Dangerous Play

4 » exes and uh ohs

"I'm not going to drive off with your car, I just need to grab my wallet!"

"Don't worry about it."

"What is this, a date?" I snorted. "Let me pay for myself."

He didn't answer, having stepped up to order. I glanced around at the other occupants, who were few and far between at this time of day. In one corner sat an elderly couple playing a game of chess, while a college-age girl sat in another corner, lips pursed in concentration as she stared at her laptop screen. A few other strangers sat at the tables throughout the place, sipping drinks and munching on fresh sandwiches and wraps.

Kieran nudged me forward. Startled, I blurted out my order before realizing my mistake. I was about to ask the barista to make them separate payments, when he picked up a brownie and set it down on the counter too.

"You don't have to get that," I said, my face flushing slightly.

He handed the barista a black credit card. "Who said the brownie was for you?"

I glared at him. He didn't look at me, but his grin told me that he was well aware of the expression on my face. The girl behind the counter handed back his credit card, blushing furiously as he winked at her.

Kieran pocketed his wallet and grabbed the brownie as we headed toward an empty booth. I watched enviously as he tore the plastic wrap off, the tantalizing smell of chocolate and coffee drifting up to my nose.

He broke off a chunk and chewed, closing his eyes as he savored the taste. "Mmm, this is delicious."

I was half a second away from strangling him when he opened his eyes, the same rich brown color as the priceless treasure on the table. He burst out laughing at the murderous expression on my face and pushed the brownie toward me. "I was joking. This is actually for you."

I reached for his face. He ducked, eyeing my hand warily. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for a fever. Or alien possession."

Kieran looked mildly affronted. "What, I can't be nice? Wait, actually, don't answer that. Knowing you, it won't be anything I want to hear."

My eyebrows shot up. "Oh, so I'm the one who can't be nice?"

"Shut up and eat your brownie," he said.

I didn't need to be told twice. Within a few seconds, the plastic wrapping and a few crumbs were all that remained of the savory treat. I chewed in silence as Kieran grabbed our coffee orders. He sat back down and handed me my iced drink, gazing thoughtfully out at the parking lot, his seat being the one to face the windows of the café.

After I swallowed the last bite, he turned his pensive gaze on me. I looked at him expectantly. "So, what's this grand scheme of yours to get back at my brother?"

He leaned over the table conspiratorially and gestured for me to do the same. "I was thinking... we pretend to be on a date."

I stared at him. All the mystery and suspense for this? "Alright, you've definitely been possessed. Or taken a few too many soccer balls to the head."

"Think about it!" Kieran insisted. "It's the perfect revenge scheme. I know he's always told you to stay away from his teammates—"

"—a ridiculous suggestion that I have never listened to—"

"—so what would be a better way to piss him off than pretending to go on a date with his teammate slash best friend?"

Admittedly, that would piss Finn off pretty badly, but things still weren't adding up. Kieran was hiding something else. "Yeah, well, I'm sure he's also told all of you to stay away from me. So why would you want to bring his wrath down upon yourself as well?" I narrowed my eyes. "What are we really doing here?"