Her lips part.She looks at me as if I’ve completely thrown her off balance.
“Reece…” she breathes, her voice soft and shaken.
“I know what you’re thinking.”My voice is firmer now.“That I’m that guy.I fuck around.That I say the right shit to get what I want and do the wrong thing.That I’m a dick.And I was.I won’t pretend I wasn’t.But not with you, Red.Not anymore.”
She lowers her gaze, and it hurts to watch her fold into herself like that.I can tell she’s uncertain whether to trust me.
“What about the bet?”she asks, voice barely there.“How am I supposed to trust this isn’t just another game?”
I shake my head.“I’ve never told anyone we hooked up.As far as I am concerned, there’s no fucking bet.Not anymore.Not for me.”
She looks up again, and that stare...It pierces through every wall I’ve spent years building.
“I’m not asking you to forget what I’ve done,” I say, voice rough.“I’m asking for a shot to show you I’m not that guy with you.”
Her teeth catch her bottom lip, and I notice it.That flicker of hesitation.The part of her that’s bracing for the punchline.Expecting me to turn this into another fucked-up joke or one of my bullshit games.
“I know my rep’s shit,” I say.“I’ve earned every rumor.Every name I fucked and forgot.I’ve been a dick.No arguments there.But I wouldn’t fuck this up.Not with you, Red.Not when I’ve finally got something real in front of me.”
She watches me like she’s waiting for the cracks to appear, for me to flinch.But I don’t.
Her fingers curl around her cup’s edge.Her eyes remain on mine.
Then a gentle, hesitant nod.“Okay.”
I blink.“Okay?”
She swallows and then lifts her chin.
“I’ll date you,” she says, and my heart fucking jolts.“But on one condition.”
“Anything.”It slips out, breathless.I mean it.I’d crawl across broken glass for a maybe with her.
“No one knows.Not yet,” she says.“Not Jace or Lola.Not anyone.I need time,” she adds.“To see if this is real.If you’re true to your word.If I do this, I don’t want eyes on us.I don’t want whispers or bets or people waiting for you to fuck it up.I want to know you’re choosing me because you mean it.”
I nod, and this dumb grin pulls at my mouth before I can stop it.“Deal.I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Good, because if Jace hears he’ll tell Lola.And if Lola hears—”
I interrupt, saying, “She’ll announce it over the damn school intercom.”
She smiles.I laugh, and it comes out more easily than I expect.A real, full-body laugh that makes my chest feel too big for my ribs.
I’m buzzing.Heart pounding, blood hot, this wild happiness surges through me so quickly I don’t know what to do with it.I want to climb onto the damn table.I want to shout it from the parking lot that she’s my girl.
But I don’t.
I keep it quiet, just like she asked for us.
Still, the grin won’t leave my face.Because for the first time in my loud-as-fuck, fucked-up life, I don’t want to be the center of the chaos.I want to be hers.Quietly.Completely.No games.No noise.
She grabs a fry, pops it in her mouth without realizing she just turned my world upside down.
“Okay, real talk,” she says with her mouth full.“What the fuck is going on with Lola and Jace?”
I raise an eyebrow.“You noticed that too?”
“Please.They practically eye-fuck each other across the cafeteria.Tell me something juicy.”
