CHAPTER 4-AVA
I'd pre-paid online, so all I needed was to grab the cake. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
ALEX VOLKOV
I'll get it. You're not leaving the car dressed like that, even wearing my jacket..
Alex yanked an umbrella out from beneath his seat and exited the car in one fluid motion. He moved like a panther, all coiled I grace and laser intensity. If he wanted, he could make a killing as a runway model, though I doubted he'd ever do anything so "gauche."
He returned less than five minutes later with Crumble & Bake's signature pink-and-mint-green cake box tucked beneath one arm. He dumped it in my lap, snapped his umbrella closed, and reversed out of the parking spot without so much as blinking.
of being
AVA CHEN
Do you ever smile?
I asked, peeking inside the box to make sure they hadn't messed up the order. Nope. One Death by Chocolate, coming right up.
AVA CHEN
It might help with your condition.
ALEX VOLKOV
What condition?
AVA CHEN
Stickuptheassitis.
I'd already called the man an asshole,
so what was one more insult? I might've imagined it, but I thought I saw his mouth twitch before he responded with a bland,
ALEX VOLKOV
No. The condition ischronic."
My hands froze while my jaw unhinged.
AVA CHEN
D-did you make a joke
ALEX VOLKOV
Explain why you were out there in the first place.
Alex evaded my question and changed subjects so quick I had
whiplash. He made a joke. I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes
AVA CHEN
I had a photoshoot with clients. There's a nice lake in --
ALEX VOLKOV
Spare me the details. I don't care.
A low growl slipped from my throat.
AVA CHEN
Why are you here? Didn't figure you for the chauffeur type.
ALEX VOLKOV
I was in the area, and you're Josh's little sister. If you died, he'd be a bore to hang out with.
Alex pulled up in front of my house. Next door, AKA at Josh's house, the lights blazed, and I could see people dancing and laughing through the windows.
AVA CHEN
Josh has the worst taste in friends,
AVA CHEN
I don't know what he sees in you. I hope that stick in your *** punctures a vital organ.
Then, because I'd been raised with manners, Iadded,
AVA CHEN
Thank you for the ride.
I huffed out of the car. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and I smelled damp earth and the hydrangeas clustered in a pot by the front door. I'd shower, change, then catch the last half of Josh's party. Hopefully, he wouldn't give me shit for getting
stranded or being late because I wasn't in the mood. I never stay angry for long, but right then, my blood simmered and I wanted to punch Alex Volkov in the face.
He was so cold and arrogant and...and...him. It was infu riating. At least I didn't have to deal with him often. Josh usually
hung out with him in the city, and Alex didn't visit Thayer
even though he was an alumnus. Thank God. If I had to see Alex more than a few times a year, I'd go crazy.
Comments