A Wild Night's Encounter (5 page)
“Nice try,” he said, winking.
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on, the more you try to deflect, the redder you become. So, are you attracted to me?” he pushed.
“What? No!”
“So, I’m not attractive? Not in the least?”
“No, sorry,” Laila said, gaining more confidence.
“Damn!”
“Yep. Damn.”
“So why were you staring?”
“Well, wait! What?”
“You’re busted. Give it up.”
Laila had no response. She walked into Eric’s trap so smoothly she did not realize it was even happening.
She looked down; she wanted to avoid his stare.
“Ah, here she comes,” said Eric, breaking the ice.
“Here,” the waitress lifelessly said as she handed him his order.
“Thanks, dear. Now stop being rude and take her order,” he said, pointing to Laila.
The waitress suddenly looked alive and ashamed when she realized that she had stormed away without taking Laila’s order.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” she apologized. “You did this!” she added turning to Eric.
“What the hell did I do now?” he asked.
“If you weren’t so annoying, I wouldn’t have forgotten to take her order!”
“Hey, it’s your job, not mine,” Eric defended himself.
“Hey, before you guys have a catfight or something, I’d like a muffin and hot chocolate,” Laila piped in.
“Sorry ‘bout that, Ella here can get a little cranky sometimes,” Eric replied, grinning.
“You seem to like it,” Laila pointed out.
“Yeah I do, she gets cuter every time she gets pissed.”
The waitress rolled her eyes and left.
“Are you always this annoying?” Laila asked.
“No, just at times.”
“And this is one of those times?”
“No.”
“So you are not yet being annoying?”
“Yep.”
“I cannot imagine what you are like if you become annoying.”
“Thank God for your limited imagination then,” he said, smiling.
“You are impossible!”
“I hope so, especially that you were already eating me with your eyes earlier.”
“Pfffffft, you wish.”
“I know,” he retorted, adding a wink.
“Let’s just get to business, okay?”
“What business are you talking about? Your muffin’s still not here.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Stop this, okay? I’m tired, just get rid of it already!”
“Get rid of what?”
“You know what I’m referring to, you creep! You better…”
She was interrupted by Ella coming in to bring her order. Eric did not waste time.
“What did you want me to do again? What was that business, darling?”
Laila went a deeper shade of red this time. She was annoyed and afraid that her little indulgence earlier that night might go viral among the campus; a connection she did not fail to see considering this was the closest diner from the university.
Thankfully the waitress could not stop herself, too.
“Please. There is no way in hell you can bag a woman as beautiful as this! Why don’t you just give up and give her what she wants?”
“Oh Ella, what would I ever do without you?” he said, simultaneously mocking them both.
“My advice to you? Stay away from him and his friends. Mmmm mmm,” the waitress declared, shaking her head.
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied.
The waitress walked away, this time with a little swagger. Apparently, Ella was pleased with her accomplishment. Apparently, as long as it’s against the man in front of her, it was good – a detail she also did not waste any time in pointing out.
“How did she come to hate you this much?”
“She doesn’t.”
“You sure ‘bout that?”
“Yeah, I am,” he replied, cutting his pancake.
“Care to explain?” she asked, using her hands to point out the scenario between Eric and the waitress.
“It’s a long story. Can I give you the summarized version?”
“Is this version real?”
“Some of it.”
“I’ll take it,” she said after a moment of realizing she couldn’t speed this up.
“I asked her out, she said yes, we set a time, I got drunk and didn’t make it.”
Laila almost spit out her hot chocolate. “These things happen to you often?”
“Yeah, I know. I’m awesome that way.”
“You wish!”
“I’m serious, I mean look at her! She’s definitely not over it yet. It’s been a long time!” said Eric, defending himself.
“Exactly how long?”
“About a week now?”
“Jesus! Has it ever occurred to you that you’re just being a prick?”
“Whoa! Whoa, slow down sister! You ain’t got the right to judge me. You don’t know me!” Eric blurted out.
“If you think you can win her over being that, good luck.”
“No, I’m not planning to win her over, at least not anymore. You, on the other hand, hmmmmm, I’m still deciding,” he said, giving her a once over.
“Don’t even try. You will be on auto-fail.” She grew impatient again and she threw him an angry look. “That brings me back to why we are here.”
“Yes, I must’ve hit my head. Why are we here again?” Eric taunted.
“The video?” she said in hushed tones.
“Oh yeah, that,” he replied, putting on a show as if he was seriously considering it, “OK, I’ll delete it. On one condition.”
“There are no conditions, you delete it.”
“There is, if you want me to delete it,” he said, smiling.
“I’m not sleeping with you,” she lashed back.
“Who said anything about sleeping? Although—”
“Creep. Just delete it will you?”
“On one condition.”
“Fine! What is it?”
“We shall have a nice conversation while we’re having coffee, or hot chocolate.”
“That it?”
“And I get to walk you back to your apartment,” Eric finished, his eyes boring into hers.
She paused at that. “Something tells me I’m not going to like this.”
“It’s a deal then?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really, no.”
If she was a dog, she knew she would growl.
But he didn’t seem to know this, until he smirked. And of course they both knew she could do nothing about the proposition but accept it.
She supposed that she was lucky he wasn’t forcing her to sleep with him. For now.
“Now about that good conversation, what’s your major?”
~ ~ ~ ~
Read the next book by C.J. McLane:
Continue with Friend Zone Part 2...
Unravel more of this fascinating book, continue reading Friend Zone Part 2...
~ ~ ~ ~
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