Why was he here?

“Are you following me?” I accused.

He glared at me and I almost shrunk back.

“What the fuck are you doing out here alone?”

I leaped to my feet and marched over to where he stood. He wasn’t the boss of me.

“You aren’t my father. I don’t answer to you.”

His hand snagged mine. The glove he wore felt strange, like it was made of knitted stiff paper or duct tape. “You do when you’re being reckless. I won’t always be here to save you.”

I snatched my hand away. “I don’t need your protection.”

The move I’d learned in karate class didn’t come as easily as it had in seventh grade. Still, I chopped the air with straight hands and made the noise as if I were an anime character in battle.

His perfect lips twitched.

“What? You fear my moves?” I said, while I was miming dicing vegetables with my hands.

He chuckled. “Uh…no. I do worry you’re going to hurt yourself.”

I narrowed my eyes and flailed my arms around in a windmill motion. “I’ll have you know I’m certified.”

“Certifiable?”

My brows knitted as I nearly closed my eyes. “Very funny. No. Certified.”

“In what?” he asked as he tried to cover his laughter with one hand.

Undeterred, I moved around, coming close but not hitting him with my moves.

“In karate,” I said.

“Yeah? What level are you?”

“I’m a white belt. I only had one class.”

He lost the battle with holding back his guffaws.

I straightened. “See, I can take care of myself.”

His laughter was so intense, tears leaked from his eyes. “How?” he choked out.

“I incapacitated you with laughter. This is the point where I would scream and run.”

Was that respect on his face or amusement? I couldn’t tell. I was blinded by his beauty, darn him. He infuriated me at the same time he turned me on.

“You’re a donkey jack, you know that.”

He laughed some more. “Don’t you mean jackass?”

“Just because I choose not to curse doesn’t mean you can judge me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said.

His goofy smile was infectious and stupidly endearing. I couldn’t have that.

“Yeah whatever. Just go away.”

I spun around, needing distance between us. Only, he turned me back to face him. His mouth was on mine faster than I could protest. I lost the battle fast, melting into him.

His kiss was intoxicating as his arms snaked around me. Unable to get close enough to him, as he began to hoist me up I helped him by pushing off my toes and winding my legs around him.

Meteors could have rained down around us and I wouldn’t have stopped. Lights danced behind my lids as balls of fire filled my vision. Was that what some called seeing stars? I hated him and was falling for him more at the same time.

I sucked in air when he pulled back and stared at me like I was the eighth wonder of the world. I let my legs fall and slid down his body. The evidence of my impact on him was hard and thick between us.

Before I followed him to his room and did something incredibly stupid, I said, “I’m still mad at you.”

He licked his lips as if tasting me there. Holy moly, that was hot.

“That was you being mad?” he asked smugly.

The fire that had been going south headed back north between my ears as my annoyance came back. “Don’t you dare. You still owe me an apology.”

“I do?” he asked innocently.

I ignored that. “And until you do, I won’t kiss you again.”

His confidence irked me. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. And you will take pictures for my senior project no matter what.”

He laughed as I spun away. I walked like there were zombies chasing me, fast but not running. It wasn’t like they could catch me unless I tripped and fell.

“Don’t follow me,” I said over my shoulder.

He said nothing and I felt him behind me the entire time until I got back to my dorm. I stood with the door at my back like a shield. He hadn’t followed me inside, but my heart continued to beat like drums in my chest.

I had to chant in my head: I think I can, I think I can. Can what? Ignore him. I wasn’t sure that was possible.

Optimistic had been my middle name all my life. But after my date with him, I couldn’t sit inside my room. I’d never been the type to be depressed over my breakups. Sure, I’d been sad, but life moved on. My family always made me feel like I was worth so much more than the guys that dumped me. But hearing that I was a project felt horrible and made my room feel claustrophobic. I’d gone outside to try and shake off the idea of being used.

Seeing Gavin there and the way he looked at me didn’t feel fake. There had to be something else going on. I wasn’t crazy. Though thinking he would call and grovel was probably not optimistic but foolish.

