"So, what are you going to do about Killian?" Suzy asked and took a sip from her coffee.
A week had passed since the car incident as Suzy liked to call it. We chose a café close to university today, to try their oat lattes which, according to her, tasted even better than normal ones.
I pulled a face. "I have to do something. I don't like owing people, especially not him."
She smirked at me. "Because he's hot?"
"No!"
Her brows raised and she tilted her chin.
"I mean, that's beside the point..." I shot her a glare when she laughed at me.
She shrugged and lifted her cup. "I don't really get what you have against him."
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe that he's a judgy asshole ninety percent of the time?" That was part of the reason at least. The other part was that I didn't like how he stumbled upon me when I was a mess. I tugged on my braid and frowned at the light brown liquid in front of me. If I had to run into him, couldn't I at least look cool for a change? Or at the minimum not make a complete fool out of myself?
"I think the term you're looking for is brutally honest," Suzy said in a knowing tone.
I huffed out a breath. "You're not helping. I thought the two of you are friends or something. Just tell me if he likes anything and I can be done with this."
"I don't really think Killian is someone who would appreciate you buying anything for him," Suzy said with another pointed look.
"What am I supposed to do then? Tutor him? It's not like he's the type to ask for help with anything either..." Wait. Maybe I could tutor him. I had no idea about his grades or even what classes he was taking but as long as they were at least logical and related to math...
"I have a few law classes with him. And I think he's been taking criminology courses this semester."
Never mind.
I picked at my cup. "Great. Maybe it's for the better. I wouldn't want to be stuck with him in close quarters anyways."
"But weren't you stuck together—"
My glare instantly silenced her, but it couldn't stop my ears from growing hot again. I must have been a sorry sight for even Killian to switch off his asshole settings. The memory alone was enough to make me cringe so hard that I wanted to disappear. I had to be done with this so I could nurture my wounded pride in peace. Hopefully, far away from him.
"I mean, you could have called me, of course, but since you forgot..."
"I told you, I'm sorry," I ground out. "I forgot. It's not like we've been hanging out for that long..."
"I know," she added in a teasing voice. "It's just so much fun to watch you squirm."
"I mean, I didn't expect..." I trailed off. "Maybe it's his presence. Ever since I met him I feel like I've been cursed or something."
"Or it's a sign. That—"
"Don't! Don't you dare get any weird ideas," I snapped when she opened her mouth again. "I want to pretend all of this never happened, okay? By the way...any news from Jessica and the others?"
"Subtle, real subtle."
My cheeks flushed, but thankfully she stopped prying.
"So, you mean aside from the fact that Jessica keeps calling you a crazy bitch in front of everyone and—" I kicked her leg. "Alright, alright, relax. Nothing new. She doesn't even know we are hanging out yet."
Suddenly, Suzy's head swirled around, the tips of her sleek, dark hair brushing her shoulders as if she'd just remembered that she was a fugitive. "Good thing she would never come to a café like this."
I took in the faded pink, rusty chairs, thick wooden tables and old-fashioned counter. "Hey! It's a nice café. Plus, they make coffee I can actually drink."
"Yeah, yeah, I told you I like this stuff better anyways, didn't I? But if you want me to keep spying for you—"
I put on my best no-nonsense expression. "Hey, I never asked you to spy. You decided that all on your own."
"Yeah, yeah." She folded her hands and rested her chin on top, her eyes sparkling. "But you know this undercover mission stuff is actually a lot of fun. I think, I should consider this as my profession. She doesn't suspect a single thing."
I sighed and leaned back. "Of course, you would think so."
Suz just grinned wider but with her next words, all humor drained from her face. "So...did you hear from Chris again?"
I snorted. "You could say that. After he was done cussing me out he sent me another ten messages saying how sorry he was and that we should get back together. I told him that it was kind of hard to believe after all the other crap he sent beforehand."
Suzy shook her head. "What a blockhead."
"Yeah..."
"And how do you feel?"
I couldn't help but smile a little. "Honestly, much better than I thought. I mean, he made it quite easy for me not to regret it."
"You should just block him."
"I did."
Her eyes went wide. "Really?"
"Yeah. After I pointed out that he was contradicting his own words, he switched right back to insults, so I wondered, why should I even read this shit?"
