Gingerbread Latte

Chapter 7 - Are you pro-licking?

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered."

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Max's POV

"So, then I told her that I have commitment issues because my mom left me when I was a kid-"

"But your mother didn't leave you," I interjected as Cole went on explaining one of his last encounters with some girl from last night's frat party.

He nodded, "Of course, my mom is the best but that line works on girls like a charm," He winked, holding his bag by its strap as he casually threw it over his shoulder, "I spent the night at her place and now she doesn't even expect me to call her back," He added, a giddy smile over his lips as he looked ahead, dreamily sighing as he recalled back memories from the night before, "Man, life is good sometimes."

I rolled my eyes at him and tucked my hands into my front pockets, his happy state annoying me because I would do anything to just go back to my old ways. Instead, here I am trying to win a specific girl over while she on the other hand goes and sets me up with a random girl from the coffee shop. God, I can't begin to describe my annoyance at what she did.

Life does suck sometimes.

"Speaking of hot girls-" Cole's voice interjected, whistling lowly at the sight ahead of us. A group of girls, five or six were standing by the building's entrance, the same one we were making our way into.

His words had me lift my eyes up, indirectly taking a quick look at what he was pointing at. Among the six of them, my eyes only spotted the ginger-headed one. The sight of her made me lower my speed, taking my sweet time to cross the distance from the gate to the building's entrance, just so I would gain more time to look at her.

She was the only silent one, hugging the books to her chest as she listened to whatever the blonde one was explaining. Against her better judgment, she rolled her eyes at what the girl said but when she realized that, her eyes widened and she looked around, making sure no one saw or caught her annoyance. My lips twitched, she really was like no one. Unique in every aspect, inside out.

I paused when I reached her side, invading the group's space but I could care less at the moment, "Hey," I said, my eyes only on her. Her gaze flickered to me, startled at first, and then, her eyes widened a bit. They drifted to the blondie before they went back to me, "Uh, hey," She said, a bit nervous for some reason.

"We are still up for today?" I asked, just fishing out for a conversation, knowing very well how she won't miss out on our tutor session unless it is urgent.

"Today?" She asked like she didn't understand, "Uh, no, no, we are not."

The hell-

Lines etched my forehead, "What do you mean no?" I shot back.

"It means no, leave me alone," She grumbled out, her eyes glaring at me before she tugged at the sleeves of the girl beside her, "Come on, Tanya, let's go," She said, pulling her friend along and she walked past me, her shoulder brushing mine as she left.

I looked over my shoulder dumbfounded, trying to understand what the hell just happened but miserably failed. What the fuck changed since last night? Wasn't she the one who called me up at night and tried to sneakily check if I had slept with the girl or not?

My jaw ticked as I watched her walk further and further away from my line of sight. I turned my head back, my gaze falling on the blondie, whose eyes didn't leave me since I got here. She smiled when she noticed my stare, her smile a bit too familiar, "Hey, Max."