With a bowl of popcorn between us, Reagan and I half watched a movie while I explained the events of the previous evening.

“I’m not going to tell you I told you so.” I glared at her as she spoke. She held up hands like a white flag. “Because if he can’t see how amazing you are, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

I wrapped her in a hug. “Thank you, I needed that.” I leaned my head against hers. “Am I being stupid for thinking that maybe there’s something between us?”

She pulled back and stared me in the eye. I remembered how Reagan’s mom warped her about guys and thought that maybe she wasn’t the right person to ask.

“I trust your judgment. But even if you’re right, I don’t want him to hurt you.”

I squeezed her more. “You know I love you, right?”

We grinned at each other. “You too.”

But it was the following day when Noah stopped me on my way out of the café that things got weird.

“Are you going to the bonfire next weekend?” Noah asked.

Gavin materialized out of thin air with narrowed eyes on me when he noticed I was talking to Noah. Then he started in our direction. Noah’s back was to him—poor guy didn’t know what was coming.

“Megan?” Noah said.

I changed my focus to the guy in front of me. “Huh?” I closed my eyes tight for a second, trying to remember what he asked. “The bonfire?”

He nodded as my heart beat to a different drummer boy. By then Gavin had arrived. He didn’t acknowledge Noah, which I should have been grateful for. Instead, he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“You can do better than him.”

I scowled and half turned to ask him if he thought he was the better candidate, but he’d gone and been swallowed up by the late lunch crowd.

“So…” Noah began, a frown forming on his face.

The fact that he hadn’t asked if there was a problem was a half strike against him. But maybe he was nonconfrontational.

“The bonfire, yes, I’ll be there.”

His winning smile returned. “Great, I’ll see you there.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that as he waved and went inside the café. Had he asked me out? Felt more like a friend meet up to me. But maybe my instincts were off.

Many moments passed as I tried to decide if I would hunt down Gavin. What stopped me was I didn’t want to be that girl. I was stronger than that, or so I thought.

What I really wanted was a distraction from the upcoming weekend with Mom and finding out who my birth father was.

“Megan?”

What was it today? When did I become the most popular girl in school? I glanced up to find my ex. Great.

“Derrick.”

He didn’t seem to notice my derision. “You’re looking really great.”

I glanced down at my yoga pants and hoodie outfit and gave him a you’ve got to be kidding look. My hair was half pulled into a ball at the top of my head with loose strands hanging everywhere.

“You do look good,” he said again as if doing so would make me believe him.

“What do you want?”

It was funny how much a semester apart had done. He wasn’t as cute as I’d thought he was. Then again, maybe it was knowing who he was that changed how I saw him.

“I just thought…” I could feel my eyebrow lift as I waited for whatever crappy ending was coming to his sentence. “It’s just that I miss you.”

Really? was on the tip of my tongue, but a cheerleading type—super skinny, more bubbly than me, and wearing her rah-rah expression—came over. “Hi, I’m Amber.”

Of course you are, I thought, but good thing I muzzled it. It was rude and this girl had done nothing to me. So I extended a hand.

“I’m Megan.”

All the air that had lifted her cheekbones in an impressive smile deflated. “You’re Megan?” She glanced between me and Derrick. “This…is…Megan?” she repeated. She hadn’t exactly yelled, but the space in between each word spoke volumes.

Had he talked about me to her? What had he said? I exhaled and tried to calm myself. What did it matter? It wasn’t like I was ever going back to him in a million years.

“Hey, babe.”

I turned to find Gavin. Seriously? Babe? I fish-mouthed, struggling for words because I’d walked into an alternate universe.

He held a tray. “I got our lunch.”

What made me not tell Gavin to shove it was Derrick’s expression. It was priceless. He and Amber had twin looks of what the heck?

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one mesmerized by Gavin’s gorgeousness. Derrick looked like he had a bro crush.

Gavin tugged on my arm with his free hand.

“Yeah, okay,” I said to him. “I have to go,” I said to my ex and his…girlfriend? I wasn’t sure what their status was and didn’t much care.

