"Now, I'm stalking you. Do you mind?"
A deep frown instantly dominated Holly's face, assuming those remarks were sarcasm. She looked away from him, keeping her unfazed countenance.
"Stop bothering me," she warned, casting him a sidelong glance. "I won't apologize if that is what you came here for."
"Why would I ask you for an apology? Come on. I'm not that petty." Ike smacked his lips, lifting his chin as he slightly seesawed back and forth. "I don't like forcing people. That's not my style."
"Then good. No discussion."
Ike pressed his lips while his eyes slid to the corner, observing her for a moment. "Going home?"
As expected, Holly ignored him and treated his existence as nothing. Her silent answer was enough, making him shrug and didn't push his luck. Silence enveloped the both of them as they waited for a cab.
After some time, Holly quirked a brow and glanced at him. The second she did, all she saw was Ike busy on his phone.
"Silence won't take you anywhere," she pointed out, breaking the prolonged silence between them. "What do you want?"
Ike blinked, cocking his head to the side. "Uh... to get laid?" he answered casually.
"Hah…" Holly shook her head in ridicule. "Fat chance."
"Why?"
"What makes you think I will sleep with you?"
His lips stretched until his teeth were showing. "What made you think I'm talking about you?"
"Huh?"
"You asked me, and I answered. I didn't say with you, but in general." Ike humored, shrugging. "It doesn't matter who."
Her lips parted, but her tongue rolled back in her throat. Holly huffed as she rolled her eyes, looking away from him.
"Stop twisting my words. I'm not dumb not to know you followed me here and now, using my own words to humiliate me."
"I'm not using your own words to humiliate you." Ike bent over slightly, tilting his head to get a better view of her beautiful face. "I said it before. My type of girls is the obedient ones."
Holly cast him a sharp look, not leveling with his energy. "Are you testing me to get a reaction?"
"Will I even get one?" he fluttered his eyelashes ever so tenderly. His eyes held her gaze before they carefully fell on her body curves. The corner of his lips curved up into a cunning smirk, lifting his eyes to meet her again. "Not bad."
"Not bad?" Holly scoffed, this time walking to the same spot to face him. "Don't play mind games with me…"
Holly trailed off when he suddenly raised a hand, pointing at her upper chest. She peeked down, only to see something sticking to her skin.
"I was about to take it away, but I'm afraid you'd accuse me of sexual harassment," said Ike humorously.
"God…" she grunted, brushing the piece of small paper that got stuck on her upper chest while rolling her eyes. She looked away once again, stretching her neck to see for any cab.
Usually, there were tons of cabs around the area, but for some reason, there wasn't one around. Hence, she was stuck with this guy who wouldn't leave her alone. Not that Ike was giving her a creepy vibe, but she was aware he was a dangerous lad.
From the beginning, he kept feigning ignorant and innocence just to make her feel humiliated. It wasn't like Holly wasn't noticing anything; she was sharp enough to get the hint.
"Alright, I will stop teasing you." Ike chuckled, receiving another silent treatment from her. "You're kinda cute that way. So, I can't help it."
"Can you please stop?" this time, she turned her head to reveal a stern expression. "I'm not interested in you. So, leave me the fuck alone."
Ike raised his hands in surrender. "Got it."
"How annoying."
Ike assessed her side profile for a second before he shrugged.
"Before I leave you alone, just give me a call if you change your mind," he uttered, making her frown. When Holly glared at him again, he flashed her a bright smile until his eyes were mere slits. "I promise I will answer your call, even if I'm in the middle of fucking."
Ike winked at her while saluting cooly. "Have a good night, Missy."
With that being said, Ike tiptoed to see the end of the street. Seeing that there was still no cab in sight, he took a large step to cross the street. However, just as he took three steps, he halted.
"It's Holly," corrected Holly, making him smirk. "Not Missy."
"Does it matter?" he taunted, looking back at her. "It's not the name I'll call tonight. I don't see any point."
"You —"
"Hai hai. I'll stop bothering you," he intoned with a tinge of sarcasm, hinting that her actions contradicted her words. "I'll see you around, Missy."
Holly balled her hands into a tight fists, keeping her eyes on him. Ike jogged his way across the street, gazing at his phone when he was in a safe zone.
"What an annoying guy." She looked around, noticing that the people outside the club had grown less. She glanced at the end of the street, narrowing her eyes at the beam that flashed on her. "Finally…"
Just as she thought the car approaching was a cab, her relief was short-lived when the car stopped in front of her. Her expression instantly turned cold as the windows rolled down, revealing some guys giving her a salacious look.
"Need a ride?" asked the guy sitting in the front passenger seat, pointing at the back seat with his thumb. "There's some accident on the road, so no one takes this way due to heavy traffic. If you want to ride a cab, you will have to walk —"
Holly didn't wait for the guy to finish, walking away as she figured she had to walk. She could just go inside the club to join her friends, but she knew they were already high at the moment. She wasn't in the mood to join them.
"Miss, if you don't want our help, you could've said so instead of walking out."
She rolled her eyes, mentally grunting while the guys drove slowly to match her pace. They kept talking even when she was giving them the silent treatment. Perhaps this was the reason that the crafty guy previously stood out.
With Holly's beauty, many admired her. Some would be even willing to be a doormat she could step on, which was creepy; others were like these guys, persistent and annoying. Ike, on the other hand, knew his game, making her believe he was into her and not at the same time.
A rare experience for a beauty; he had introduced himself as a challenge.
"I mean, it's dangerous…"
Holly stopped in her tracks, facing the car that was following her. "Will you stop, or do you want to die?"
"Huh?" the guy in the front passenger seat looked at the person in the driver's seat, before facing her again. "We're just trying to help you."
"I said no. Now, will you leave me alone?"
"Hah!" the young man snorted, looking at her from head to toe. "Come on, miss. We're just concerned about you."
"Concerned about me? Haha!" Holly laughed, assessing their faces for a moment. "With those faces? And that lousy car? No thanks."
"This bitch…" the person in the front passenger seat sneered, insulted by her remarks. "Just because we're being nice, you're being pretty cocky."
Holly took a step back when the door of the back seat opened from the inside. Her eyes darted to two towering guys coming out of the red sedan.
"Seriously…" she breathed out, preparing herself to defend herself if they forced her to get in.
"You should just talk nicely. If you did, we will leave you alone," said the tall man, approaching her. "Girls like you always think highly of themselves when they have nothing to feel proud about.
Just as the young man stretched his arms to grab Holly's arm, a pebble landed on his temple. His action stopped, turning his head to where the pebble came from.
"Did you know a pebble can leave a hole in a person's head with the correct velocity and force?" Holly slowly turned her head upon hearing that familiar voice. Her breath hitched, seeing Ike tap his temple.
"I made up my mind," announced Ike, keeping his attention on her. "I will take you home tonight. Do you mind?"