Chapter Six

Honey

"So then my roommate tells me all about this guy," Jenni starts, looking between Cole and me with a smirk on her face. "She says he's super cute with these dark brown eyes and perfect teeth. Then she goes on to tell me he's the love of her life, and that he's going to change everything for her."

"Where are you going with this Jenn?" Cole asks, eyeing his girlfriend up suspiciously as he eats his lunch. Honestly, I had the same question, but I didn't have the courage to speak it. Jenn and Cole are nice and it's been great getting to know them over the last month, but Jenn likes to talk. A lot. About people I don't know, and honestly, as bad as this sounds, I'm not sure we're that compatible as friends., but then again, it's not like I have a line of people just wanting to be my friend either.

Jenn raises her hand, nodding. "I know. It's long-winded but the ending will be worth it, I promise." She turns back to me and I offer Cole a knowing smile. He smiles back, and there's a twinkle in his eye which is cute. He's so in love with Jenn that he gets embarrassed for her.

"So I start asking a few questions about this guy. How far have they gone. How many dates have they been on… you know, that kind of thing. Only to find out that She's never even spoken to the guy. "

"What?" I say, doing my best to sound interested but I don't know these people at all.

"I know, right? She's already decided that he's the one, and she hasn't said a word to him. Not sure how this one is going to play out."

"There's nothing wrong with liking someone you've never spoken to," Cole replies. "Right, Honey?"

"Of course." My cheeks pinken just think about how Zach and I got together. We might not have been in love with each other from after but we did fake date for the better part of our senior year. If we hadn't have done something so crazy, we wouldn't be here together today.

A warm feeling fills my chest as I think about Zach, already missing his bed even though I only left it a few hours ago.

Everything about last night changed things. Being off campus in Zach's house showed me just how peaceful life could be without all the noise.

Growing up the way I did meant I never had a free minute. I was either going to school, extra classes or dressing up to represent my family at dinners. I never got to just be me.

At Zach's I feel at home. There's no one there to judge me. It's just the two of us, and the longer I'm away from it, the more I'm coming around to the idea that I need to be there with him.

The only problem is telling him and seeing that beautifully smug smile of his.

Jenni rolls her eyes and looks at Cole. "Yeah, I guess that's what happened with you, and look at us now." She motions her hands as though she's showcasing the table. "We're all having lunch together."

"Mhm." My brows furrow because that's a slightly odd answer, but then again, I was just lost in my own thoughts so maybe I missed something.

"On that note. I've got to go see my roommate." Jenni says, looking at her watch and then between us. "You know, make sure she's not stalking the guy."

"That's convenient," Cole says flatly as he continues spearing his salad with his fork.

"You'll thank me later," she mumbles and I'm not quite sure what she means, but her bag is shucked over her shoulder and she's walking away before I have time to really ask.

"Guess it's just you and me," I say with a bright smile, knocking Cole with my foot under the table.

He doesn't look at me, instead he keeps his eyes focused on the salad in front of him.

"Yup. Just you and me." Okay. I'm not great at reading people, but even Cole is making is obvious he's not happy to be sitting with. Anxiety creeps up my spine like cold chill and all the memories of high school come back. He doesn't like me.

"Everything okay?" I gain the courage to ask because it feels weird to suddenly be sitting in awkward silence.

"I'm good." He clears his throat and looks at me. I must not be very good at hiding my emotions either because the minute he looks at me, his face softens, and he tracks my features. I pull my lips into a smile, hoping that helps the situation.

Cole let's out a sigh as he looks down at the table and then back to me. "Honey. Look, there's something-"

I cringe when my phone buzzes loudly, jolting us out of our conversation. Reaching over, I quickly check, and inwardly smile when I see it's a message from Zach.

Zach: Just finished my training session. Thought about you the entire time. Hope you haven't forgotten the left side of the bed is reserved for you.

Zach: Love you, Honeycomb.