Derrick looked as though he wanted to say something but caught himself when he remembered Amber.

Couldn’t blame him as I was in a daze too, led to a table full of guys who stopped talking when I appeared with Gavin.

“What?” he asked the gawking group.

Self-doubt had never been my m.o., but I wasn’t sure if it was me or if any girl that Gavin brought to the table would be a showstopper.

One guy spoke up. “Are you going to introduce her?”

Gavin had no shame when he answered, “No.”

Apparently that was enough for them; they went back to eating and talking. I stood there fuming. Is he for real?

“Sit.” His tone was commanding.

“I’m not a dog.”

His eyes trailed down my body and I felt it like he physically touched me. “No, you most certainly aren’t.”

I ignored him. “I’m still mad.”

He put his tray down. “Aren’t I forgiven considering I saved you back there?”

“Saved me?” I might have said that a little too loud. The guys turned to look at me. I felt a flush creep up my cheeks. I lowered my voice. “I didn’t need your help.”

“Didn’t look that way to me. And you came with me.”

It pissed me off more that he was right.

“Fine. You helped me. But I still want an apology.”

He cupped my chin and pressed his lips to mine before his tongue snaked across the seam of my mouth. Time stopped until he pulled back. “How’s that?”

Thank goodness I had enough presence of mind to not open my mouth, because I would have given into the maddening guy.

“Call me when you’re ready to apologize.”

With my chin up, I left him there, though I was sure his eyes were on me as I walked away.

That should have been it if I were a stronger person. But over the next few days when I wasn’t in class or studying I replayed everything that happened between he and I starting with our date until I probably went a little insane. I blamed that for what was to come.

Clearly I wasn’t in my right mind when I walked into the café for early dinner and found Gavin leaning against a table with a girl who belonged on the cover of magazines standing in front of him, matching his smirk. She was gorgeous in a way that wasn’t natural. How could anyone be that beautiful? Then again, so was he.

None of that mattered. The point was he’d led me on and the comment that he made that I was just the project spurred on my fury.

The pounding in my chest was so loud, I was sure everyone heard it because the room seemed to go silent as I approached the pair.

“Not good enough for me, huh?” I accused.

The Barbie come to life looked at me like I was crazy, and I probably was.

“Maybe I’m not good enough for you. That’s why you haven’t called and refuse to apologize,” I blurted.

“I should go,” the gorgeous girl said, rolling her eyes when they landed on me before she exited stage left.

“You’re right,” he said.

Though I’d said the words, I hadn’t exactly wanted him to agree with me.

“About what?” I snapped.

“That I deserve someone like her.” My bubble burst and I deflated. But he wasn’t done. “I could fuck her today and it wouldn’t mean shit to either of us. That’s what I deserve, not someone like you who should have a guy who wouldn’t be afraid to walk down the street and claim you as his.”

How could it feel like my heart was shattering? I wasn’t in love with him, but rejection never felt good.

“You are the worst.”

I’d barely uttered the words.

He sat there expressionless with his arms folded over his chest. “I am.”

“I’m not done!” I breathed out and finished it. “The worst human being possible. Stay away from me. I won’t let you steal my joy or rain on my rainbows or make me curse even though you are a supreme butthole.”

His questioning look got my final response.

“That’s all I have to say! Other than don’t worry about the photo shoot. I’ll find someone else.”

When I spun on my heel, I realized I’d garnered an audience. It didn’t matter. Foremost, I had to leave before my tears spilled down my face.

My phone buzzed as I stepped outside. I yanked it out of my pocket, wondering if maybe he’d realized his mistake. Only it was my mother. It read, Sunday lunch sound good?

I wasn’t sure I was ready for news of my father. I’d just been insulted by a guy I really liked. Okay, maybe I’d gone a little psycho. Could I blame him for not wanting anything to do with me? And why was I making excuses for him? Reagan was right. If he didn’t see my value, someone else might. It was time I gave someone like Noah a chance.