Page 33 of Reckless Rival

“Oh yeah?” His words were weighed down by mockery.

“Yes, why do you think I showed up then?” She needed to get better at this if she had to put up with him.

He looked at her for a long moment like he was assessing her lie. “Okay. How do you suggest we go from here?”

She shook her head, trying hard not to roll her eyes. “It was your idea. What is your grand vision?”

“Hmm.” He ran his fingers over his chin, and her eyes fell on the sexy cleft she had admired the first time she saw him. “Why don’t we start with you meeting me in the cafeteria for dinner?”

“The cafeteria?” What was he thinking?

“What we agreed to was that you will fangirl me, seduce me, and the day you are successful, the video will be deleted permanently.” His eyes darkened.

She held his gaze, her chin raised. “What does success look like to you just so it is crystal clear, and you don’t play around with me?”

“Play around, huh?” He snickered, moving closer.

His proximity set off something inside her, but she did not look away from him. “Yes. And I want to know what the rules are.”

“No rules. No limits for you. Bring it on, Varma!” he declared war.

The mockery in his voice annoyed her. “Really? I can do anything?”

“Yes.” His voice was hissy like he was affected by how close she was to him.

“Can I touch you?” She lowered her voice but held his gaze.

He nodded. Was he having trouble speaking?

“Can I kiss you?” She swore she saw him shudder in response to her words.

He didn’t respond, and she held the challenge in her eyes. A small victory for her after how he made her wait outside while he showered. She felt optimistic about how easy it would be to get him to kiss her.

He laughed, breaking the intense moment and stepped away. “Not working on me, Varma. You need to step up your game.”

“What?” Was that all an act? The heavy breathing and the silence?

“I’ll see you at the cafeteria for dinner.” He started to walk away as he spoke.

“What time?” she called out.

He shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.”

What the heck? Did that mean she had to wait for him again?

Chapter 12

After a long exhausting day, Nami finally made it to the cafeteria. She was not even hungry, and all she could think about was to crash like she had the past week or so. But now, she had to stay up until he showed up and then eat.

The cafe was bustling with students, and she had a tough time finding a table. She looked around the crowd, wondering if Rana was already there, but she had no patience to walk around looking for him. Instead, she stood to one side of the cafeteria and scanned every table, and, of course, he was not there.

Based on how he made her wait that the morning, she expected him to pull the same stunt. She was glad she brought her laptop with her so she could at least get some of her classwork done while she waited. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but her focus was broken by a sudden increase in the noise levels, and somewhere she heard his name being called out.

She looked at the time and made note of the fact that he showed up a good hour after she showed up. She put away her laptop and looked for him. It was not hard to spot him if he were standing, but he seemed to be sitting, and there was no sight of him.

Unsure if he was even in the cafeteria, she wondered how much longer she was going to have to wait for him. She pulled out her phone and called him only to get his voicemail. Frustrated and tired, she stood on top of a chair and tried to look for him.

From that vantage point, she spotted him. He was sitting with a few other students. “Stupid moron asks me to meet him for dinner and is sitting with someone else.” She marched over to where he sat and stood across from the table.

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