Lustful Hearts
Chapter 4: New Beginnings- P2

We zigzagged our way through the crowded tables, scanning the room looking for an empty one. Elijah tapped my arm and pointed to one by the far corner. We manoeuvred by the last few tables, and I unwillingly caught the attention of the blonde guy from earlier on.

Oh god, no.

His smile dazzled me, and he winked as he mouthed the word 'fate.'

I inwardly grizzled.

If fate were a person right now, I'd punch them in the face.

Shaking my head in irritation, I quickly scrambled after Elijah. We sat down opposite each other, unloading our trays. Our eyes grew bigger at the feast set out before us. I began unwrapping my sandwich as Elijah chuckled, taking a long sip of his drink.

"What?" Oh god, did I have something on my face? I brushed my hand repeatedly over my skin in an attempt to remove the offending article.

"Somebody already has an admirer," he chirped in a singsong voice. A huge smile broke out over his face as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes monitoring my reaction.

Why me?

I scowled and grabbed my drink, quickly unscrewing the cap. "He's not an admirer. He helped me replace the lecture hall this morning." I took a long, hard swig of my drink, so I didn't have to elaborate further. I wasn't interested in any guys.

Well, apart from Joel.

Mmm, sexy, wet Joel in just a towel.

God, my insides were about to explode at just the mere flashback.

I needed to calm the hell down.

"Well, your admirer is heading this way." He chuckled, taking a large bite of his burger, to mask his smile behind the bun.

No no no. This was not happening!

"Hey, sexy newbie, what did I say about fate lending a hand?"

I rolled my eyes and tensed slightly when he pulled up a chair, sitting right down beside me. He obviously didn't have an issue with invading my personal space. Our bodies were practically touching, much to my disgust.

"It's a college that we both go to, there will be times we'll bump into each other. Fate has nothing to do with it," I snapped, taking a bite of my sandwich.

I was hoping he'd take the hint and leave, but subtlety didn't seem like something he would pick up on. I guessed the majority of things went over his head

"Nope," he replied smugly, shaking his head. "Fate brought us together this morning. You can't deny that."

I almost choked on the contents.

His hand slapped my back and much to my relief, I felt the food dislodge itself.

I turned to face him. "I was lost, and you just happened to be around to help me, fate doesn't even come into it."

I wanted to kick him and his stupid fate theories in the head. I smiled at the visualisation. It was something I could watch all day long.

"I think the lady doth protest too much. I'm Ryan by the way," he added with a smile as he slung his arm over the back of my chair, moving ever nearer.

Oh, he was seriously pissing me off now.

"Whatever, is there anything else you want?" I leapt forward in my chair and turned to face him. I just wanted him gone. I was over all this stupid crazy one side flirting. There wasn't one part of me interested in carrying on this conversation a moment longer.

"Depends what you're offering." He grinned, and I felt my face flush.

Dammit!

Ryan's eyes wickedly danced with humour as he continued to watch me closely. He was enjoying making me squirm, I could just tell. "But I'll get to that at some later date. See you around Izzy, try not to miss me too much." He grabbed my hand and placed a soft kiss against my skin, before shooting me another wink.

I grabbed the napkin and quickly erased it from my hand. "Oh my god, that guy seriously needs psychological help. He's obviously seeing things that aren't actually there." I scowled, exasperated by his actions My eyes flicked over to Elijah, only to replace him grinning wildly back.

"So, he seems nice . . ."

Was he being funny?

"Nice? Are you freaking kidding me?"

"He's maybe a little full on. I think she should go on a date with him though. What harm can it do?" He smiled, grabbing the last chip, smothering it in ketchup before devouring it whole.

I glared at his response. "What harm could it do? I'd murder him. that's what. And how the hell did he replace out my name?" It made my skin crawl to think about him making any enquiries about me.

I was not interested. End of.

"Someone's been asking around," he sang in his stupid singsong voice again.

Now I wanted to punch him too.

"Just do it. I would tap that ass in a minute," he replied, leisurely licking the chocolate sauce from his spoon and devouring the rest of his cake. I stared down at mine, suddenly losing my appetite. Just great.

"I'm not interested in guys." I gingerly pushed the dessert away, and rested my elbows against the table, my face falling into my hands. The thought of fending off some guy's unwanted affections just made me feel sick. It was something I'd always shied away from.

Elijah pressed his lips together and nodded. "Ahhh right, I thought you were giving off that vibe." He took a long sip of his drink, and my eyes widened.

What the hell did he mean by that?

"What vibe?"

He pushed his empty plate away, licking his lips and gave me his full attention. "Listen sweetie, no judgement here. I've always made it a point to avoid them myself, but I'm happy for you."

Huh?

"What are you trying to say, Elijah?" He was making no sense. Had I skipped part of the conversation without realising?

"I should have known with the whole tomboy look. It's pretty clear now." His eyes roamed over my T-shirt and jeans and an instant look of disgust spread across his face. I knew I was no match for him when it came to fashion. My outfit was simple and comfortable. I didn't follow trends. I just went with whatever was clean that day.

