strict. I got out of the car while he just sat there, looking lost in thought.

From a distance, I could already see a woman. Hmm, maybe this is Tyler’s mom.

"Hello, Ma’am," I greeted her with a smile. She nodded at me before turning to Tyler.

"Oh, Tyler, hurry up. I prepared some food for you two."

"Yes, Mom. Please just take it to the study room." After that, we headed inside his house.

The house was beautiful, and the furniture looked expensive. Tyler led me straight to their so-called study room.

"Uhm, I'll look for books while you search on Google," he suggested as he scanned the shelves for books we could use for our report.

"Uh, okay," I agreed.

Before focusing entirely on the laptop, I took a moment to observe him. He actually looks handsome when he's this serious. I wanted to laugh because his forehead was all scrunched up as he read. I smiled as I started typing, but my smile quickly faded when he suddenly sat next to me.

As time passed, I started feeling awkward, so I took the initiative to lighten the atmosphere.

"Uhm, Tyler, why did you choose me as your partner?" I had been wanting to ask him that since the other day but was too shy, afraid it might sound silly.

"Hmm..." He looked up and pretended to be deep in thought, but I had a feeling he was just messing around. But to be honest, he looked really handsome doing that.

"You look smart. And you're new to school, so I figured you didn't know many people yet. So, I thought, why not you? Coleen?" He tapped my arm, making me realize I had been staring blankly.

"Sorry." I quickly looked away and refocused on the laptop. s**t! I hope I wasn’t smiling like an i***t just now. Ugh, how embarrassing! What if he thinks I have a crush on him? That would be a disaster!

Cheska.

I’ve been irritated for days, but I didn’t think I could get even more annoyed today. Who wouldn’t be? I’ve been stuck with this Villanueva guy for hours because we’re working on our report. He should've just agreed to let me do it alone and send it to his email address when I’m done so he could study it on his own.

"Can you, please, just focus on what you’re doing and quit staring at me?"

Irritated, I shifted my eyes back to the book I was reading. He’s so boring to be around, and I feel like stabbing his eyes out from frustration! So annoying! Jack would've been a better partner than this arrogant Villanueva.

"What’s your problem?" He glared at me and stopped what he was doing.

"You! You could’ve chosen someone else, right? Are you messing with me?" I stopped working out of frustration.

"Come on, Ches! Stop overreacting. Can you?"

I stayed quiet because he had a point—and it annoyed me that he did!

"Hey! Come downstairs. It's lunchtime," my brother called out. He was about to leave but turned back. "By the way, you two look good together." He winked before walking away.

"Hey, let’s go," I stood up and motioned for Jacob to follow.

"Are we eating now, babe?" He flashed an overly sweet smile, and I got even more irritated.

"No." I walked off without waiting for him. That Villanueva guy is the last person I want to see every day. And us? A good match? Ew! I’d rather marry Jack, my best friend, than be with Jacob.

Two days later…

"Yes, I won’t forget! How many times do I have to say it?" I snapped at Jacob, who was on the phone with me.

He practically woke me up early this morning because he kept calling to remind me not to forget the USB with our report. He even put it in my pouch and fixed my bag yesterday, and now he’s so over-the-top. I hope he’s okay because this whole morning call thing was a major inconvenience. He even beat my alarm clock!

"You better make sure, Ches, or I swear I’ll flick your forehead," he threatened from the other line.

"Heh! Bye!" I hung up and got ready.

I just put on some powder and lip tint before heading downstairs. But of course, just my luck—my brother, Justin, had already left for basketball practice. Just great.

I tried calling Jack to pick me up, but after three calls, he still wasn’t answering.

"Ugh!" I pulled my hair in frustration. "Gosh?!"

I had no choice but to call him.

"Yes?"

I shut my eyes tight when he answered after just one ring. Not to assume, but it felt like he was waiting for my call.

"Ches?"

"Hey, Jacob. Are you at school already?" I bit my lip in embarrassment.

"Not yet. Why? Is there a problem?" he asked, sounding worried.

"I need a ride. Can you pick me up?" I asked shyly.

He didn’t respond right away, which only made me more embarrassed. I should’ve just taken public transport. But I’m not used to it. This is so humiliating!

"Yeah, sure! I mean, your place is not too far, so no problem. I'll be there in 10 minutes," he said before hanging up.

I finally sighed in relief. I sat outside by our gate while waiting for Jacob. In just a few minutes, he arrived.

"Hey," he greeted, offering his hand to help me up. He looked so fresh, while I looked like it was already Friday.

"Hey. Thanks," I said, feeling shy.

"It’s okay. It’s still early anyway."

We got in his Mercedes-Benz, and my shoes felt ashamed to step inside. Damn! Is this new? He was using a different car yesterday!

"Wear your seatbelt," he said seriously as he fixed his own.

I fumbled to obey, my hands shaking from embarrassment.

"Wait. Let me do it." I was startled when he suddenly leaned in to fasten my seatbelt. His perfume smelled so good. Is that Ralph Lauren? Smells expensive!

"Did you have breakfast?" he asked after adjusting my seatbelt.

"Ah, no... I didn't have time. I was in a hurry," I reasoned.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that's the one you decided to skip?" he lectured while starting to drive.

"Sorry, Daddy," I teased him because he sounded like a dad with what he was saying. He just rolled his eyes at me, which made me laugh even more. A grown man rolling his eyes—seriously.

I didn’t bother him anymore and just focused on my phone, so I didn’t even notice that he had driven to McDonald's.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Uhm, just a Sundae—"

"Two double cheeseburgers and two Coke floats, please," he ordered.

What the hell? He asked me, then ignored my answer? Someone please hold me back, or I might punch him. I didn’t speak to him while we waited for our order. When he received it, he immediately started the car again.

"Eat the burger first, don’t drink the Coke yet."

I just followed what he said, even though that was exactly what I had planned to do. Duh!

While I was eating, I realized that he couldn’t eat because he was driving. So, I took his burger, unwrapped it, and held it up to his mouth. At first, he looked surprised, but he took a bite anyway. I also put a straw in our drinks and placed them in the car's cupholder. Would he get mad at me if I accidentally spilled something in his Mercedes?

"Thanks, by the way," I said sweetly.

He just nodded in response, and I continued eating. Turns out, he’s actually nice.

To be continued…