Love Is a Losing Game // Joel Pimentel

4 | The Feeling

Chapter Four

Joel's POV

She breathes hard, her heartbeat fast against my chest. Her lips taunt me as I look down at them and back up to her frantic green eyes.

Matthews shakes her head, pushing her head back, away from me. "No. I won't take it back," she opposes. I glare at her and lean closer into her, grasping her waist tightly.

"Get off," she orders.

"Not until you take it back."

"I'm not going to do that."

"A kiss then."

"What?!"

She stops fighting against me and looks up at me confused. I bring a hand up to her cheek, her scent of coconut overwhelming me in the best way possible.

"A kiss," I whisper softly.

I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and she shakes her head, those green eyes hard and icy.

"I'd rather die, then to kiss you. You the jerk who threw out the only thing left of my mother; you belittle me every chance you get. You don't get to kiss me."

I snort. "Too bad."

I pull her into me, sure she would be okay with my actions after our lips have connected. She immediately starts protesting but I suck in a breath and lean into her anyways.

"Let me go!"

"DUDE. GET OFF HER!"

Yoandri reels me backwards and holds me back long enough for Blu to leave safely. He lets me go after and shakes his head at me.

"She's innocent! Don't fucking ruin her just because you're screwed up. She's pure. You don't get the right to taint her with your bullshit."

***

The day after, we meet again but this time she looks tired and worn out. She's wearing jeggings, a fluffy sweater, and UGGS for a change.

"Matthews?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry. About yesterday."

"Eh. As long as your inner ugly doesn't get to me, I'll be fine."

I frown and glare at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She shrugs and doesn't meet my eyes. "Nothing."

I sigh, my patience thinning at the sound of this girl being a bitch about everything. "Whatever. Let's just do the project."

Then the regular fear of being alone with me is etched back into her features, deep in her captivating green eyes.

Wait. Captivating?!

We sit down like we usually do and I see her open her notebook. "Any actual questions?" I ask her with a smirk playing on my lips.

"What's your aspiration in life?"

"To be a CEO of a technology company," I reply with ease.

She releases a breath of relief and I roll my eyes.

"What did you think it would be some weird shit?" I question.

Blu shrugs and nods.

"I'm not that shallow."

"So you know you're a jerk?"

"I don't try. It's just my personality. I've accepted it."

Matthews looks at me for a long time before sighing, and scribbling something down near the end of the page.

Her hair falls down from hair and she sighs, taking the sticks that were holding her hair in, out.

I suck in a breath at the sight. Her hair rolled down to her shoulders in the most beautiful way, like ink swirling from a pen. Her black hair curled and twisted, dark like night.

She catches me looking and the way her green eyes twinkle, I find myself getting lost in their depths. She goes to put her hair out again but I stop her.

"No. No don't. I like it down."

Blu frowns and runs a hand through her locks. "Fine," she mutters. I smile gently and she looks away from me, her leg bouncing up and down.

***

"Goodbye, Matthews."

She looks up from putting on her jacket to give me a confused look, her green eyes making me lose my breath for a split second.

"No insults?" she blurts out.

I smile and shrug.

"I guess not."

Matthews looks up to the ceiling then to the floor and back at me. "Are you sick? Like are you feeling well?"

I bite my lip and shake my head. "Nope. I'm good. Healthy."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

She walks out through the front door and once the door closes I bang my head against the wall.

What is this I'm feeling?

_________________________________

a/n

CATCHING FEELINGS