The Big, Bad Badboy

Chapter 22 - False Pretences

Hope you're having a good week!

~D

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Victor and I had talked for hours in the coffee shop, going through nearly two lattes each and three types of cake.

So far, I had filled him in on the last two weeks and how he was the root cause of it all. Needless to say, he was offended.

"So, you concocted this whole fake boyfriend plan just to avoid me?"

Victor looked hurt and I felt slightly guilty for misjudging him back then. Just as I was about to apologise, he began to laugh.

"It's fine, I understand that I came on too strong then." He admitted, and I nodded in understanding. Thank god that he was forgiving.

Victor sat back in his chair, stretching his arms. I took a sip of my second latte, enjoying its rich flavour.

"Did you ever like Grey while the two of you were "together?"" Victor asked out of the blue, no pun intended.

That very second, all the liquid in my mouth came gushing out, in the form of a spit-take.

Victor looked at me, wide-eyed, oblivious to the extent to which his question had shocked me. He started to laugh, although a lot of the coffee from my mouth had soaked into his clothes.

"Wow, I think that answers my question," he mused, standing up to get some napkins.

"I am so sorry!" I cried out, only just coming to terms with the mess I had created. Victor chuckled, handing me a bunch of napkins.

"Your punishment is to help clean me up," he ordered jokingly, untucking his shirt and thrusting towards me.

I began to scrub at the fabric, and Victor swatted my hand away lightly.

"Hey, it's ok, I will put it in the wash when I get home." He reassured me, but I wasn't convinced, my tissue-holding hand hovering over his shirt.

Victor took away the tissue and smiled.

"You know how to make a good first impression, don't you Emma?"

***

"And yeah, Victor seems really nice. He didn't demand I clean him, not seriously at least." I finished recapping my story to my friends and once I finished, they all began to talk at once.

"Oh my god, he sounds perfect," Dee commented, her hands on her face in excitement.

"I ship it!" Jeremy chipped in, not-so-subtly turning to Dee and making a bet on how long we would take to get together.

"I think he likes you," Steve added, and I rolled my eyes at them all, utterly embarrassed.

"Guys, guys, guys," I interrupted, as they stopped talking and turned to me.

"Yes?" They all said in unison, wondering what I had to say.

"Victor and I were just hanging out, it doesn't mean anything. We are friends, that's all." I elucidated, but the three of them weren't convinced, and Dee and Jeremy's stupid eyebrows would not stop waggling suggestively. I felt the urge to slap them silly, but I restrained myself.

"Hey y'all!" Heidi suddenly swooped onto our table like a hawk, her eyes fixed on me, since I was talking.

She placed a single arm around me and whispered.

"I can smell it y'know!"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking as puzzled as the others who couldn't hear her.

"Smell what?" I asked her, and Heidi shook her head, looking disappointed. She was so vague and outlandish sometimes, I didn't understand her.

"You've met a boy." Heidi stated, and she sniffed me deeply, her nose burying itself in the crook of my shoulder.

"I know who it is!" She announced immediately, raising a finger to the sky. I was sceptical. She was sniffing me; how could she possibly work it out from a smell that probably didn't even exist?

Heidi turned to me, smiling.

"It's Victor Blue."

Jeremy gasped, turning to me with a pale face.

"She's a witch," he mouthed to me as he stood up from the table.

Heidi caught onto this and her eyes followed his retreating figure.

"Jeremie," she spoke sweetly and slowly, "Where are you going?"

Jeremy scratched his head nervously.

"Oh, just nowhere," He quickly sat back down on the bench, looking back at me with frightened eyes.

"She's going to kill us," he mouthed yet again, after Heidi had looked away, sliding a finger under his throat. I laughed at his reactions.

I turned back to Heidi who was awaiting confirmation.

"Yes, I have recently become friends with Victor, what of it?"

Heidi shrugged.

"I never said there was anything to it Emmie, I was just stating a fact." She answered shrewdly, and I realised the trap I had fallen into.

"Y-yeah, there isn't anything to it, I don't want any of you to think that..."

Everyone looked at me, unconvinced. Why didn't they believe me? There really is nothing going on between me and Victor.