Cassidy puffed some air out.
"Oh, yeah. How can I deny it? You're just so…" She stopped, tasting the words before saying them. "Irresistible." She showered her voice with sarcasm, hiding it too well with a alluring smile.
Kyle laughed. "Right?"
Cassidy hummed. "The fact that you noticed is flattering, though."
Her words caught his attention, making his tilt his head to one side. "Why's that?"
"Because that means you think about me, too. Enough to notice, at least."
Kyle chuckled.
"I guess I can't help it…"
Allen's sigh interrupted their little exchange.
"Can't you just act normal for a whole minute?" He said, looking from the corner of his eye to Kyle.
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked
"Let me rephrase that." Allen shifted on his seat. "Can you stop hitting on every moving female around you for at least a whole minute?"
"First, don't need to be jealous, Al. You'll always be the first one in my heart." Allen rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Second, I'm not hitting on her. I'm just joking around."
"Right. Whatever makes you feel better." Allen's light blue eyes dance around the place while adding the next part. "How's it going with Kamille? Kaymille?"
"Who?" Kyle's confused expression almost made Allen laugh out loud.
"You know, the petite blonde girl from the other day."
Kyle's eyes grew wide, remembering who he was talking about. "Hanna. And it's over thanks to you."
"Me? And what did I do?" Allen snorted.
"Besides showing up in my place unannounced, not bothering I had visits around?" Kyle rose his eyebrows. "Oh, and freaking the hell out of her."
"If she left only for that…" Allen shrugged. "I mean, it's not the first time I go to your place and you're with a girl. And we've never had this problem before."
"That sound like a player…" Cassidy muttered, having fun at how Kyle dug his own grave little by little.
"I'm not a player." He defended himself. "Right, Al?" Allen just looked at him, expressionless, as he slowly reached out for his drink; zipping from it.
"Jesus Christ… Not even a ounce of loyalty… or guilt" Kyle shook his head in fake disbelief.
A couple of seconds passed, when Isabelle took the chance to ask something out.
"So… You're into blonde girls?"
"W—No. Not exactly. I don't have a type." He said, resting his back on the chair. "Every girl has their charms."
Cassidy snorted, chewing the straw in her mouth as the juice box was already empty.
"That's exactly what a player says."
They all laughed, except for Kyle.
He kept trying to convince them of his ways with women, only adding to their amusement.
After lunchtime came to an end, they both walked Cassidy and Isabelle to their next class, where they planned to eat together again the following day.
Cassidy waved awkwardly her goodbyes, provoking a rather weird smile from Kyle as he waved back. Both of them wishing the earth could just swallow them whole out of embarrassment, as they managed to pretend for a while, before things started to turn awkward once more.
The following day, Cassidy arrived early as she was supposed to.
This time, her eyes looked around, alert in case she crossed paths with her blonde nemesis.
She walked faster than usual, wishing to arrive to her usual spot without being noticed. There were only a couple of students around, something she preferred over the sea of people the halls turn into.
The gym was right around the corner, her spot hidden beside an old set of stands behind it.
The nearer she got, the clearer she could see the immobile figure laying on the floor; right where she was supposed to be seating.
Her gaze landed on the burgundy sweater covering the person's face, and how lazily his arms and legs were spread over the place.
Cassidy scowled, but kept walking. Stopping right at the guy's feet.
She cleared her throat.
"Sorry, but can you go somewhere else?"
"Why?" He answered.
"Because I really like this spot" She insisted.
"I like it too." He chuckled. "Besides, I got here first."
Cassidy breathed in and out. He was right, she had no right over the spot she has been sitting on every day on.
She nodded, even though the person couldn't see her.
What a way to start the day, she thought.
When her body started to turn around to leave, the guy took the sweater off his head and sat up. He looked at her with a mocking face.
"Morning, sunshine."
The mocking tone didn't go unnoticed, her stomach slightly turning at the sight of his features.
"Oh, it's you."
Kyle nodded. "I'm still not leaving." Cassidy snorted, but he rose his hands to ease her mood. "You can sit with me, though."
"I thought you didn't like me." She confessed.
He meditated on his answer. "I don't know what made you think that." He patted the empty spot in front of him.
Cassidy bit her tongue, but sat down at once.
"You left yesterday like a wounded puppy."
"That's because you broke my heart." He feigned a hurt expression, gabbing his chest. "I was just trying to be nice. Get the conversation going."
"On my expense… Besides, people don't have to talk all the time." She sighed heavily, getting comfortable.
"You rather not talk?" He asked.
"I rather not talk about my father." She looked at her phone, pretending to check for messages.
Again, somehow, the topic appeared. This time, she brought it herself.
Kyle remained silent for a long while, perhaps five whole minutes, something that only made Cassidy feel more and more anxious.
Why wasn't he saying anything? He, someone that just never shuts up?
A couple more minutes passed, when Kyle finally broke the silence.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
Cassidy's eyes narrowed. Was that the only thing that came to his mind? Really?
"No."
Kyle hummed. "No wonder."
"Excuse me?" She said, offended.
"I mean. If you act like this whenever a guy approaches you as friendly as I did… It's no wonder no one actually wanted a second date."
She scoffed, laughing in disbelief. "I've dated enough, one, and two, I know how to get a guy."
Kyle eyed her up and down, assessing her. "You're pretty, that's a plus."
"Is this how you hit on women?" She inquired, raising her eyebrows.
He shook his head, a playful smile on his face. "No way. That's actually insulting, y' know?"
"Thank God. I'd be disappointed." Cassidy smirked. "Specially since you're well-known as a player."
Kyle snorted. "I said I'm not a player."
"Whatever." She shrugged, not bothering at all about that fact.
But Kyle's exasperated expression kept pressing on the topic.
Cassidy glanced at him. "Why do you care so much?" Cassidy asked.
"Because I'm not an asshole. I might be a little irritating but—"
"A little?" Se interrupted, making his face contort into a scowl. His frustrated expression made her laugh.
Genuinely laugh. Her body ended up rolling on the ground a couple of times before she could calm down, sitting back up when her amusement had passed its climax.
"I'm just messing with you…" She assured him, still laughing.
Kyle narrowed his eyes. "Amazing… You'd definitely get along with Allen..." He scoffed. Cassidy signaled him to continue. "As I was saying, I'm just not a bad person."
"That's what every dude says, you know?"
Kyle looked at her for a moment, as he detailed her face.
Then, he sighed.
Slowly, he kneeled, leaning his body forward. He used one of his arms to support his weight as he cut the distance between them.
The smile on her face disappeared the more his face grew near hers. The more his vibrant green eyes started to steal her whole attention.
She watched him erase the distance between them so easily, so confident, so majestic, she forgot how to breathe. All of a sudden, his obviously attractive features now seemed magnetic; even irresistible.
Cassidy let him got close enough to feel his breath on her face. She wouldn't have in normal circumstances but, for some reason, her body refused to move.
"You wouldn't know I'm not like any other guy…" He said, his breath striking her skin like a summer breeze.
Her dreams didn't come close to how sweet he smelled like. Was it… Strawberry?
His gaze leaned intently over her head, as his other hand reached out to her.
She blinked a couple of times, right when Kyle pulled out a tiny blue feather off her hair.
He set it in front of her and looked at it.
"So I guess I'll just have to show you." At last, his eyes landed on hers.
Her heart beating so hard inside her chest, she couldn't believe herself.
How? She thought.
How did it come to this?