that’s not exactly what I was thinking he was going to ask but at least we’re in the same ballpark. Once the shock wears off, I stare at him blankly. “Excuse me?”
He cringes. “I warned you not to hate me.”
I let out a sigh and decide to be real with him. “No, we’re not fucking,” I tell him, grazing straight over the other things that we may or may not be doing. “But how is that any of your business?”
“Because you’re my business.”
“I’m really not, Charlie. We hooked up once.”
He looks away. “You like him though?”
Now I look away, not wanting to discuss this with him. Hell, I hardly wanted to discuss it with my boys. “I might.”
“Would I be overstepping a line if I asked you to keep your legs closed for a while?”
Okay, how can I not stare at him now? “You wouldn’t be just overstepping the line, Charlie. You’d be fucking bounding over it and pissing on everything as you went.”
He cringes and falls silent.
“Just ask me what it is you want to ask?” I challenge as he approaches the front of the school.
Charlie lets out a sigh and pulls up out the front before putting his car in park and turning to look at me. “I want to be with you, Ocean. Having one random fuck on my friend’s couch isn’t enough for me. I want more. I want to see you every fucking day and it damn near kills me seeing you getting closer to Colton. I’ve been holding back because I see it in him. He looks at you like you’re his fucking sun, moon, and the whole damn sky, but if he’s going to keep pushing you away and not make a move, then I’m not going to keep holding back.”
I stare at him, not expecting him to have been so forward. “I … I don’t even know what to say to that. You know I like you. Apart from Milo, you’re probably the nicest person I’ve met in Bellevue Springs. But we just fucked once. It was for fun.”
“I know,” he says. “But can’t it be more than just fun? I know you’ve got something happening with Milo, but come on, be real, babe. It’s clear that’s just some cover-up to keep Colton off your back. You don’t belong with him.”
“And what? Am I supposed to belong with you?”
“I know a trap when I see one, Ocean. I’m not about to tell you where you belong only to have it blow up in my face because you’re the only person who can decide where you belong, but if you want an honest answer, then yeah, I think you belong with me.”
“You don’t Charlie. I’m just the first girl who isn’t interested in all the shiny things you could offer me. I’m the one who could piss off mommy and daddy while also rocking your world. We aren’t a forever thing. We were just having a little fun.”
He sits back and I expect him to be disappointed but he flashes a blinding smile my way. “I think you’re wrong,” he says, almost like a challenge. “And I’m going to prove it.”
“Oh, geez. Dare I ask how you’re going to do that?”
“You can ask but I’m not going to tell you.”
“Why? Because you haven’t figured it out yet?”
His cocky grin fades away and is replaced with a guilty one. “Maybe. Now hurry up and get out of my car. I’m not being the reason that you’re late for your first day.”
I can’t help but lean over and press a kiss to his cheek. “You can go ahead and try to win me over,” I tell him. “My answer is always going to be no, but it’s going to be fun watching you try.”
Charlie rolls his eyes as I scoop my coffee out of the cup holder. “Fuck off, babe.”
I laugh and let myself out of his Ferrari and start making my way into the school, noticing how he doesn’t drive away until I step through the front gates.
I let out a heavy breath. It’s one thing dealing with Colton and Charlie first thing in the morning, but walking into this school is going to be something entirely different.
The school is big. Maybe even bigger than BSA but I try not to let that intimidate me. I’ve got this. If I survived through an all-boys school then surely I can make it through this too.
There are girls everywhere and they instantly start staring. The whispers