I don't respond immediately because I can feel Cole's gaze on me. So I put my phone on the table with the screen facing down and lock eyes with Cole.

"Sorry about that. I just got a text from my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" His brows cross and I can't help but notice his lips flatten. "You've never mentioned a boyfriend before."

"Yeah," I drawl out, feeling a little guilty that I haven't mentioned Zach to either Jenni or Cole yet. We've been hanging out the last couple of weeks, and I just didn't know how to bring it up. I know it sounds stupid, but they are the first two people who seem genuinely unaware of my boyfriend's status here. Although I'd never admit it out loud, I kind of like that because it's always felt like they like me for me. However, maybe it's always only been Jenni and she's been dragging Cole out here the entire time.

"Ah, I, uh, don't really talk about him much." My mind thinks back to the first time Jenni stood up for me, and even then neither one of them asked me what that girl was referring to.

"Why not? Are you going though a rough patch?"

Why's that the first conclusion he jumps to?

I shake my head, waving my hands. "No. No. Nothing like that. Just when I mention who he is, the conversation inevitably goes to him."

"Oh," he raises a curious brow and great, now I'm going to have to tell him.

"He's a big deal on the football team."

"Ah, okay. I don't watch football so I doubt I know who he is."

My chest deflates a little but not because I'm upset, because I'm relieved. Cole doesn't even ask another question about him. It's almost like he doesn't care.

"Yeah. It's frustrating sometimes. Like, I love him, but I want to be my own person too. "

"Oh, I get it." He nods his head, grinning. "I used to date this popstar once, and I had a similar experience. People constantly questioned what she saw in me and were always linking her to other people in the press. It was hard."

I throw him a bemused smile as I take him in. "You're joking, right?"

"No."

I pull back, taking in Cole. With sand brown hair and a understated smile, he's cute, but this just doesn't make sense. "You're telling me, you dated a popstar? You? Quiet Cole."

He shrugs, a blush rising on his cheeks.

"I knew her before she was famous because we went to high school together. Her name's Bailey Hill, or that's what she goes by now"

"Wait. Did you just say Bailey Hill? As in the superstar that's currently on a worldwide tour?"

"Yeah. She was really sweet back in high school. I took her to every prom or homecoming we had. She blew up after a post of her singing on social media went viral our senior year and that's when she forgot my number." He chuckles humorlessly. "I guess you could say I'm technically still dating her since we never officially broke up."

He gives me a weak smile before glancing down to the table. It's obvious that he's still hurt by what happened and I can't help myself, I reach over so I can pat him on the arm.

"I'm sorry about that. But knowing you and what an awesome guy you are, there has to be a mistake. Maybe she broke her phone and lost your number that way. There's no way she'd just ghost you like that..."

"Mhm. It's sweet you think like that, but It would be really easy to get ahold of me. I'm still on her super private, social media account. If she really wanted to contact me, she'd be able to."

"Oh."

"It's fine. I just think she grew tired of the normal life and wanted something a little flashier to go with all that extra money she had."

"Well, then you deserve better than that. One day she'll look back on you and realize she screwed it all up." I give his shoulder a little squeeze. "I'm sure there's someone better out there for you, anyway."

I offer him a small smile as he looks up, that twinkle in his eye returning.

"You think?"

"I know. You and Jenni might be in the first few weeks of dating, but you're super cute together. I can tell she really likes you."

"Me and Jenni?" There's a slight crack in his voice before his shoulder slump jus the tiniest. "We aren't dating. We're just friends. I only met her a few days before meeting you."

Why did this suddenly feel awkward? I could have sworn they were together.

"You aren't? Do you want to?"

"No. I've got my eye on someone else," he says, taking me in. "But apparently, she has a boyfriend."

A boyfriend? Then it all came together. Bailey had just announced a relationship with some baseball player, Sam Brennon. That must be what he's referring to.

"Well, you can never know how true the tabloids are."

