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“What was that?” He leans toward me.

I clear my throat and make as much eye contact as I can tolerate. I wince as I twist myself in knots over it—am I making too much eye contact? Too little? Should I look to the right? Maybe the ceiling? The floor? How long am I supposed to do that?

“Every time I’ve visited here, since I was ten years old, I’ve sat in this exact section of the library and at that same desk.”

Looking down, the large man pushes off the desk and straightens himself out. There’s something so sexy and masculine in the way he moves and presents himself while also being so damn arrogant. The whole thing is irritating.

“Wow. When you say it like that, it makes me wanna stop being a dick and give you your spot back.”

As I take a step, my hands gradually descend to my sides, finding their way into my hoodie pockets. I fidget when I’m nervous and even more so than that, struggle in social situations. I always have.

“Really?” I ask cautiously.

I honestly didn’t think this interaction would go this well, but I’m unexpectedly pleased and a smile forms across my flushed face.

“No!” he pops off in a fit of laughter before making direct eye contact with me.

My eyes flicker around the room before settling on the floor. This shouldn’t surprise me, given what I’ve experienced from him over the past few minutes, but now I’m irate. I’ve dealt with enough shit from men. I refuse to be treated this way by a complete stranger after everything I’ve been through.

“You’re an asshole.”

I pull my right hand out of my pocket and flip the bird before spinning around and stomping off. I almost make it to the entrance doors before I feel a large hand grab my wrist.

“What?!” I blurt out as he twists me to face him.

“Come on, princess. I’m just playing.” He winks.

“Don’t call me that.” I shudder.

It’s difficult to pretend that I don’t like his attention. It’s been so long since I’ve had a positive interaction with someone besides Dee.

He rubs his hands together before crossing his arms over his chest.

“Princess?” he asks with a grin.

“Yes.” I quip. “I’m not your princess, this isn’t a castle, and no matter how many kisses I gave you, your froggy ass would never turn into a prince.”

The man snickers and leans in.

“All I heard is that you’d kiss me.”

Another wink. Oh my God, this man is insufferable. I huff in annoyance and reach for the door. A hand rests on my shoulder. Not looking back, I shrug him off angrily and yank the door open, hurriedly leaving the library.

A moment later, I hear shoes hitting pavement. The sound makes me think the strides are long. Is he following me?

“Let me walk you home!” I hear him yell closely behind me. “I’m not apologizing, though.”

I spin around to address him, and the way he smirks at me enrages me to my core. I’m distracted as I watch a couple of strands of his long, rich brown hair tickle his infuriatingly handsome face. He’s so boyish and yet his full, well-groomed ginger beard tells me he’s all man. And those eyes… they look like when the sky touches the earth first thing after sunrise—when all the shades of blue meet all the shades of green and they bleed into each other, the gold rays of the sun orbiting the wormhole that are his pupils.

“I’d rather yeet myself into oncoming traffic than let you escort me home.” I spit out.

My mother always said I was more stubborn than a mule. Any time I prove her right, like I am right now, I want to hurl myself off a bridge. I’d rather die than give her the satisfaction of being knowledgeable about me at all.

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?” he asks, eyebrow raised.

I think about it for a minute before responding.

“Nope. Not really.” I shrug.