When Perfect Meets Crazy novel Chapter 38

Trevor took it well. The kiss. I attributed it to the fact that he was older, in college. College guys were supposedly more mature. Ian was a testament to that fact. Not many high schoolers could handle my constant insults and unfiltered abrasiveness but Ian, despite the rest of his faults, took it admirably well. He had never once yelled at me even though he had to deal with the undiluted and unfiltered version of me. I had to water myself down for everybody else and they still whined about it.

Trevor also was a good kisser. Another thing I decided to attribute to him being in college where he could easily amass a plethora of experience. He kissed so well I was sure I had on a dreamy smile afterwards.

“Nicely done,” I complimented, pulling back.

“I could say the same,” he replied, his voice noticeably huskier.

I smile inwardly, taking in his darkened gaze and heavy breathing. I wasn’t such an amateur myself.

“My turn,” I said, returning to my seat next to Ian who slightly scooted away as soon as I sat down.

And for a second there, I was penning his name down on my matured boys list. I rolled my eyes, ignoring him as I turned to face the last girl in the circle, a devious smile on my face.

“Truth or dare.”

“I feel so unsafe right now,” the girl announced.

After one more round, the truth-or-dare group broke up, with Jack and Mandy heading out to begin what I hoped -for their sake- would be a beautiful relationship, Dreadlocks -whose name I later discovered was Leah- left with the last girl. From the looks they had been giving each other, my guess was they were off to find a private place to themselves. Trevor, Ian, Olly and I headed outside for some fresh air.

For some reason, Ian was sulking. I could just feel it. I tried talking to him but he met me with forced awfully polite platitudes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any fault in them and the conversation eventually came to a natural end. At which point, he turned away and struck up conversation with Olly.

I didn’t like the idea of him talking to her since she wasn’t aware of the details of our ‘situation.’ There wasn’t much he didn’t already know about me but I still couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable about him and Olly together, alone. So I hung around them, making small talk with Trevor.

“Yeah, I remember him. He was nice. Very funny too.” I smiled. “He used to dance like crazy.”

“He still does, I think. I’m surprised you know that. He used to be so secretive about it.”

I smiled, letting my eyes drift shut as I inhaled deeply.

“He was,” I agreed, gazing up at the stars.

I could feel Trevor’s gaze on my face but after identifying the constellation I had been looking for, my eyes drifted to Ian whose gaze also happened to flicker to me, an unreadable expression on his face. He flashed a smile my way and turned his attention back to Olly who was animatedly communicating some story or the other with wild gesticulations.

I sighed in relief, a knot in my stomach undoing itself. We were fine.

“I’m thirsty,” Olly announced loudly a while later, drawing Trevor and I’s attention.

“I’ll go with,” I called over my shoulder. “I’m a little thirsty too.”

So we left the boys in the little corner we had carved out for ourselves on the porch and trudged to the kitchen.

“So,” Olly began, flashing me a speculative side glance. “Ian. This is the second time I’m seeing you with him.”

I got the implication and rolled my eyes.

“It is and you also heard me say he has a girlfriend. Tammy, I think. Or Tonya. It’s a T name. I always forget which. Or maybe it's Bethany.”

“I don’t know,” she sang, eyes twinkling with delight. “I think he might maybe like you.”

“He can’t. I’m not nice to him. Not even a little.” I scoffed.

“Well, it doesn’t seem to matter. I think he likes you. He just hasn’t figured it out yet,” she said, passing me what was left of her bottle of water.

“No.” I laughed.

It came out awkward, even to my own ears. I cleared my throat and gulped down the water, irritated by my reaction.

“He doesn’t like me,” I corrected when I finished. “He’s just not used to seeing me hangout with other people. Just the other day, he was shipping Trevor and I.”

“If you say so.” She shrugged. “Just seemed a little jealous to me. Especially when you kissed Trey. His face... I don’t know. It wasn’t jealous jealous but... there was something off about it.” She shrugged again. “It was clear he wasn’t a fan.”

“It can’t be that. Trust me.”