"Mhm." He looks up and then back to me. "Um, Honey, there's some man in a suit looking at you, and when I say looking, I mean more like glaring. I thought for a while it was just that he didn't have his glasses on, or something, and didn't realize he was making a scene, but I can confirm that's wrong because he's still staring. In fact, I feel like he's plotting my murder right now."

"Why would Zach be wearing a suit?"

Cole gestures with his chin and I glance over to the science building, freezing when I see who it is.

"Dad?"

What the hell is he doing here?

I huff out a breath and close my eyes, composing myself. I haven't seen him since I left Connecticut. "Um, sorry, Cole. I need to go him, and don't worry, it's not your death he's planning. It's mine."

Cole waves me off as I take the remnants of my lunch and throw it in the trash before tentatively walking over to my father.

He watches my every step with his cold, callous glare, and just as I approach, I can see his jaw ticking ever so slightly.

Why the hell is he even here? He would have had to take one of his private jets to get here, and I'm almost certain every conversation could have been had over the phone with my mom.

"Dad?" I say when I get close enough.

There's no emotion on his face as he takes me in. The daughter he hasn't seen in two months. "Hunniford. It's good to see you again." He adjusts his cufflinks, still refusing to make eye contact with me. "Is that your new boyfriend? I knew you'd get bored with that football kid. That one looks less like a liability but he's still not a Nicks."

I swallow down my anger. I've never really yelled at my father, but times like this, I really wish I had the guts to.

"No. He's in my class, and unlike Jamie, I can have a friendship with the opposite sex without dating them." I'm being polite because it's my father, but let's be honest, Jamie is far from monogamous. He'd slept with so many people, he didn't even remember the girl he fathered a child with. Why he thinks a guy like that would be better than Zach, I'd never fully comprehend, but my happiness was never a priority for him.

"Mhm. Good to see you're still harboring hate towards Jamie."

"Yes," I answer as though that should be obvious.

"Good. Then it might mean you'll be interested in my offer?"

"Offer?"

My father doesn't waste any time. "In short, I want Jamie out of the law firm and for you to take his place."

I force back my laughter, because he can't be serious, can he? None of that makes any sense whatsoever. "Uh, why would you think I'd even entertain the idea of doing that?"

"Well, the paycheck for one. You wouldn't have to rely on me, or your soon-to-be concussed boyfriend to pay your way through college. The company would fund your dorm, food and all other study related expenses."

"You're still the owner of the company, Dad. That means I'd still be dependent on you."

"No, you wouldn't. I'm not talking about bringing you on as an employee. I'm talking about bringing you on as a stakeholder. One of the partners in the firm, if you will. It's not called Sanderson and Nicks for nothing."

"I don't have the qualifications or knowledge to be a partner. I'm eighteen."

"You'll get fast tracked. I was when I joined the firm at the same age."

I wait for a beat and take my father in. He's serious and I'm seriously confused.

"You know what? I'm not interested," I answer. "Now, if that's the only reason you came here, then I've got some other things I need to figure out."

I turn on my heel, pushing my nose up in the air because I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling good at finally standing up to my father even if it's just saying no for once.

"Hunniford," he warns, but I ignore him. He's got nothing on me. My trust fund matured when I turned eighteen, so I have no reason to need him now. "There's something else. Something I know you won't be able to turn down."

Okay, intrigue gets the better of me because I have no idea what he thinks I want.

"If it's a pony, I'm not interested. You have at least five that you aren't allowing me to see any of them. I miss them."

"I can add visitation with the horses to the deal if you're interested. However, I think there's something bigger that's far more important to you than that."

I narrow my eyes, studying my father. Flat lipped and emotionless, he's still so cold. Even when he's clearly desperate for me to say yes, he'll never reduce himself to begging, but I've got a feeling he might just blackmail me instead.

I need to get ahead of him. Raising my hand, I say, "You have five minutes. That doesn't mean I agree to anything but I'm going to hear you out so you stop calling me."

A wicked smile draws across his face and my stomach churns. Why on earth do I feel like I've just made a deal with the devil?