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“Uh, thanks,” he mutters, taking another long swig of his drink. “But I’m not really looking for anything serious right now.”
Martha pouts, scooting even closer until their legs are touching. “Who said anything about serious?” she asks coyly, running a manicured nail up and down Ivan’s arm. “I was thinking we could just... have some fun together.”
Ivan pulls back abruptly, sloshing his drink down his front. He curses and grabs some napkins to mop up the spill.
“Yeah, that’s not really my thing either,” he says gruffly, not making eye contact.
Martha looks taken aback for a moment before regaining her composure. She tosses her hair over one shoulder and fixes Ivan with a sultry look.
“I like a challenge.”
Ivan shakes his head. “You seem nice and all, but this just isn’t going to happen.”
He stands up abruptly, crumpling his napkins and tossing them in the trash.
“I’m gonna head out. See you back at the house, Dimitri.”
With that, he turns and stalks away without a backward glance. Martha stares after him for a moment, mouth agape. Then she whirls towards me.
“What the hell was that?” she demands. “Is your cousin gay or something?”
I snort out a laugh. “Nah, nothing like that. Ivan’s just...” I search for the right word. “Picky. He doesn’t open up easily.”
Interesting. I’ve never seen Ivan react this way to a girl. Usually, he just takes what he wants and moves on. But Martha has him actually nervous.
Martha scoffs. “Picky? He straight up rejected me!”
“Welcome to the club,” I reply wryly. “Ivan’s blown off every girl who’s shown interest in him since we were kids. Nothing personal, he’s just a lone wolf.”
“Hmph. Well it certainly felt personal.” Martha grabs her plate and moves back to her original spot with a huff.
I glance at Sara, who’s watching with amusement dancing in her eyes. She leans in close to me.
“Wow, and here I thought you were the cold and aloof one,” she murmurs.
I chuckle. “Don’t let Ivan’s gruff exterior fool you – he’s got a heart of gold under all that bristle.”
Sara raises an eyebrow. “Could’ve fooled me. He was downright rude just now.”
I shrug. “He has his reasons. Ivan’s got a... complicated history and future.”
Sara looks at me curiously but doesn’t pry further. We finish up our meal, Martha pointedly ignoring Ivan’s empty spot at the table.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SARA
Isit across from Dimitri at the small table outside the library, the remains of our takeout dinner scattered between us. Ivan and Martha sit on either side of us. Ivan still seems nervous as Martha continues her playful flirting.
“That finance lecture today was so dull I thought my brain would melt out of my ears,” Martha says dramatically before sipping her soda. “Seriously, Professor Binns could put an insomniac to sleep.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Tell me about it. I could barely keep my eyes open, and I’m usually pretty good at staying focused.”
Dimitri smirks. “Maybe you just need a more interesting study partner to keep you engaged.”
“Is that an offer?” I retort, matching his teasing tone.
He leans in slightly. “For you? Always.”
