💘 HIS RELUCTANT MATE 💘 (Hate To Love You)

Clean slate

CHAPTER FOUR >>>

_JARVIS'S POV_

A COFFEE BAY

After I had taken care of that arrogant punk, I reached Dorothy, who was now standing, and spotted the calm, handsome guy holding my book—Wet Kisses. Without hesitation, I snatched it from his hand. Our eyes met again, lingering just a moment too long, before I grabbed Dorothy’s hand and pulled her away.

Ten minutes later, we were settled in a cosy corner of the coffee shop. We’d taken turns treating each other’s scraped knees with supplies from a nearby pharmacy, and now, warm coffee sat between us like a much-needed comfort.

Dorothy returned with two steaming cups, and we both took long sips before sighing in unison.

“That warmed me up,” she said with a soft smile.

“Same here,” I replied, returning the smile. We both looked at each other and laughed hard, the tension from earlier slowly melting away.

“But girl—you are insane! You threw a rock at a Maybach window. Do you even know how much that costs?” she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“How do you know it was expensive?” I arched a brow.

“I Googled it while getting our coffee.” She held up her phone proudly.

I stayed calm, completely unfazed, and took another sip from my cup.

Dorothy leaned in, lowering her voice. “What if that guy comes after you? He looked dangerous... all those tattoos, the multiple earrings, and the smoking—"

“Dorothy,” I cut her off, leaning back in my seat, “can you stop worrying for once? Let’s just enjoy the coffee.”

“Fine, fine,” she said, throwing her hands up. “No more talk about him. Let’s talk about the guy you snatched Wet Kisses from. Was it love at first sight? I saw the way you stared at him,” she teased, wiggling her brows playfully.

“Love at first sight? Pfft!” I scoffed, pulling a face as I stood up and turned away—mostly to hide the heat rising to my cheeks.

Dorothy laughed and quickly chased after me.

“I’m completing my registration online tonight, so I’ll be resuming tomorrow,” I said, steering the conversation to safer ground.

“Same here. Let’s meet at Rizz Hostel tomorrow,” she suggested.

“Sure,” I smiled, and we exchanged numbers.

“Bye!” she said, hopping into a taxi.

I flagged my own ride and arrived home to find Caroline waiting in the living room, arms crossed, and looking visibly worried.

“I told you to call me,” she scolded.

“Sorry, Aunt. A jerk almost ruined my day,” I muttered. “And by the way—the letter was on my portal the whole time. It’s been sitting there for five days.”

“Oh no, you’ll have to start preparing immediately,” she fussed.

“Already did. I’m resuming tomorrow.”

“What? No, that’s too—”

“Aunt, school resumed a week ago. I can’t afford to miss more classes. I’m starting the online registration now,” I said firmly, cutting her off as I hurried to my room.

I tossed my bag on the bed, pulled off my boots, and sat in front of my laptop.

My eyes drifted to Wet Kisses lying beside me, and my thoughts wandered to the guy I’d snatched it from. That face. That gaze.

A small smile tugged at my lips, and I absentmindedly bit my lower lip—until I snapped out of it.

“Focus, Jarvis. You’re meeting Nikki Ronald tomorrow. That’s what matters,” I muttered, pulling up the registration portal and diving into the form.

I breezed through the first few pages of the registration form, my fingers flying across the keyboard. My heart was still racing—not from the excitement of starting school tomorrow, but from the lingering adrenaline of everything that had happened earlier.

The guy with the Maybach.

His eyes. That smug arrogance.

He pissed me off… yet somehow, he was still in my head.

I shook the thought away and forced myself to focus. There were more important things to worry about. Like finally starting this new chapter of my life. New school. New people. Clean slate.

I was determined to lay low, stay under the radar, and just get through the semester without any drama.

I reached the final page, double-checked my details, and hit Submit. A confirmation screen popped up. I let out a satisfied breath.

Done.

I grabbed my phone and dialled the housing officer’s number to confirm my arrival.

“Hello?” a man answered on the other end.

“Hi, this is Jarvis. I hope my room’s still intact. I’m finally resuming tomorrow,” I said.

There was a short pause before he responded, “Really? Uh… sure. You’re welcome.”

Something about his tone felt off. Like he knew something I didn’t. But I brushed it off. I was too tired to overthink it.

I closed the laptop and dropped back onto my bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. My mind drifted again to the events of the day—the near accident, Dorothy’s scraped knee, and him.

That stupid car. That stupid face.

My phone buzzed.

A text from Dorothy:

“Don’t forget to wear your ‘I-don’t-give-a-damn’ attitude tomorrow. You’ll need it.”

I smiled. She wasn’t wrong.

"You bet I will." I texted back.

I tossed my phone aside, pulled the blanket over myself, and shut my eyes.

But just before sleep could drag me under, his face flickered in my mind again.

Those piercing eyes. That smug, infuriating smirk.

That arrogant voice with his annoying attitude. I really didn't like him, and I wouldn't wish to cross paths with him anymore.

I groaned into my pillow. “Ugh, get out of my head.”

He wasn’t worth the space.

None of them were.

And after what felt like forever, sleep finally claimed me.