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Skidding to a stop in the parking lot, I earn an eye raise from a few people outside but pay them no mind. Hurrying into the building, I swing the door open and immediately crash into someone’s chest. Two drink cups fall to the ground, sending an explosion of soda bursting up. Hands juggle the paper bags that must house the sandwiches they just bought. As they resume control, I look up to see a confident smirk and piercing green eyes. It’s Maddox.
“You didn’t have to do all that just to get my attention,” he jokes.
I know what just happened and that I crashed into him, but his joke, along with that self-assured grin still in place, immediately forces me to roll my eyes. “Seriously?”
He jerks his head back. “Uh, you ran into me. I get it, though. Trying to fight your urges as long as you have, I’d probably want to jump my own bones, too.”
“Oh my God,” I spit out. “You seriously think you’re God’s gift to women, don’t you?”
His smile is still in place. Is that thing superglued on his face?
He leans closer, whispering, “I don’t think. I know.”
“Cece!” Sebastian yells and runs over to us, along with an employee for the shop walking over with a mop.
“Hey, Sebs.”
“That was crazy,” he exclaims. “You were all running in, and then boosh! Soda everywhere!”
Maddox chuckles, stepping back into the restaurant. With my little brother next to me, I turn back to Maddox, expecting another line. Or a comment. Something from him that proves he’ll stop at nothing from hitting on me. But surprisingly, he doesn’t. “And who’s this?” he asks.
I don’t want to tell him. Not for any particular reason besides he doesn’t need to know, and I’m still a little annoyed, even though the soda incident was my fault. Before I can tell him he’s no one, Sebastian waves to him.
“I’m Sebastian.” He smiles, then his eyes immediately widen. “Whoa! Are you Maddox Barkley?”
I roll my eyes. This is exactly what I need. Maddox not only still trying to hit on me, but now lording it over me that my little brother knows him.
There’s that stupid, cocky smirk again. Only … this time he doesn’t seem so arrogant. He actually seems subdued. More friendly and less Casanova. Then he does something that truly shocks me. “Aw, man, I wish!” Maddox tells him. “I get that all the time, I guess we look alike.”
My brow scrunches up, confused.
“She’s actually my boss, little man. Got any tips for making her smile? You seem to do the trick.”
“Cece? My sister smiles all the time.”
“Is that right?” He quirks an eyebrow, and the conceited grin returns.
“Wait, boss?” Sebastian stares up at me. “You’re a boss, Cece?” he asks. He knows I work with our father, but that’s about the extent of it. “How much money do you make? Wait!” he shouts, turning back to Maddox. “You work for my sister? How much money do you make?”
Maddox laughs, waving off the question. “She pays me in video games.”
“What’s your favorite? Overwatch? Minecraft? Do you play Fortnite?”
“I rule at Fortnite,” Maddox tells him.
“Awesome!” Sebastian gives a fist pump. “We gotta play. Want to come over and play? I bet I can totally take you.”
Maddox smiles at me, and I honestly can’t believe what I’m seeing or hearing. Maddox Barkley is having a normal conversation with my seven-year-old brother, acting like a regular guy. Not like some douchebag in a nightclub, trying to hook up with the next girl for the night. What is this?
“Maybe next time, little man. I’ve gotta get back to my friends. I was out getting lunch for everyone.”
“Okay,” Sebastian says, paying him no mind and turning to run away. “We’re sitting over here, Cece!”
“All right, Sebs,” I call out to him. Following his direction, I find my mom sitting at the table, and she waves at me. “Thank you,” I whisper to Maddox.
“For what?”
My nerves are finally at ease, and I give him a small smile. I think it’s the first genuine smile I’ve offered him and not a smirk laced with condescension or annoyance. “For not being … Maddox Barkley.”
He frowns, and I almost want to apologize. Almost. “Hey, I know when to lay it on and when to not rock the boat.”
And just like that, the genuine smile I had is gone. “And that’s your problem. You know, if you’d just been …” I shake my head, trying to find the right words, “not Maddox Barkley the first time you came up to me, I might’ve given you a pass for not remembering me. I may have even given you my number.”
“Is that right?”
I shove a finger into his chest. “But that’s not you, is it?” I whisper. “You can’t help being the rock star who wants girls to throw themselves at him. Sorry, DJ. That’s not me.”
Walking away, I grin at my composure and resolve. He stays where he is, and when I look back, his smile is finally gone. He’s staring at me, perplexed.
“Sorry about the drinks,” I call over my shoulder.
