Miss Perfect and The Bad Boy

four - dance with me

"This is actually disgusting," I said, throwing the horrible eggs I failed miserably at making into the trash.

"Come on, it's not that bad. I've tasted worse," Alex tried to comfort from where he was sitting on the counter.

It was Saturday morning, a week and a half after Alex had come into my window. One night of him staying here had turned into two, then three, and now we were here. Since then, we'd spent the entire time catching up on what we had missed with each other the last four years. I told Alex about how I spent the summer after my freshman year in Tahoe with Kelani's family and started crying our second day there because I couldn't handle the forest, and how I spent most of my free time nowadays volunteering at the library, and how I realized I loved pickles more than anything.

He told me about how he and Aiden became best friends during 9th grade, and how he tried to take care of a 'crazy, demon dog' he found on the street during his sophomore year that bit him and ran off, and how he and Aiden had stole his dad's car to go to San Fransisco for his seventeenth birthday. I didn't ask how that turned out when he got home.

My parents were on another trip, this time to New Orleans an important business conference for dad. They liked going with each other on trips and always made it so their schedules would never overlap. It was perfect for them because they were always together, but two busy schedules stuffed together into one meant seeing them for only about two weeks every month. They were home for three days recently, and Alex snuck in and out of my bedroom window every time he needed to come and go. I managed to sneak food up there for him.

Connor wondered why I didn't feel like going to his place the past few days, but I blamed it on PMS and cramps. Truth is, I'd rather spend time with Alex than him. I felt like a terrible girlfriend, it was true. I need him to get over this obsession with just using me and then discarding me off to the side like I was a toy.

"You've tasted worse? I think the only thing I've had worse than this is sushi," I said, coming back to the present.

"Sushi isn't that bad. Who doesn't like raw fish?"

I laughed as I changed the song playing on the speakers to a softer one. Then, my phone rang. The screen flashed: Connor. I groaned and turned off my phone.

"Trouble in paradise?" Alex asked, peering over my shoulder onto the screen as he dried his hands on a towel.

"I don't know. He just seems so different the past few weeks," I responded.

"Are you sure it isn't you? I mean, you're hiding a whole guy in your house."

"I don't know," I mumbled. "He's been pissing me off."

Alex frowned, and I just shrugged. He understood I didn't want to talk about it though, because he said, "Come on. I'll teach you how to make some real food."

We ended up making breakfast burritos with Alex doing all the cooking, and me chopping everything up. Somehow, I still ended up with precut, packaged cheese in my hair.

He gave me a high five and smiled as he handed me a plate. "We make a good team."

"Where did you learn to make this?" I asked, biting into the delicious food.

He shrugged. "Natural talent. I used to help my mom make food all the time."

We ate in comfortable silence as a dramatic classical song played in the background. I hadn't realized how much I missed him. I loved Kelani, but there was something different about my friendship with Alex that could never be replicated.

Alex held out a hand to me and I raised my eyebrows.

"What?" I asked, amused.

"A dance, if you please."

"Are you serious?" I smiled, placing my burrito down on my plate and putting my hand in his.

I giggled as he spun me around by my hand, my hair flying everywhere and then almost shrieked as he dipped me towards the floor. He leaned over me, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously. My heart dropped as he let go of me and I went tumbling to the floor. Unfortunately for him, I grabbed onto his arm to unsuccessfully stop myself, and he fell down on his back beside me.

"That didn't go how I wanted," he said with a small laugh, looking up at the ceiling.

I rolled over and slapped his arm. "Ouch," I said pointedly.

He just smiled again, flashing his teeth. We stayed like that for a moment, staring into each other's eyes while laying dangerously close to each other on my kitchen floor. I stood up, still smiling but feeling weird and he followed closely behind.

I went to go wash my hands when his phone beeped and lit up on the counter next to the sink. It was two unsaved numbers and there was a message from each.

The first one said: we haven't done anything in forever. when can i see you again :(

The other message was from another number that said: i know you miss me why are you being like this

The rest was a string of words I'd rather not recall ever again. Okay, that's enough reading for today.

Alex came up behind me and grabbed his phone. He saw the messages and rolled his eyes before putting the phone back on the counter. Then, he looked down at me and my horrified expression.

"What?" He asked, defensively after seeing my face.

"That's disgusting," I said. I was about to move when he placed his hands on the countertops around me, blocking me.

"What's disgusting?"

I looked straight up into his dark eyes. "You're talking to two girls, sleeping with them both, and leading them on."

He just blinked at me. "First of all, I told them there were no feelings involved. Not my fault they fell for me. I warned them both."

I glared at him but felt intimidated that he was looking back into my eyes. He cocked his head to the side before leaning in closer. My breathing hitched as he stopped a few inches from my face.

"Jealous, are we?" he asked, his voice too low.

I scoffed and tried to push him away. He moved his head away from mine, but his arms stayed around me on the counter. "I have a boyfriend."

"That doesn't mean you can't have a crush on me."

My face heated up. "Are we in the 2nd grade? I don't have a crush on you."

He looked smug. "I think you do."

"I have a boyfriend," I repeated.

He lifted up his hand to trail a finger down from my shoulder down to my arm and then my waist. I was too shocked to move. I felt scared by the butterflies exploding in my stomach. What was happening?

"What are you doing?" I choked out.

His hands gripped around the curves of my waist and he leaned in again. "So, you're telling me, you don't have a crush on me and that my hand on you makes you feel nothing?"

It took me a moment but I nodded, unable to speak.

He lifted his hands from my waist and the counter before walking away with a smirk. I let out a breath, happy to get away from his intimidating stares. Then, he turned around and looked at me with an amused expression.

"Your ears still turn red when you lie."