Before You

Chapter Two.

I didn't have very long to obsess over whether he was actually flirting with me, or if he was just one of those guys that likes to give girls a hard time. Luckily Jess sauntered back in, looking gorgeous as she smiled from ear to ear, her pageant training showing in the way that she carried herself.

"What are you guys talking about?" She asked sweetly as she came to sit in the very small space between Hunter and me.

Hunter turned away from me and I tried hard not to notice how good his cologne smelled. It was like when you walk through the mall and they have the nice kiosks setup with the expensive body sprays and I'm always just a little tempted to buy a bottle of it for myself just so I can smell it at home. There's just something about men's cologne that is so appealing.

"Oh, I was just giving your friend here a hard time." He told her coyly, throwing a wink over his shoulder when he turned back to me for a second.

I blushed a little and shook my head as I took another swig of my beer. Hunter was definitely one of those guys who likes to mess with girls. I don't know why but it seems like all of the guys who are actually otherworldly attractive all seem to know the effect they have on girls, especially ones like me, and they love to make us squirm in our awkwardness. It also didn't pass my notice that he didn't refer to me by name, which probably meant he'd already forgotten it again.

I focused in on the game to try and level out my nerves, but when Hunter and Jessica started laughing and I felt their stares I turned back to them, flushing red again. "What?" I asked.

Jess shook her head at me and gave me a look that said 'get your head out of your ass', and Hunter grinned, his sideways smile that I bet works wonders for him with the girls.

"Hunter was just asking if we wanted something to eat," Jess smiled around her words. "he said he has some chicken that he made and some dip if we want any."

I narrowed my eyes at Hunter. "You cook?" I asked more doubt in my voice than I meant for there to be, although I definitely was doubting it.

He held a hand to his chest and feigned shock. "First you come into my house and punch me, now you insult my abilities in my own kitchen?" He smiled as he bit his lip and I was ashamed that my eyes dipped there.

One of the gossip girls from the other side of the room giggled, holding up her plate. "Hunter has us over for homemade meals all the time." She told me and he bowed his head to her.

"Thank you," he told her, then turned back to me. "and no, I didn't pay her to come here to be my character witness if that's the next insult you were going to throw my way."

The one other guy in the room took a break from trying to suck the face off of his girlfriend and he eyed me up and down. "Damn, girl's being tough on you." He joked with Hunter.

"Girl's got a name." I smiled sarcastically back at him and Hunter busted out laughing.

"Uh-oh, Dave," Hunter reached over to slap him on the leg. "you might have just met a girl who doesn't deal with your shit."

The girl who Dave had been making out with cut her eyes at me, definitely trying to silently mark her territory, not that Dave would be my type at all. He looked like a typical jock with his jersey on and his ball cap on backwards, the blonde curls peeking out from under it. Hunter must have noticed the look the girl was giving me because he looked back at her and grinned.

"No offense, Chelsey." He shrugged and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Ass." She huffed under her breath.