𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐒

prologue

I try to keep my focus on Magnolia but it's so hard when I can feel his gaze bore a hole in my chest.

I turn my eyes from her to his. Our eyes meet and neither one of us holds back. A small smile sits on his lips as he brings his arm to rest on the back of the bench. His eyes still not off mine.

"Avery?" I suddenly hear. I quickly turn my attention back to the person in front of me.

"What?" I ask her confused. My eyes quickly go back to the person behind her. He's still watching with that same grin.

"I don't think you're here with me, where's your attention off to?" she asks, turning her head around.

"Oh nothing, don't worry about it. I'm sorry, I'm listening now." I tell her, having her turn her head back to me.

He's still looking.

"Alright then, if you say so," Magnolia answers as she goes on. I try my best, I truly do to keep my attention on her but it's so fucking hard. And for no reason. I didn't even know the guy.

But he was so damn hot. His hair was black, so black I've been trying to figure out if it's not really bleached. Although his eyes were still on me, I noticed the sharpness of his jaw. It had me drooling, but I just blamed it on the food.

And I haven't even started on his eyes, his damn eyes. They were so pure, green must be my favorite color now that I think about it. They watched me as if they could bring me to my knees within seconds, and if they kept eyeing me up and down like that I think they might be able to.

As I decided to bring my gaze back to his, we made eye contact once again. He was pretending to be listening to the person in front of him as well, nodding his head from time to time as his lips parted a few times as well.

He was sitting in front of another guy, while two others were sitting next to him, each facing another guy in front of them. There were five of them.

As a smile rolled over my own lips I found myself thinking if I should come over. But my plans were soon clear to end as a group of girls stopped at their booth, one of them swinging her arms around him, causing our eye contact to get lost.

My stupid smile was glued to my lips as I didn't want to show the shock on my face. Of course, he had a girlfriend, how couldn't he? It was so stupid of me to assume he was single and to think that he was as into me as I was in him.

"You alright?" Magnolia said as soon as I brought my full attention back to her.

I sighed before asking her, "Yeah, why'd you assume there was something?"

Her bows knit together as if the answer to that was obvious. "Maybe because it turns out he has a girl," she answers.

I gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

She's the one to sigh this time. "Do I really look that stupid to you?" she asks and before I can reply she goes on.

"You've practically been eye fucking that guy over there, I'm not blind, and seeing as he couldn't take his eyes off you I figured that's why you've been smiling this whole time. Plus, I've practically been talking about baby pancakes that were crossing the streets while almost draining in a water puddle and all you've been doing was nod and smile, so."

"Tell me again why I thought befriending a private investigator was a good idea. You barely turned around for two seconds." I confess as she just shrugs her shoulders in return, taking another sip of her milkshake.

"I say go for it, you know what happened to me and Brandon? If I didn't approach him we wouldn't be where we are right now."

"You mean in a breakup? I don't get why you always mention you and Brandon's relationship when you guys clearly broke up." I narrow my eyes. I've heard this story way too many times. And she is way too attached.

"I mean in a healthy friendship. If we didn't date I wouldn't have had a good friend," she answers.

"I'm a good friend?" I tell her, trying to make a point here.

"Well yeah but yo-" before she can finish her sentence a hand touches our table.

I look up to be met with those familiar green eyes, only from up close this time.

"Text me," is the only thing he says, as I notice he's about to put a little paper on our table, probably with his phone number on it.

I shrug my shoulders, gently pulling his arm away before he could let the paper rest on our table.

Even his touch felt as I imagined it would. Warm and soft, I was a sucker for hands, that's for sure.

"Thanks, but I don't do one-night stands," I politely tell him, looking at the girl behind him that was giving me a bitch look.

The whole group stood behind him, talking and laughing as they were waiting for their friend to return to them.

As my gaze meets his again his lips turn into a smile. "Good thing I don't either then," he whispers back, letting go of the napkin, so it could fall on the table.

As he makes his way back to the group, I look back, but he doesn't even bother doing the same thing.

Bastard.

"What did he mean with 'I don't either'? He clearly has that girl's hands on him." Magnolia murmurs, a little bit too annoyed.

I laugh, giving her a confused look. "Why does it sound like you're more irritated about this than I am?"

She looks up at me as one of her brows slightly jumps up. "You're right, why don't you look bothered by this?" she asks.

"Because I'm not. Come on Mag, I don't even know the guy." I pick the napkin up and fold it in a little ball before putting it in my bag.

I wasn't going to use it, but I wasn't one to throw paper on the ground as well. I just planned on throwing it away as soon as I got home.

"No, but you guys did eye fuck each other. I could see you imagining taking his clothes off from here!" she replies.

I roll my eyes, finally bringing my attention back to my food. "I was not doing that," I tell her while a tiny smile grows on my lips.

She just hums, going back to her food as well. "Keep saying that to yourself babe, but I'm still the investigator here,"