Fall For You

(23)

"Don't you have your own place?" Alex asks as he opens the door to his dorm and sees that it's me standing in his hallway after knocking.

I should be mad. After the way he ignored me in class, he doesn't get to sound so casual, like nothing happened.

"Is that any way to treat someone who came to see you?" I smirk at him.

"Yes," Alex says, a smile dancing on his lips. I hate how charming Alex is. I don't know where this playful side to him has come from, but I like it – when he's confident, when he feels like he can challenge me. I like that he's no longer stuttering every time he speaks.

"It's not very polite," I tease. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Alex says. I walk in and sit on his desk chair, spinning it around. Alex sits on his bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to say hi..." I pause, crossing my legs. "Since you didn't."

"I didn't realise you wanted me to," Alex smirks.

"I didn't," I shrug.

Alex tilts his head, smiling faintly. "You always say one thing but mean something else."

"Do I?" I spin his chair again, slow enough to look casual.

"Yes," he says, grinning. "That's why you're here."

I roll my eyes. "Actually, I came to ask you about Matilda."

His smile falters for half a second, just enough for me to notice.

"You and Matilda seemed pretty close in class," I say.

Alex smirks. "I didn't think you were the jealous type."

"I'm not," I say, maybe a little too fast. "Just curious."

"Curious," he repeats, pushing off the bed, crossing the space between us until he's kneeling on the floor in front of me. "That's what we're calling it now?"

"Don't flatter yourself," I smirk, shaking my head. "I just think it's surprising that you almost kissed me one day and now you're hanging out with her the next."

"Just because we're hanging out doesn't mean I'm kissing her too." His voice is low but steady.

"So who does get to kiss you then?" I ask, a smile tugging at my lips. "Or are you still working up the courage?"

Alex's mouth curves up into a half-smirk, a quiet, confident kind that wasn't there a few weeks ago. "I don't think courage's the problem anymore." His eyes drop to my lips for the briefest second before meeting mine. "I just think some people like to be teased."

His hand lifts, his thumb brushes my cheek. "It's more rewarding that way."

My pulse skips. He's turning my own game back on me – and we're both enjoying it.

Against my will, my cheek leans into his touch. My breath hitches. Alex notices. He moves his hand away.

"There's nothing going on between me and Matilda," Alex says. "We're friends. Actually, she has a boyfriend." A boyfriend. Well, there's a detail, Matilda forgot to mention.

"Oh," I say. "How did you two meet?" As I ask, it hits me – my curiosity makes me sound like Alex.

"So curious," Alex murmurs, an amused smile dancing on his lips. "We met at the cafe. We were in line together and got talking."

A few weeks ago, he could barely look me in the eye without tripping over his words, and now he's teasing me and looking at me in a way that makes me feel completely off-balance. I should hate it. I should want to put him back in his place.