She rolled her eyes as we started to head back.

“No offense,” she began, “but you have a horrible track record when it comes to figuring out if a guy likes you. It’s one of your blind spots.”

“I have no blind spots,” I refuted on reflex.

Olly clearly expected it because she merely jerked a shoulder, wordlessly insinuating, if you say so. I scowled. Sure my past experiences showed that I was a bit slow to catch on when guys liked me despite my hawk-like precision at catching it when it came to other people but this was Ian we were talking about. Masked Idiot. I knew him well. There was no way.

He knew me too well to like me. Attraction was a different matter but to actually like me, he couldn’t. Besides even if -and that was an enormous if- he did, I would know. I would’ve figured it out with all the time we spent together.

He definitely did not like me.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “He doesn’t like me,” I concluded as we stepped onto the porch.

I started to go up to the boys who were speaking in hushed tones but Olly drew me back into the shadows, placing a finger against her lips in the universal shush sign.

She gestured to her ear, then to the boys. The implication was clear. She wanted us to eavesdrop. I wasn’t a fan but if there was something she wanted to hear, I wasn’t going to blow her cover.

“She’s... I don’t know. I like her,” Trevor said, stiffly jerking his shoulders up as though to say, ‘what can I do about it.’

My gaze cut to Olly, narrowing in accusation. Not so long ago, she had sworn up and down that there was nothing of such going on between her and Trevor.

She rolled her eyes at my accusatory look.

“Not me, you.” She hissed quietly.

Her tone reeked of the words, ‘see what I mean? You’re slow to catch on.’ I ignored her expression and the revelation by pretending to pay attention to their conversation.

“She’s beautiful, you know?” Trevor said. “Really pretty and there’s something about her, you know?”

I saw Ian slowly nod.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But don’t say that to her face.”

At what I assumed was a confused look from Trevor - from our vantage point all I saw was Trevor sharply turn his head to look at Ian- Ian added, “I mean you can if you want but it won’t impress her.”

I ignored the appreciative smile growing on Olly face, instead listening intently to the conversation since Ian couldn’t be bothered to speak loudly enough for his words to easily float to where Olly and I were hiding. It wasn’t like that was too much to ask. In the first place, he -specifically him- shouldn’t have been talking about me to anyone. I had every right to listen in if I wanted.

“She’s just much more,” Ian continued. “Smart. Too smart even. I’ve seen her think her way out of things that I didn’t think anyone could get out of. Fierce. Scary sometimes. She can be mean too but, I guess you could say it’s part of her charm.” He shrugged.

His voice was light and feathery like he was either drunk and reminiscing, or lost in thought with his mind miles away. Neither option made sense. He had nursed less than two cans of beer the entire night. He couldn’t be drunk nor could he be reminiscing because nothing that thought provoking could’ve happened in the six minutes it had taken Olly and I to get water. Which could only mean he was absent minded.

The question now was; why talk about me in such a pink tone.

“Just don’t focus on her face. You can go for the obvious but be original.” He shrugged again. “Beautiful just seems like... I don’t know. It doesn’t fully describe what she really is.”

“She menrioned that you have a girlfriend.” Trevor’s tone was suspicious, cool.

I turned to shoot Olly an exasperated ‘boys and their jealousy’ eye roll only to find her sporting a triumphant smirk.

“Can it,” I whispered flatly, smoothly stepping into the light as though we only just arrived.

That was enough eavesdropping for one night.

“Are you guys ready to leave?” Olly called out, following fluidly behind me.

I didn’t need to look at her face to know she was still smirking.

So Ian gave Trevor some tips, big deal. If anything, it just showed that he really wanted Trevor and I to work out which could only mean he definitely didn’t like me. Her uncalled for smiles and suggestive comments weren’t going convince me otherwise.

I vehemently crushed her theory before it took roots. I didn’t need the idea in my head, influencing my actions, especially since the rational side of me knew it couldn’t true. No way was I letting any part of me get carried away. Not to mention, he had a girlfriend he actually liked.

Verdict: Masked Idiot didn’t like me.

Case closed.