Billionaire Flawed 2(177)

“What, you mean making friends?” he asked in turn.

“Yes,” I replied, “do you like bothering people for fun.”

“I like bothering you,” he replied with a coy smirk.

“I can tell you have a lot of friends,” I said.

I started to gather up my things, wondering where else I could go to work on my studies. My room was still probably occupied with Pauline and her boyfriend.

“Tell you what; I’m going to let you get on with your work. But, I won’t leave until I, at least, get your phone number.”

He produced his phone from his pocket and held it out to me.

I wanted to leave a fake number, but the sincerity in his face led me to believe that he wasn’t as bad a guy as he was portraying. He didn’t seem the arrogant and stuck up type, or at least, this just felt like a ruse. I punched in my phone number, somewhat begrudgingly.

“Great! I’ll give you a call sometime next weekend?” he said.

“We’ll see. I am a busy woman, after all,” I replied, gesturing to my work.

“And, I’m late for practice,” replied, jumping over the chair and sprinting from the coffee shop.

I stifled a giggle; I’d never seen anyone run that fast from a coffee shop before. I was still indecision about whether I’d say yes, were he to ask me out on a date. He was cute, but he was very different from the men I was used to.

I preferred men that were interested in their future; men that studied hard to find their place. I wanted someone who was stable and down to earth, and he didn’t seem to be either of those.



2.

My afternoon runs were probably the only thing keeping me sane. It was the only time of the day I could tune out my roommate and my studies; I could listen to some of my favorite music and just enjoy the moment. Matt would sometimes join me, but we never really chatted while on runs. I never minded his company, and he was one of the few people that could keep up.

The sidewalks were dotted with other students finishing their studies for the day. Thankfully the track was usually free for another hour, which made for a boring run, but it usually ended with Matt and me stopping for a smoothie.

He was already in the middle of practice with the rest of the team. He was quite a creature to watch on the field; his agile steps could get him out of any tackle, and his ability to throw was second to none on the team. This worked in his favor and made him starting quarterback within one year. He was probably the quickest to rise to that level in the history of the school. But, he never passed it off as a big deal. He always praised the team, and his fellow players loved him for it.

I continued my run, and amidst my third lap, I noticed another familiar face. It was Jeff, standing right in front of Matt. He was strong and confident, as well. When the play started, he showed his powerful build by easily holding back two other players. It was an impressive display, to say the least.

I probably should have been watching where I was going, but as things happen I bumped into another runner on the track and lost my footing. I quickly apologized for my failure and limped my way to a nearby set of standing bleachers to nurse my injured leg.

It wasn’t anything serious, to say the least, but I did take the chance to watch the guys play more football. I lingered longer than intended, and I’m pretty sure than neither of them noticed me.

Practice was wrapping up, and I wondered what I should do. I would have liked to just go talk to Matt and grab a small bite to eat before returning to my studies while at the same time I had a feeling if I were to walk over I would have been pulled in to a conversation with Jeff.

In my attempt to avoid the latter, I stayed toward the sidelines, doing my best to avoid both of their gazes. The two of them chatted and headed back toward the showers, but Matt was pulled aside by the coach. The two talked for a brief moment before splitting. I could tell it was good news. Matt didn’t always smile when he was happy, but being friends for more than ten years gave me an insight most didn’t possess.

Before he started off to shower I caught his eye, he just nodded in recognition without coming over for a hello. I figured he’d probably return when he was cleaned up.

I didn’t have to wait long, maybe fifteen minutes before he strolled back to me at the edge of the field. We started walking toward the row of shops that occupied the next block over.

“What did the coach tell you?” I asked.

“He told me that I could be team captain if I wanted to be, it’s a big honor,” he replied.

“That’s great,” I said, “I’m sure everyone would be excited to have you as captain.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I want to be,” he replied.