Page 36 of Hunter
“How’s your–,” I start to ask when she shows her teeth and starts to literally hiss.
“What are you doing here,cabrón?” She bites out, leaving me wide open to press every single one of those sweet little buttons.
“I’m pretty sure this is what most people would call a conversation, smartypants.” I grip the looped handle on the top of her massive bag and drop it to the tiled floor next to the table. I pull out the empty chair and take my seat, so that I’m sitting across from her.
“There, that’s better.” And it is. Now I can see everything. She’s got the triple S special: salad, soup, and a sandwich, and I take note as I scan her tray.
I’m pretty sure her chicken Caesar salad has more croutons and shreds of Parm cheese than actual lettuce. There’s a bowl of tomato soup that she’s topped with even more croutons,except these ones look orange, like they might be cheddar or something, along with a super cheesy grilled cheese. There’s also a bowl of mixed croutons on the side and a smaller bowl of shredded cheddar.Note to self… This girl likes cheese and bread in a variety of ways.
“For who?”Us.I also spot two bananas, an apple, a bag of blue Doritos, and a few packages of blueberry muffins. There’s also an XXL to-go cup of what I assume is soda. It actually could be fucking kerosene for all I know.
“I wanted to sit with you, Ed.” Her whole face turns as red as her apple.
“I’m not interested,pendejo,” she spits out while leaning over her food and into the space between us. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you if the steam rising from her tray is from her or her hot soup. That’s how angry she looks right now.
But I don’t buy it, and I’m not moving. This girl didn’t just lean closer to me to tell me to leave; she moved her whole ass body into my space to tell me that she didn’t want me there. She can deny it all she wants, and in whatever language she wants, but her body is saying something else.
“Should I text you instead?” Her eyes go wide and are expressive as hell as her eyebrows rise up and then knit together. “You seemed to wanna talk to me earlier,” I remind her, and her eyes lock with mine as she realizes I caught her.
The longer she stares, the redder her face gets. I can feel the heat rolling off her skin from here.
She only gives me three seconds before blinking and turning her head away, but it’s all the confirmation I need. She liked talking to me, too.
“Yeah, no,” she says to disagree and pushes herself back until she’s against the chair rest. I’ve already got my phone out and wake it up to prove her wrong. I wanna show her that she doesn’t have to hate me as much as she thinks she does.
“What do you call all this then?” I hold up my phone and scroll over our text on my screen, but this stubborn little shit refuses to look.
“A momentary lapse in sanity,” she states with an eye roll right before she catches her messages on my screen.
“Was it? You sure about that, crazy girl?” I make sure to scroll slowly so she can see all the ones she sent me. She -we- broke all the texting rules and gave zero fucks sending them rapid fire like that.
“Don’t worry, hockey boy, I’ll block you after I’m done eating,” she says while picking up her fork and stabbing her food. “That’s your cue to leave,pendejo.”
“People eat and talk together all the time, look around.” But she doesn’t, and I don’t give a shit what anyone else is doing, so I don’t look either.
“This isn’t that,” she protests as she moves her food around her plate.
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because I prefer to eat in peace and you’re over here annoying the shit outta me like you’re lost or something.”
“Ouch, Ed, you wound me,” I chirp back, and her night sky eyes roll back into her pretty little head.
“Pobrecito, did the word annoying hurt your feelings?” She’s got a playful look on her face, and my cock takes notice of the flirty smirk she’s giving us. It has me grinning like a psych patient whose meds just started to kick in.
I lean forward over the table, inching out any room between us, “Not as bad as you pushing me away and locking me out after giving me the best kiss of my life.”And it was.
“Don’t lie to me, I hate fucking liars,” she hisses while daggers fly out from her eyes.
“Never have, Ed, and I never will.” My tone is sincere. Steady. Strong. Unwavering.
“I don’t believe you.” This girl has probably heard it all before and has been let down by the world. I’m gonna change that. But not just with my words, but with acts of service. That’s how I’m gonna earn her trust. That’s how I’m gonna win her over: by showing up.
“That’s okay, you will.”
“Tan engreído (So conceited),” she says with a huff and looks down at her food. “You sound so sure of yourself.”
“Oh, I am.” I’m confident as fuck. I know I can do this because my heart’s in it.
