Page 47 of Overdue I Love You's
I smile instead. “To each their own.”
“You guys,” Hina opens the car door. Her face peeking out and she looks annoyed when it instantly slams back in her face. Huffing, she opens it fully to see all of us. “How are we doing this? We didn’t decide on who’s cooking or what since we’re going to the opposite sides of town.”
“Should we do rock, paper, scissors?” Shaan suggests.
“One person from each team,” Rhys looks at me, already takinghis hand out. Can someone stop this? I’m under a lot of pressure.
“Whoever wins gets first choice, deal?” Katarina walks to stand behind me.
“You better win, Nova. I can’t cook for shit.” Hina’s peeking from the backseat.
And Dean is… somewhere I’d rather not focus on.
“Rock,” we move our fists like pepper and salt shakers. “Paper,” should I do rock? I can’t tell what Rhys is going to put down when all he’s doing is smiling. This feels like when the teacher asks a question to the class and looks at you with a small nod and smile like she thinks you know the answer when you don’t. Get me out of here. “Scissors.”
I put down paper.
Rhys puts down scissors.
Damn it.
“I’m sorry,” I say to Hina before Rhys decides what they’re going to do.
“Nova,” he jokes with a tilt of mockery. “Your team is on cooking duty, it seems.”
“Amazing,” I joke with a straight-face, but pull myself together quickly. A little fire and cutting veggies never hurt me. Sure, the most I can make is an omelette, but you live, and you learn.
The crew finally gives us the thumbs up to get into the cars.
When I walk around to the passenger seat, Rhys follows to open my door.
“I wish I was on your team,” he says. “Save some energy to talk to me later, yeah?”
My shoulders perk up, not from excitement but from the sudden awkwardness of our bodies. Rhys is technically a stranger to me and yes, he is hot. Objectively. But I’ve never truly cared about that.
I’m about to reply when a deep, gloomy shadow looms over us.
“Let’s go.”
Every nerve in my body lights up before flickering with unreleased anger.
Dean grabs the curve of the door. He’s shooing Rhys away in the most nonchalant, impolite way I’ve ever seen. He fixates his beryl eyes on me, full of silent simulacrum. I don’t know what he’s thinking and I dislike him for it.
“Right,” Rhys chuckles uncomfortably before walking away.
“Get it,” Dean says with a cock to his brow.
“I got it,” I respond with the same amount of chilling impoliteness. When I get into the car and try to close the door, it doesn’t budge. Dean’s stopping it.
“If you’re done with whatever foreplay is going on here, can we go?” Hina says from the backseat.
Green versus brown. It’s a battle of a landslide.
Deep breaths, Nova. Don’t let him get to you.
As soon as I drop my hand, the door shuts with delicate swiftness.
I want to bite his head off.
