Chapter 28

     Chapter 28 : Be my boyfriend 

    GAVIN HAWKINS POV

    I sat on the edge of my bed, the room dimly lit by the pale morning light seeping through the curtains. My knuckles throbbed, raw and bruised. I’d cleaned them last night, but they still looked bad.

    The memory of Lyric’s expression lingered in my mind—the confusion in her eyes, the way her gaze darted to my hands. It made me feel something I couldn’t quite name. Guilt? Embarrassment? Or maybe… regret.

    I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. I didn’t regret punching Aaron. He deserved it. But I hated that Lyric saw me like that—angry, volatile, and reckless.

    There was a knock at the door. I glanced up, half-expecting it to be Iris. But when I opened the door, it was a woman I’d never seen before. She was beautiful, with green eyes and brown hair.

    However, her hair wasn’t the same shade as Lyric’s. Neither were her eyes. For some reason, I felt disappointed.

    Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, she bowed in greeting. “Good afternoon, Gavin.”

    It was already afternoon.

    “Who are—”

    “She’s your new tutor,” Coach said, appearing in my doorway. “This is Keira—Keira Gavin.”

    I extended my hand for a handshake. She took it firmly, her fingers lingering on my palm before letting go. When I glanced at her face, she winked at me.

    This was bad.

    I picked up my jacket from the rack and went outside to the porch with them. I didn’t like people entering my house.

    Sitting on the porch, I noticed Coach leaning against the railings. His eyes scanned the area. “You have a beautiful place here, Gavin. When I got the address from Iris, I thought it was a prank. A house at the edge of town?”

    “It belonged to my grandmother,” I replied calmly, casting a glance at the small garden she loved. Since her death, I hadn’t planted a single flower there.

    “Wow,” Keira exclaimed, standing from her seat. “You have so much space here, Gavin. It’s so big—you could accommodate another house and even a garden.”

    Keira stood against the railings, slowly raising one leg and brushing it against her thigh.

    Instantly, I looked away to Coach. He seemed very happy to have finally found a tutor.

    “She’s been tutoring math for over five years and will be helping you. You’ve got barely two weeks until the makeup test, right?” he asked, cracking his knuckles.

    Clearing my throat, I answered, “Yes, Coach.”

    Coach glanced at his wristwatch, his eyebrows furrowing. “I need to leave now.”

    “Your wife again?”

    “Yep,” he smiled. “She has a doctor’s appointment, and I need to go with her.”

    Coach Fedelin was expecting his third child with his wife of seven years. They were the picture-perfect couple of Velmont—a teacher and student romance, with Coach as the student and his wife as the history teacher. Despite the ten-year age gap, their relationship thrived.

    After Coach left, I returned to Keira at my door. She had taken off the beige jacket she was wearing, revealing a white crop top. She was fit, with visible abs, and as thin as a stick.

    “Should we get inside?” she drawled in a nasal voice.

    “No,” I refuted. “Are you hungry?” I deflected, trying to stop her from pushing it.

    “Yes!” she squealed, a smile stretching across her face.

    ---

    “Why did you choose this restaurant?” I shifted on my feet slightly, scowling at the building. It was a large one story building.

    Keira had instructed me to stop at a restaurant I was very familiar with. It had a giant tag on the roof adorned with festive lights: Pizza and Stuff.

    As we walked to the door, someone in a pizza costume dashed over, giving us a welcome dance and handing out flyers. We accepted them and went inside.

    “Why?” she laughed. It wasn’t forced, but it sounded rehearsed—cute and brief, if that made sense. “I’m craving pizza. I will pay for my share if you want.”

    “No need,” I frowned, crossing the threshold. “I offered, so I’ll pay.”

    Paying wasn’t the problem. The issue was a certain someone who worked there. I wasn’t ready to face her—especially with this girl around. I didn’t want to give her any reason…

    To be jealous?

    Why would she be jealous? Oh my goodness, I was delusional.

    “Excuse me,” I said, rising from my seat. Turning to leave, I heard Keira mumble, “We only just sat down!”

    I headed to the back where the restrooms were. The men’s restroom came first. I entered and walked straight to the mirror.

    I examined my teeth—clean, with no breakfast leftovers stuck. Then I checked my hair. It was a little messy from the helmet, so I ruffled it until it looked better.

    It was okay.

It's okay. I'm okay.

    Breathing out hard, I washed my hands and sanitized them before leaving, even though I hadn’t touched a single thing. On my way out, I noticed a small bowl of mints and grabbed a handful. It was my first time doing that, but I had no choice.

    I couldn’t see Lyric with bad breath.

    Returning to my table, I saw Keira taking pictures, forming a half-heart with her hand, pouting, and making peace signs. She even pretended to sip her coffee like some influencer.

    When her eyes fell on me, they widened in surprise. She gestured for me to come over, and I obliged.

    “Come take a picture with me,” she said.

    “No,” I refuted coolly as I scrolled through my phone.

    “Why? Let’s celebrate our first class together as student and teacher.” she pouted in plead. 

    “Isn’t that why we’re here? I don’t like taking pictures.”

    "Are you kidding me?" She chuckled, making a face. Realizing I was serious, her mouth dropped, and she leaned forward on the table, her eyes wide with surprise.

    "You're telling me, with a face like a Greek god, you don't take pictures?"

    I nodded.

    "Why?" she asked, fluttering her lashes. "Be my boyfriend, and I'll make you love pictures." She teased, her voice playful. Keira was beautiful – more beautiful than Janice and half the girls at my school.

    Still, I had no interest in her. She was just a distraction, a one-night stand to be had after our tutoring sessions were over.

    Of course, I was going to sleep with this girl. We both knew it.

    As if reading my thoughts, she slid her leg up mine, reaching for my groin, but I stopped her. Keira laughed, a seductive sound, and bit her lip.

    Dispelling the thoughts in my head, I rubbed my hands together. "Let's order."

    "Okay," she chirped, slapping her hands together.

    Once again, I went into phone mode, watching the national hockey game I had missed the night before because of my assignment. I studied the goalies of both teams intently, trying to see where I lacked skill.

    "Hello," I heard Keira say to someone in a high-pitched voice, but there was no response.

    She placed a hand on mine, squeezing it slowly. "I'll have the vegan option, and what about you, babe?"

    Babe?

    This girl was clearly delusional.

    My ears twitched at the sound, and I shook my head dismissively. "Give me the usual."

    Footsteps followed as the waiter walked away. Steadily, I chewed on my mint, drumming on the table with my fingers. "Are you getting me?"

    "What?" I frowned, taking one of the earbuds out and making brief eye contact with a raised brow.

    She rolled her eyes in irritation. "You have to be focused, Gavin. I said that waitress was so rude – she only waved and nodded. She didn't even reply to my greeting. She must be rude and obnoxious."

    Waitress?

    My face lit up, and I lifted my head, scanning the crowded restaurant. I stopped at the chubby, curvy waitress who was about to enter the kitchen.

    Lyric halted in her tracks, as if knowing someone was staring at her. She looked over her shoulder and eventually landed on me.

    My breath caught, and I was stuck between saying "hey" or waving.

    Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

    She was traumatically beautiful!

    The messy strands of her bun ran down the side of her face in curls, and her face was pink from the heat of the kitchen.

    I offered her a small smile, but she looked away and disappeared into the kitchen.