Just Pucking Money [COMPLETED]

Chapter 11 - Early

Lily

When Ethan walks into Lucky's my first reaction is to drool all over him. He's easily the most handsome man in here. Even in his black shirt with the cuffs rolled up, he looks wild. Unpredictable. Like he's minutes from either a heartbreaking smile or a fight.

I close my mouth just as his eyes find me. He smiles and I feel myself melting. But he doesn't come up to me. Instead, he finds a table and sits down.

My second reaction to him walking in, is to check the time. With furrowed brows, I hurry over to him.

"You're early."

He smirks up at me. "I know."

"I don't get off for another half hour."

"I know." He's still smiling up at me. "I'd like a diet coke."

I squint at him suspiciously. "Coming right up."

I glance back at him as I go to get it, but he's just sitting there, smiling.

Once he has his drink, I'm called away to deal with other customers. The whole time, I'm aware of him looking. It's doing things to me I had no idea where possible. At one point, I meet his eyes and I notice I'm wet. He's turning me on by doing nothing. His eyes on me are enough to fill my body with desire.

It's almost torture.

A couple of women go up to his table and he answers them politely, but his eyes hardly ever leave me. They give up after a while and leave him alone.

"Aren't you bored?" I ask when I hand him another coke.

He shakes his head. "No."

My stomach flips. He's been sitting here for almost half an hour. Just for me?

"I'm going to change. I'll be right back."

"Take your time."

It's strange. Almost as if I'm... important to him? But that can't be it. He barely knows me. Maybe he got kicked out of his house. Or he really wanted a diet coke?

Gina is working tonight, and she insists I leave a couple of minutes early so I don't keep him waiting too long. It's a slow night, but I still hesitate. I want to be known as reliable and trustworthy. But in the end, Gina manages to convince me that it's only a few minutes and there's not much to do. So I thank her and hurry to the back room.

After working for hours, there's not much I can do, but I change into a pair of black skinny jeans and a silky top in beige. Wishing I knew more about makeup, I do my best to get rid of the shine from serving beers and running around, and put on a pink lip gloss with the help of the mirror in the small bathroom.

I finish the outfit with a chunky cardigan. And hope I look ok.

Because I'm tall, and have been on my feet all day, I chose a pair of ballerina flats that are insanely comfortable.

I stuff all my things back in the locker and grab my purse before I turn to leave.

Then it hits me.

The most eligible guy at UNI is waiting for me out there. He's waiting for me. The part of my brain that deals with the realities of the world tells me that he might not be. Maybe he'll have left already, and that's the prank.

I take a breath to force down the panic. There's only one way to find out.

He's standing right there, waiting for me, when I come back to the bar. His eyes roam my new outfit.

"You look beautiful."

My cheeks flush and I lower my gaze. "Thanks." I used to answer what few compliments I got with something negative. I'm too tall. This shirt doesn't really fit me. My hair is a mess. But then I read something about believing people and not dismissing their opinions when they say you look nice. It stuck with me. Especially the part about how it could be seen as you telling them that they're liars or just don't know what they're talking about.

But I still wish I had some money I could spend on clothes. The cardigan is a few years old and the shoes are a bit scuffed. But Ethan doesn't seem to notice.

"Are you ready to go?" he asks, and I smile up at him.

"I'm ready."

I wave to Gina as Ethan grabs my hand and leads me through the bar. She looks happy for me and maybe just a bit jealous. Which I can't blame her for. I'm going out with the hottest guy at UNI. Everyone is going to be jealous.

He leads me to the car he was showing off in his video. When he holds open the door for me, I wonder if the car really is as big of a deal as the comments made it out to be.

It's a pretty car. And the inside feels very luxurious.

Ethan sits down.

"I like your car," I say. "It's a very pretty color."

His face lights up, and his mouth opens. Then, it's as if he gets lost. He finally blinks out of it.

"It's the same color as your eyes."

I glance through the window at the hood. Then back at Ethan. "I guess it is."

"It's my favorite color," Ethan says so softly it turns my insides to mush.

I shift in the seat and busy myself putting on my seatbelt.

"The car was a bribe," he says as he gets the engine purring.

"A bribe for what?" I can't imagine what would be worth a whole car.

But he just shakes his head before backing out of the parking spot. "Let's not talk about unpleasant things tonight. Only happy subjects."

I laugh. "Won't that be boring?"

"No." He handles the car as an extension of himself. "It won't be boring."

I believe him.

"So, where are we going?"

"I was thinking Alex's. Do you like Greek food?"

"I do." With that, I relax a little. I've heard about Alex's. It's a fairly new restaurant, but according to everyone, it's not too expensive. I should have enough for a meal there.

Then again, he begged me for this date, so if he doesn't at least offer to pay, I would be surprised. I keep going between thinking I should insist on paying for myself and just assuming he'll pay and I'll just be grateful.

It doesn't feel right to rely on someone else. As we engage in idle chitchat about Lucky's and what it's like working there, I try to put money out of my head. I can't do much about it now, anyway.

When we're sitting down and I see the prices, I'm again reminded of how different my life is from most other students here. What they consider a cheap meal out, I consider almost a week's grocery budget.

But it's ok. I scan the menu and choose something on the cheaper side.

"What about appetizers?" Ethan asks. "Do you want some?"

I shake my head. That's an added cost that I don't need. "No, I'm not all that hungry. And I'll just have water."

Ethan glances up at me, but doesn't say anything.

Once the server disappears with our order, I take a breath.

"So, what do you do besides hockey?"

"You mean at UNI?"

I nod.

"I..." He stops and smiles. "No, we're not supposed to talk about unpleasant things."

"Your major is unpleasant?" I blink at him in confusion.

"When you don't have a choice in the matter, it quickly becomes a burden."

"Why can't you study what you want?" It never occurred to me that the rich kids at UNI didn't just get to study whatever they desired. But perhaps their parents' money comes with strings?

"It doesn't really matter. It is what it is. Do you like your major?"