Miss Pen

Chapter Eight

My shoulders slouched when I turned my head to look at the body that belonged to the hand. What else was there left for Rhode to say?

"Let go of my arm." I didn't even feel angry, just tired.

"Please wait. Just don't... leave."

His eyes were pleading, softening the more he looked at me. He's not serious, right?

"Well, you haven't exactly given me a reason to stay." I snatched my arm from his grasp, the lace sliding from his fingers. "If this is really about the money, I can get it to you by Saturday."

"It was initially about the money, yes, but I also wanted to properly thank you for hiring me."

What was it with this guy taking the job so seriously? Yeah, you should, but Rhode just kept pursuing it. There had to be more to it than what he was leading on.

"A simple thank you note would've done just fine. What is it with you and this internship?"

For a moment, Rhode looked panicked, like I had just caught him in the middle of an act. His head jerked back slightly, eyes briefly widening. He blinked, then stared at my face. He wasn't staring at me, though. It was more like through me.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat. "I've always wanted to write but never had the chance when I was younger."

"Why not?"

If he wanted to be a writer, why couldn't he just sit down and do it?

Rhode leaned his head to the side while a small smile formed on his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing when an innocent look appeared on his face. The bastard was trying to use his good looks on me!

"If you finish having dinner with me, I'll tell you."

I folded my arms over my chest, resting my weight on my hip. On a scale of one to ten, my annoyance level was at a nine point nine, meaning that there was still a tiny chance that I might actually agree to him. I just had to mess with him a little, first.

"Do you really still expect me to stay here after you used me, and also at the place where your ex girlfriend works? How inconsiderate can you be, Rhode?"

That threw him off guard, wiping the cocky smile from his face. Rhode was momentarily confused, causing me to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at him.

"Um, I-er, no? We can go somewhere else if you'd like." Similar to the other night, he reached up to squeeze the back of his neck.

After a few seconds of making him believe I was still upset, I spoke up and said, "Good, because I really want a burger right now." I turned from the confused man and took the small step toward the exit of the restaurant. When I looked back over my shoulder at Rhode, he was stood still with a look of incredulity on his features. "Are you coming or not?"

The poor guy didn't even know what he was dealing with.

* * *

"This might be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

I said, after swallowing one of the last bites of my food. Rhode and I stopped at a small, family owned drive-in restaurant that served the usual burgers, fries, hot dogs, and shakes.

"Oh, really?" An amused grin crept onto his face. "We'll have to see about that."

My lips parted, finally realizing what I had said which fueled Rhode's comment. Whether he was joking or not, I had to turn my head away from his view and hide my tingling cheeks. How was I even supposed to come back from that?