Unraveling Hearts

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

♡ M I L A ♡

It truly aches to witness him look so... disgruntled, as if he's fed up with the world's bullshit.

"Hey, Mila!

Jen's voice jolts me out of my daydream. Her manicured fingers wave in front of my face. I blink at her; a smug grin curls up across her face.

We are at Daily Drip, for our daily dose of caffeine and muffins after our classes.

"What's up?" I say, clueless.

Eyeing me inquisitively, she tilts her head and exclaims, "Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" That only earns her a scowl from me before she teasingly adds, "Where do you go when you zone out? I wonder a lot."

"Well, rather than wondering about me, you should worry about your upcoming assignment, don't you think?" I fire back.

She groans.

I shrug with a smirk, then absentmindedly, it morphs into a gentle smile as I tuck my hair behind my ear. She bursts out laughing. "Oh, sweetie, you're so smitten, kitten."

"I'm not," I answer back too quickly, my face heats up.

"Girl, don't bother denying it," she says, her frisky smile matching the tenor of her breath. Then she huffs, mockingly. "Although, I don't see the fascination. Sure, he's the campus heartthrob, and you two look amazing together, but you know he's a grumpy man. Grumpier than anyone else ever! It's annoying, you got to admit that..."

A voice cuts her off, interrupting our conversation. "Campus heartthrob? Hope you're talking about me," Asher announces, walking towards our table, with his confident swagger and windblown blonde curls that make heads turn. He flips a chair around and sits down with a loud "Hey!"

"Hey, Asher," I reply with a polite smile, while Jennie rolls her eyes, dramatically flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Don't flatter yourself," she says, glibly. "You're very aware of who we were talking about. Someone who is not you." Pretending to be hurt, he clutches his chest and gasps. "Ow! You wound me, Jen."

Jen rolls her eyes and snorts, crossing her arms. Ignoring her, Asher reaches for her fork and stabs a piece of her pie, shoving it into his mouth. He makes loud, exaggerated noises of pleasure as her face turns sour. "Mmm, this is delicious," he murmurs, smacking his lips lusciously. He even spits out some crumbs, making her jump.

"What the heck, Sanders? Eat it, don't spray it."

He says nothing but chuckles. Then, he shifts his gaze, focusing his attention on me. "Spill the tea, my friend. What's the latest scoop?" he exclaims slyly.

I flush up and murmur, "Nothing?"

Jen clears her throat, sneakily. "You sure about that, Mila?" she asks, only earning a scowl from me, again.

I tilt my head and fake a smile. "I am..." My voice trails off, my cheeks set ablaze.

"Say what you want or not, I believe it that ever since you, my Captain has become less of a hard ass, just so you know that," Asher chimes in, nudging me with a grin.

I notice those two exchange a glance at my expense, then roll my eyes and grumble, "Shut up, both of you."

Unfazed, Jen states, "But it's frustrating, you know."

"Yes, I understand what you mean," Asher nods, adding, "It's rather maddening to root for two people who clearly have feelings for each other, yet are not making any move. I long for them to be officially college sweethearts."

"We're just friends..." I press on. I don't who I am trying to convince. Them or myself?

I sigh before I glance at my phone screen. It's almost 4 pm. "Oh, shoot. I've to go now," I explain, getting up from my seat.