Hang on, what was pretty clear?

"Just get to the point, Elijah," I barked. I didn't care if I had offended him. I just wanted to know what the hell he had assumed about me.

"You're a lesbian. It's fine." He grabbed my hand and patted it patronisingly as if I'd suddenly decided to come out to him.

"Lesbian?" I asked, feeling confused. How the hell did he suddenly conclude I was gay?

"Yeah, nothing to be ashamed of, sweetie. I prefer penis myself, but we all have different tastes." He patted my hand again and with each tap my irritation grew.

I pulled away in annoyance. "I'm not a lesbian."

"Sweetie, it's fine. Don't worry about it." He smiled like I was in denial, keeping it all one big secret.

"If I were a lesbian would I fantasise on a regular basis about eating hot chocolate sauce off Ryan Gosling's naked body?"

Oh god, Ryan.

Just the thought alone made me hot.

Elijah's eyes widened in surprise. "Ryan Gosling? Sweetie, you've certainly got good taste. I might steal that fantasy for myself." His eyes lit up like the image was already playing in his head.

"Don't you flipping dare, I don't share Ryan with anyone." I balled up my sandwich wrapper, throwing it at him and watched in amusement when it bounced off his forehead.

He scowled and immediately checked his hair for any signs of movement. It hadn't moved of course, I was pretty sure he had half a tube of gel keeping his quiff upright.

"You can't call dibs on Ryan Gosling that body of his is magnificent. I need to have a slice of that."

I let out a snort of disapproval. "I can and I will. Ryan is mine, replace someone else."

He shook his head in obvious annoyance. "Sweetie, it doesn't work that way. I'll drop the chocolate sauce part if that helps, but I need some of Ryan too." He gave me the puppy dog eyes and began to pout to plead his point. I narrowed my eyes and contemplated if I'd be willing to share.

Was it worth the aggravation if I didn't?

"Yeah, I suppose. But you should know I've watched The Notebook like a million times, I'm not some rookie fan." I knew every line that flowed from Ryan's sweet lips. He made me cry every damn time. "Me too, it never gets old. I love Noah."

"Ahh Noah... he is the best."

"So you'll let me share then?" he asked, interrupting my daydream.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay, but on the condition. We have to watch all things Ryan Gosling related together from now on."

He held out his hand for us to shake on it. "Sweetie, it's a deal."

"Can you not call me sweetie?" I asked frowning, already hating the name.

He pouted in protest.

I guess that was his thing.

"Why? It's charming."

I rolled my eyes in irritation. "It's annoying, and I hate sickly pet names."

"Are you always this blunt?" he asked, looking at me curiously. His eyes gently probing mine.

"Pretty much, you got a problem with that?" It was true I always had a direct approach, never holding back. I guess I looked on it more as being honest than direct. Though my mother never really appreciated my straight talking when it came to anything regarding her.

"Nope, I love your directness. It's refreshingly honest, but I'm still sticking with the nickname, regardless of whether you like it or not." He stuck out his tongue in defiance, and I pouted.

Wow, it must be catching.

"Speaking of being direct, what's with the clothes?"

"What do you mean?" I frowned, dropping my eyes down to my outfit.

"Well these baggy ass jeans and T-shirt. You've got to learn to show your body off a little. I know what, I'm going to take you shopping on Saturday."

My eyes widened in horror. "Errrrrm, I don't think so."

"Sweetie, I wasn't asking, and I will get you into a dress for the party."

"What party?" I squeaked, almost hyperventilating.

"The one we're going to on Saturday."

Oh hell no.

"I haven't agreed to go yet, and I'm definitely not wearing a dress."

"We'll see." He shot me a wink and from the look in his eye, refusal was not an option. "Do you fancy coming round to mine for film night tonight? We can celebrate our newfound friendship by watching The Notebook."

I eyed him warily. "Have you got plenty of popcorn?" I was a film and popcorn girl. The two things simply had to go together.

"Of course, what rookie has a film night without?" He shook his head bemusedly like I was even crazy to ask.

A large smile spread across my face. "Throw in some Maltesers, and I'm there." I could easily be bought with Maltesers they were one of my many addictions.

Elijah's eyes widened with delight. "Ooh I challenge you to a contest to see who can hold the most Maltesers in their mouth. I have been crowned champion on many occasions." He blew and then shined his fist against his shirt acting like it was an act of achievement.

I bit my lip, suppressing my smile. He obviously hadn't met his match. I was going to show him a thing or two. "Challenge accepted, I think I have it in the bag though." I took a large swig of my drink, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Oh sweetie, don't start bragging yet, 'cause I am great at accommodating for large things in my mouth."

I spat half of my drink out in shock, choking on the rest. "You did not just say that!" I asked in between coughs.

His smile grew even wider. "Sweetie, get used to it, I don't hold back either." He shot me a wink and from the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't joking.

"Well, things are certainly never going to be dull with you around," I said chuckling, attempting to take another sip of my drink.

"Sweetie, I'm only getting started . . .”☐☐