Luckily, none of my friends have arrived yet.
“Can’t you sit somewhere else?” I ask.
He grins, shaking his head. “No can do, Trouble. I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it.”
I groan, thinking today is going to be a very long day. “How did you even get all the same classes as me?”
Because Hunter Duran is in all of my classes—at least so far. I don’t imagine the trend is going to change as the day goes along.
He shrugs. “Hacker friends, I told you.”
Right.
Hacker friends.
I wonder what all his ‘hacker friends’ have found out about me.
Liam walks by my table and pauses as he looks over at Hunter and me. He raises an eyebrow.
I wave at him, hoping he doesn’t stop to ask about Hunter because what would I say? Of course this looks bad. I’m sure he’s going to think I’m dating Hunter even though that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Liam gives me a thumbs up before going to grab his food.
I groan. “My brother totally got the wrong idea about us.”
Hunter smirks. “Well, us dating would explain why I’m going to be spending so much time with you.”
“No. Nuh uh. Not happening.” I shake my head.
“Why not?”
“Because… if I fake date you, how will I ever get a real boyfriend?”
He furrows his brows. “Do you want a real boyfriend?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve never had one before. But it would be nice to have somebody to go to homecoming with. And prom.”
He chuckles. “For a while there, I forgot you’re a teenage girl.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I raise my voice, but quickly lower it as I realize people are staring.
“Just that you remind me of the girls I work with. Trust me, Trouble. It’s a compliment.”
I am not sure if I believe him or not.
“Stop calling me Trouble. My name is Cove.”
He winks. “I’ll stick to Trouble.”
I roll my eyes.
As if having hitmen hunt me down isn’t bad enough, I’m stuck with the world’s most obnoxious bodyguard. Maybe I should just let one of the hitmen get me and put me out of my misery.
A tray goes down onto the table beside me and I look over to see Laura and Harper take a seat. Both of them have their mouths hanging open as they look at Hunter.
“Uh, Cove, who’s your hot friend?” Harper slowly turns from Hunter to me.
I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Harper points to Hunter. “The only hot guy at our table.”
“Oh.” I shrug. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Hunter smirks. “Sure you haven’t.”
I roll my eyes. “Guys, this is Hunter. He’s a pain in the butt. Hunter, this is Harper and Laura.”
“Hey.” Harper grins at him. “Are you single?”
Laura’s cheeks turn red. She’s probably embarrassed by Harper’s question.
Hunter slips his arm around my shoulder. “I’m interested in a certain unattainable brunette.”
Harper narrows her eyes. “Why are you unattainable?” She turns to Hunter. “Trust me, she’s single. She is in desperate need of a boyfriend.”
Desperate need? Really?
I glare at Harper.
“What?” She feigns innocence. “You need somebody to go to homecoming and prom with. And no offense, but you seem really innocent.” She smiles at Hunter. “I bet she’s never even been kissed.”
My cheeks grow warm. “Oh my gosh, Harper. Shut up. Please.”
I don’t need Harper getting me a boyfriend. Especially not Hunter.
Hunter is here to protect me—he’s not even a high school student. He’s nineteen-years-old. There is no way he would ever be interested in any of the girls here.
Hunter chuckles. “Don’t worry. I’ll convince her.”
Harper giggles, sitting forward. “You wouldn’t have to convince me.”
I groan, covering my face with my hands.
“Or me,” Laura says.
“Sorry, ladies. My heart belongs to somebody else,” Hunter says.
My heart clenches at his words.
Does Hunter have a girlfriend?
I don’t care. I really, really, really don’t. But I am curious.
Hunter Duran is a good looking guy. Any girl with eyes can see that. Being attracted to him doesn’t mean anything. He gets on my nerves too much. If I ever dated him, we’d end up killing one another—no hitman needed.
The thought of Hunter being interested in me is almost laughable. He’s so far out of my league…
I’m… average. Always average. Average height, 5’5”. Average brown eyes—the most popular eye color in the world. Even my hair is brown, which is the most popular hair color in America. Nothing about me stands out next to other girls. Not that I want to stand out, I don’t. I like blending in, thank you very much.
Everybody falls into a comfortable conversation. Laura and Harper eventually stop trying to flirt with Hunter.
I guess this is going to be my new normal. Breakfast with Hunter. Class with Hunter. Lunch with Hunter. More class with Hunter. And my evenings will be spent with Hunter.
I’m never going to get away from Hunter.
“Cove, are you all right? You’re looking a little pale.” Laura frowns, looking at me.
“I’m fine,” I assure her.
But I’m not so sure myself.
How am I supposed to survive this?
Liam slides into the chair, directly across from me.
“Coco, who is the boyfriend?”
I huff, throwing my hands in the air. “Why does everybody think that? He’s not my boyfriend.”
Laura giggles. “But he wants to be.”
Liam looks at me, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s true.” Hunter slips his hand behind my chair. “I’ve made my intentions clear, but she has shot me down.”
Liam nods. “Good. Play hard to get. Make him work for it.”
I scoff. “Hunter, you really have to stop telling people that.” I give him a pointed looked. “Because it’s definitely not true.” I turn to Liam. “Hunter and I are just friends, that’s it.”
Liam smirks. “Sure. Just friends.”
I throw my hands up. “Why does nobody believe me? It’s true.”
He ignores me and turns to look at Hunter. “If you hurt my sister, I will hurt you.”
I stand up from the table. “I’m just going to head to class since nobody is paying attention to me anyway.”
Hunter jumps up. “I’m coming with you.”
Of course he is. He has to. Which will only reassure my brother and friends we are together. It won’t just be today… it’s going to be every single day until… Well, I don’t know how long. I guess until he and his hacker friends figure out who put a hit out on me. Until he knows that I am safe.
Maybe it’s better if my friends think we’re dating.
Then again, if they think we’re dating, they’ll expect things—like for us to hold hands and kiss. That is not happening. Even if I were interested in Hunter, which I’m not, I don’t want to be in a relationship right now. Not when somebody is literally trying to kill me.