Page 32 of Captured Heart

“Oh, he called? Did he finally ask you out for coffee?”

The question instantly gets all my emotions swirling in a vortex. “What? No! Why?” I clear my throat to get rid of that excited pitch. “I mean...why would he ask me out for coffee?”

“Because that’s what he said he wanted to do.”

“He did!” Again, I take a breath to tamper down the eagerness in my voice. “He did?”

“Yeah. I told him you weren’t interested, though.” He shrugs and takes another sip of coffee. “I know that after Jason, you basically swore off men, so I made it clear that you were solely focused on your studies.”

I know he told Alex that with the best of intentions, but I’m so annoyed right now. Not even with Corey. With myself. Because I did swear off men, and I am supposed to be solely focused on my studies. I guess I would’ve preferred it if he had said nothing at all. But I can’t even be mad at him. He was only looking out for me.

“So, when did he say this?” I ask. “After we met at the gym?”

A pang of guilt wrinkles his face, and he exhales a heavy breath. “Look, I’m gonna level with you. John and I aren’t friends. I met him the same day you did. He was in the library, and he saw us studying together. After you left, he came up to me and started asking about you. I told him you wouldn’t be interested, but he was so persistent that I agreed to arrange a little meet-up for the two of you at the gym.”

I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to draw parallels between Alex’s actions and a pre-2005 rom-com. Well, maybe just a little.

It’s not on thestop-a-taxi-in-the-middle-of-trafficlevel, but, wow, he sure went out of his way to meet me. That’s got to count for something, right?

And it also explains his eagerness on Thursday when he suggested we watch a movie together.

“I’m sorry,” Corey says. “I should’ve told you sooner. Please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“I am,” Karmani chimes in. “Why did you tell him she wasn’t interested? Now, he probably won’t make a move because he’s scared of rejection.”

Before I can respond, the café door swings open, and Zayn strides in. His tall, lanky frame already makes him stand out, but he has the cutest face, which makes it impossible to miss him. Hazel eyes, light brown skin, a killer smile—he’d beveryattractive if he wasn’t...well, if he wasn’t such a jerk.

He’s always been nice to me, but damn, the shots he swings at Karmani leave her winded sometimes.

“Oh, great,” Karmani mutters irritably, rolling her eyes when she sees him walking toward our table.

“Good morning,” he sings, and his chipper tone only annoys her more.

“Get lost, Zayn.”

“I’m doing great. Thanks so much for asking.” He slides into the empty chair beside her. “And how are you doing this morning...partner?”

Her eyes narrow into a death stare. “Not great. I’m so stiff and sore. I just can’t seem to get thispainout of my ass.”

Zayn knows she’s talking about him, but still plays dumb. “Use lubricant next time.”

The smirk sets her off, but the wink pushes her over the edge. She’s seething now. “Eat a dick, Zayn,” she bites out.

“Aw! So, you do like to share. You have so many flying at you, and I was under the impression that you wanted themall, so it’s good to know that you’re not as selfish as I thought you were.”

These two will keep going at each other until someone intervenes. Corey did it last time, so it’s my turn. “Now, play nice, kids. There’s no need for that kind of animosity on a Sunday.”

Karmani gathers her stuff and stands up. “I just want the record to show that we were actually conversing like adults until this dickface showed up.” She doesn’t even spare Zayn a look before she storms out of the café.

“Now, was that necessary?” Corey scolds.

“It absolutely was,” he says, unfazed by how much he’s upset her.

I tsk. “When are you going to stop giving her a hard time?”

He shrugs. “When she stops pretending to be something she’s not. She’s one of the smartest people in our class, but God forbid any of those asshole jocks find out about it. She wants to guard that secret like it’s the fucking nuclear codes or something. I can’t deal with bullshit like that. So, if she wants to act like a dumb bimbo, that’s how I’m gonna treat her.”

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