“Coffee?”
I jumped in fright when Donovan suddenly appeared at my side, speaking right into my ear.
He always does this.
This time, I turned around and punched his chest with my clenched fist, causing him to retreat with a grimace of pain, rubbing the spot where I had hurt him. I have a pretty good right hook.
As per usual, Donovan sat next to me. I was in my usual hideout behind the sports field, where I spend my days. April hardly ever comes to class and is currently always sick, so since Mr. Evil decided to be friendly with me a couple of weeks ago, he always has lunch with me or I go to his house after school to be with Alice and him.
Everyone at school thinks we’re more than friends, which doesn’t surprise me. We spend all our time together, and even I am shocked at the fact that I never get tired of him.
Jessi and Travis haven’t spoken to me for a long time, they no longer seek me out, and I’m sure that’s because of Donovan. They’re afraid of him, like everyone else.
My uncle and cousin are as foolish as ever, but Dave is more nervous than usual. He’s always on the phone yelling at someone or pacing around erratically. I’m almost certain it’s because of my aunt, but I’m not at home all day to confirm it.
“I’ve warned you to stop scaring me,” I said, trying to take the coffee cup from his hand. That drink is mine.
“Forget it, I’m not giving it to you. That’s not how you should treat your caffeine supplier, Alicia,” he said, taking a sip from my cup. I was about to leap at his jugular if he didn’t give me that coffee. One more sip and he could start picking out flowers for his funeral.
“I told you not to scare me! Now be quiet and give me that!”
“You know I always come here, you can’t be scared!” he countered, laughing at my indignation. I’ve become codependent on that coffee because of him, and he knows it. I don’t know if it’s the cream, cinnamon, or milk, but it’s so delicious.
I first tried it the second night I went to the bar where he was singing. We stayed up late, and he gave me that coffee to keep me awake.
That same night, I discovered that he sang the same songs every weekend, never changing the repertoire, and the crowd never got bored, they kept praising him. I was among that group of people.
“I can be.”
“Especially if you get so close with your breath on my nape.”
He shot me a playful look that said, “You won’t convince me.”
Is that what he thinks?
Over the time we’ve been together, I’ve learned what Donovan’s weakness is. All it takes is for me to speak kindly to him, and he can’t resist doing what I ask when I act sweetly with him.
“Den, can you give it to me, please?” I leaned towards him and fluttered my eyelashes dramatically.
He stiffened as I got closer, knowing I had won.
He rolled his eyes and handed me the coffee. “You use your feminine charms against me, that’s painful. I thought we were friends.”
I winked at him and took a sip. Oh yes, sweet nectar brought by the very gods themselves. “We are, but you didn’t give me my sustenance to survive the whole day. I had to use my best weapon.”
He huffed. “I can’t believe you liked it so much. I’d say you like coffee more than you like me, but that’s pushing it.”
“Here comes Mr. Arrogant. For your information, I would prefer this little beauty a thousand times over a guy named… excuse me, what was your name again?”
With a warm, pleasant smile, he ran a hand through his hair and then, with his index finger and thumb, captured my chin. “Donovan darling, the boy of your dreams.”
That made me want to melt in his hand, but I wasn’t about to let him know that.
I laughed and sighed dreamily, like a rookie actress. “Where have you been all this time?”
“I told you, in your dreams. Good heavens, everything has to be repeated for you, Alicia,” he joked.
My eyes narrowed in his direction. “Shut up.”
“Make me.”
“Believe me, you wouldn’t like it.”
His suggestive gaze told me exactly what he was about to say next, “Hmm… believe me, if it’s in the way I’m imagining it, I’ll be fascinated.”
“I’m going to get a restraining order against you,” I reminded him, slowly killing any illusion.
“What? Oh no… Did you think I wanted to kiss you? Please, Celina, don’t be perverted, I’m a decent guy.”
I almost spat out my coffee from laughing, and Donovan smiled because of that. He makes me laugh a lot now that he doesn’t spend all his time annoying me.
“Where do you want to go today?” He moved a little closer to me, awaiting my answer.
I didn’t give it to him right away; in fact, I thought it over. These weeks, he’s been with me and his mother most of the time, then the midnight calls send him running to what I regret is his job. I swear, the sad look on his face every time he has to leave breaks my heart.
The only day he’s never with me is Sundays; he never calls or texts me. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Ask me, Alicia.”
“I know you have friends, I mean, I met them.”
I really knew Vanessa. Lara, the girl who poisoned me, never crossed my mind again, and I was grateful for that.
My words put him on alert. “Yes, what about them?”
“Well, why are you never with them? I mean… why me instead of them?”
“Because now I want to be with you.”
“Yes, but why?”
“Because yes.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“There isn’t an answer to everything, Alicia.”
“Yes, there is.”
“God, well, I like talking to you. You’re outgoing, sincere, annoying, fun, and I like who you are. I enjoy arguing, playing, and getting to know you. You’re interesting, Alicia. I like you.”