DAVE

Dave looked away and returned his tray to the counter. What was up with him? I excuse myself and head to the washroom. My Criminology class is on the same floor as the cafe and the toilets are around the corner.

Once I walk out of the washroom, Ana is waiting for me by the sinks with a confused yet stern look on her face.

"You know he likes you, right?" She voices.

Some of the other girls glance at us, and I cannot help but feel illuminated. I proceed to wash my hands.

"Are you blowing him off?"

"Not really," I reply, drying my hands-on brown paper. "I prefer people who are more direct."

"So, it's not that you have someone else?" Ana asks, giving me space to dispose of the wet paper.

"Nope."

"Dave thinks otherwise."

"And you followed me in here to act as his wingman, sorry wing woman?" I ask, leaving the washroom.

"He's a bit shy," Ana says.

"I beg to differ," I say, matter-of-factly. "For both our sakes, if he wants to ask me out, he can do that himself. I need to head to class."

"I'll pass the message," Ana says.

Dr McGee, a forty-year-old, six-foot-tall, dark-haired man walks into the room, and the girl beside me takes in a deep breath. I can see what she means, but there is something off about him.

"He's hot!" She says, chewing on her pen.

"Uh, I guess," I reply and regret it immediately.

"Apart from this unsettling look in his eyes, I would give him a full ten out of ten," she continues, "I'm Ivy by the way."

"Mila," I reply, fidgeting with my phone.

"McGee hates devices in his class," Ivy says, "so I would put that far away."

"Oh, thanks."

Lloyd's message still flashes brightly on the screen and I change the message settings to invisible notifications. Dave's prying has given me the creeps.

"Is this your first class with McGee?" Ivy asks.

Her hair is cropped short and dyed the most beautiful green I have ever seen. Her double helix piercings are immaculate, and I cannot help but have a little girl crush on her collection of earrings.

"Yeah, it's the only class I need to complete my double major."

"And I suppose the other major is photography," Ivy states, eying my camera case.

"Jackpot," I reply smiling. Why was I so afraid again? Oh yeah, my crippling sense of self-doubt.

The class passes by like a breeze and I am beyond grateful to have Ivy as a teammate. The amount of work Dr McGee has in mind for us for the semester is beyond unreasonable. It's as if students have an extra 24 hours in their day!

"May I have your socials so that we can coordinate our project?" Ivy asks as we walk out of class.

"Absolutely!"

I give her my Instagram and Messenger handles and wave goodbye to her. The sun is setting, and its warm rays are piercing through the massive hall windows. I am done for the day and exhausted mentally!

"Mila, wait up!" I stop in my tracks and Dave jogs towards me. "Are you done for the day?"

"Yes, you?" I ask.

"I was done hours ago. I waited to talk to you," He replied, smiling coyly.

"Oh, what about?"

Students were leaving the grey building and most of them looked drained, Starbucks coffee cup in one hand, and books in another. It surely was going to be a long semester!

"Well, Ana and Sam are going to watch TENET tomorrow after class around 8 PM and I was wondering if you would like to go," Dave says.

TENET! I was planning on watching it alone but hey, why not!

"With them?" I tease.

"Uh no, with me," He replies and smiles down at me.

Standing this close to him for the first time makes me acutely aware that he is a foot taller than me plus, he smells really good.

"I would love to," I say. His eyes sparkle when I reply and for the first time today, I can sense his tension slip away.

My phone buzzes and I ignore it. It buzzes again and I quickly glance at it. I have texts from Lloyd. What does he want now?

"You can get that" Dave says, looking at the phone in my hand.

"I'll do that once I get home," I reply slipping the phone into my pocket.

"So, can I pick you up around 7 PM tomorrow?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah. I'll text you my address later," I say.

"Thanks," he says. "Well, see you tomorrow."

"Have a lovely evening," I reply.

We walk past a bunch of students and I manage to get to my car. Dave walks right past me and opens the door to the red sports car.

My mouth nearly drops to the floor. The sports car is his? HOW? Oh, who am I kidding, of course, he has a college fund and filthy rich parents who live on a hill, with a lake in their backyard.

"Sweet ride!" I say eyeing his car.

"Thanks!" He says, smiling triumphantly.

I wave goodbye and we both slip into our cars. Dave drives away towards the opposite direction at an exceedingly alarming speed, raving his engine for the hell of it.

"Show off!" I mutter under my breath, carefully pulling out of the parking lot. I was not about to compete with that!

There are a few things I am aware of as I get on the highway:

1. Dave, Ana, and Sam are a trio. They come as a package deal and understanding each one separately requires skill and tenacity.

2. Dave has a thing for me (understandable, but where do I want to go with this considering he might end up being my first boyfriend—kind of).

3. Ivy is keen on detail and having her as a friend is an asset.

4. Dr McGee has more to him than his professor persona and I would need Ivy to decode all of that, and lastly.

5. Lloyd was a mess I was not prepared to deal with.

I stop at the red light and flip from my music screen to Lloyd's texts:

'Who is the douchebag you are speaking to?'

'There is something off about him.'

Lloyd has got to be kidding me. Who does he think he is, my father? Possessive much?

I keep driving and pull into my driveway five minutes later. I park the car and text Dave my address:

'Hey, It's Mila. Here's my address: 890 Elizabeth St.'

I send the text, and he replies seconds later—'Thanks, Mila!'

Was he waiting for my text or it's the automatic reply pre-set?

I take in a deep breath and reply to Lloyd's text before I walk to the door:

'Douchebag, really? Do you have a problem with Dave?'

The house is cool, and I head straight to the fridge for some vitamin water. I eat the rest of the cake while listening to music on Alexa. I scroll through Ivy's IG page and I am fascinated by the artistic display of her numerous piercings.

'Come on Mila, his persona screams A-hole outright.'

I roll my eyes and switch screens to reply to Lloyd's text.

'Well, says the guy hiding behind threatening texts. Better the devil you know, than the angel you don't.'