Her lips curled. "What an absolute moron. You know what? We are going to have fun in the next weeks. I have a few Halloween parties we can go to. It's gonna be awesome. You should go and enjoy your newfound freedom a bit." At the grimace on my face, she quickly added, "Don't worry. Jessica and most of their gang will be at different ones. I already checked." She wiggled her eyebrows.
"Sure, why not? I'm not going to drink though." I glimpsed at her reaction as I bent back over my laptop and continued writing the lab protocol that was due tomorrow.
She didn't blink twice. "Don't worry about that. I'm not much of a drinker anyways."
Hiding a grin, I went back to summarizing Bragg's reflection, but my brain kept getting distracted. Out of all people, Killian had to see me being such a mess. Thankfully, I hadn't seen Mr. Know-it-all that much these days. Julian and I had to finish several reports and were mostly holed up in the laboratory during the day. None of us had set foot in the Cafeteria for a week. The football team usually hung out there during lunch and I didn't want to run into them either of them.
Still, the feeling of being indebted left a sense of unfinished business, gnawing at my insides like an uncomfortable itch.
So, the question remained. What the hell was I supposed to do about Killian?
After my café date with Suz, it was another two days until I saw Killian again and I still hadn't made up my mind. He crossed campus in a dark-gray hoodie that molded over his wide shoulders and trim waist, a baseball cap pulled low over his face. He was carrying two books, a tablet, and some papers in his right hand while the other was stuffed in his pocket. What was it with guys not using a bag?
I took a deep breath. Okay, I could do this. I just had to ask. Without falling on my face or something stupidly embarrassing like that. Be cool. No problem. "Hey, Killian, wait."
He halted in his stride, lifted his head, and did a double-take when he saw it was me. "Yes?"
I stepped in front of him, but before I could say my part my attention was immediately drawn to his face. Or rather what used to be his face before someone had seemingly used it as a punching back. His lip was split open and his jawline was a canvas of pale purple and yellow bruises.
My breath caught in my throat. "Er... I mean... what the—"
He squinted at me as I fumbled around what to say.
"What happened to you?" I asked finally.
A frown creased his brows. "Nothing some sleep won't fix. If that's all, I gotta go..." He moved around me.
"Wait," I said quickly and blocked him again. Damn it.
"What do you want?"
I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet. "Er...that's what I wanted to ask you actually. Is there anything you need?" Two seconds into this conversation and I already wanted to disappear.
"Why?" he drawled, a smirk tugging on his lips. "Are you uncomfortable feeling like you owe me one, princess?"
I frowned. "Yes... And stop calling me that."
"Oh? This sounds more like you want something from me and not the other way around."
I ground my jaw. This annoying... "Hey. I'm trying—"
Killian cut me off, dragging his hand over his face, suddenly looking tired, "I said, don't worry about it."
"But—"
His eyes narrowed. "I helped you because you're Cody's friend. Don't get any weird ideas."
I puffed out my cheeks. "I didn't!"
"Good. Just take it as a lucky encounter." He glanced at his watch. "I really need to go. See you around." With that, he brushed past me without a second look.
I watched his back disappear around the corner. Don't get any weird ideas, huh? Because I'm Cody's friend, huh?
Despite feeling a little irritated by his mood, I couldn't help letting out a breath, my chest lightening. I had been scared he'd look at me differently. Like I was weak. At least I knew how to handle his asshole self. And if he didn't want to help, I would figure something out on my own.
In the end, I went back to the same café Suzy and I had been at, bought four chocolate-blueberry muffins that I arranged in a holder, and put them in a bag. There couldn't be anything wrong with food, right?
Then, on second thought, I decided to visit the nearby pharmacy to purchase a variety of medical supplies including ointments, painkillers, and vitamins. I attached a note to the package that read: In case you need some extra help with your sleep recovery.
I sent Cody a message to meet up and waited at his car. Ten minutes later, I pressed a perplexed Cody the bag with goodies into his arms, with the words, "Make sure Killian gets this."
With a quick look at the big question mark that was his face, I added. "Don't ask. Just do as I say."
My head swiveled around. Seeing as the coast was clear, I took a step back, saluted him, and skipped over to my car, a bright smile stretching my face.
One less thing to worry about.