chapter 2

Chapter 2

Octavia 

“I can't deal with your constant bullshit anymore, so I'll be moving out by tomorrow evening.” I kept my voice firm, forcing myself to hold his gaze despite the knot twisting in my stomach.

Small problem, though. I had absolutely nowhere to go.

Cole stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows shooting up. The look on his face practically screamed, Yeah, and I'm the president. Then he turned away and continued leading Phyna towards the door.

As soon as they walked out, I closed the door and slid down against it, humiliation washing over me. Great! Just great. Could my life get any more embarrassing?

Now I had to find an apartment with whatever little savings I had left.

At exactly eight the next morning. I hadn't expected to run into Cole in the school hallway, after successfully sneaking out of the house, but there he was, looking annoyingly well-rested while I probably looked like a sleep-deprived witch with bags under my eyes.

He stopped in front of me, bending slightly to meet my eyes. Goddammit, he was unfairly handsome. His brown eyes, that ridiculous blonde hair, those thin lips I had spent far too much time pretending not to notice.

God, I hated that I still loved him.

“Tavi.” He tried to sound casual, as though he hadn't humiliated me in front of Phyna the previous night.

“What?” I barked.

He took a deep breath to probably calm his nerves. “Tavi, I didn't like what you said about Phyna, she doesn't deserve that cruelty, so you need to apologise to her.”

He paused, looking at me sternly.

“And I need you to do that when Phyna and I get back from my mom's house tonight.”

My lips parted, but no words came. Every footstep around suddenly became impossible to ignore. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was taking Phyna to his mother's house.

His mother's house?

I was the only woman he'd ever taken there. The only one he'd allowed into that part of his life, and foolishly, I'd let myself believe it meant something.

“Do you even care about me?” The question escaped before I could stop it. Students moved around us, their conversations blurring into meaningless noise as all I could see was Cole.

“I've been there for you since we were kids. I even chose a school I could barely afford because I wanted to stay close to you.” My throat tightened. “I thought I meant something to you, Tavi's best friend or not. I thought I was someone you…”

My voice failed me.

“You thought what?” He barked, the softness vanishing from his face.

“God, Tavi, I don't see you that way, and I never fucking will okay?. I never asked you to throw your life away for me, so stop acting like I owe you something and fucking apologize to her!”

He brushed past me without a second glance.

I looked around, my cheeks burning as whispers followed me from every direction of the entire hallway. 

Fucking perfect. You know what? I swallowed the lump in my throat and straightened my shoulders. I couldn't control what Cole thought of me, but I could stop making him the centre of my entire life.

With one shaky breath, I hurried to class. As soon as the lecture ended, I tiredly hurried to the college's cafeteria to take over my shift.

“Hey, Tavi! You've been running late a lot lately,” Karen, my coworker, said.

I rolled my eyes. She had a talent for turning a simple observation into a full performance.

“Sorry, class was hectic,” I replied, forcing a smile as I prepared to take over the shift.

“Hmm”. She mumbled. Parking her bags to leave when a thought crept into my mind.

“Um, Karen?” I scratched the back of my neck, hesitating. “Do you, by any chance, know someone renting out an apartment?” 

She hesitated, as if she didn't expect me to ask such question. Well, what could I do? I'm fucking desperate.

“I think you might actually be in luck!” Karen smiled. “A friend of mine knows someone who's looking for a tenant for his old studio apartment. I can give you his contact information.”

“Really?” I squeaked. This was probably the first time I'd ever shown Karen this much enthusiasm. She raised a brow at my reaction before handing me a card.

I snatched the card from her hands, my eyes already fixing on the number. Maybe, just maybe, things were finally looking up for me.

By the time my shift ended, I was practically vibrating with anticipation. Drake, Karen's contact, might be my ticket out of this housing disaster.

I checked the message one last time to confirm the meeting place, then headed straight to the school park.

The moment I reached the park, I spotted a guy standing a few feet away, his back turned to me. Dark curls rested against the nape of his neck, damp with sweat, while his hockey jersey stretched across his broad shoulders.

He wasn't bulky, but his lean, athletic build was unfairly attractive.

Hell. Even from behind, the man was beautiful.

I tightened my grip on my bag and approached him, rehearsing my words in my head.

“Hi, Drake? I'm the girl who messaged you about the apartment…”

My words died on my tongue. The man turned, revealing a face that was ridiculously handsome.

But that wasn't the craziest part.

This wasn't Drake. It was Hakeem Lannister, Cole's cousin and captain of the Ravens, the team that happened to be Cole's biggest rival on the ice.

“Drake couldn't make it, Octavia, so he asked me to meet you instead. I'm the one renting out the apartment anyway.” He flashed me a smile that should honestly have come with a warning label.

I never expected this. I'd spent years avoiding Hakeem simply because of Cole. He couldn't stand losing to Hakeem. And I, being the loyal best friend that I was, had foolishly adopted his enemies as mine.

Even at Lannister family dinners, I'd deliberately kept my distance from Hakeem, barely acknowledging him unless I had no other choice. Why would I bother getting to know the one person Cole seemed determined to beat at everything?

“I… I didn't know you were the one renting out the apartment,” I stammered, suddenly unsure what to do with my hands.

“Oh, Tavi, you don't have to look so terrified. We know each other, remember?”

I managed an awkward smile. Good Lord, did the Lannisters come with pride pre-installed, or was it a family heirloom?

“Shall we?” Hakeem smiled, leading me towards his car.

I stopped dead. A fucking black Bentley Flying Spur sat in front of me, its polished body gleaming in the evening light.

How rich exactly was the Lannister family? Because apparently, regular cars were beneath them.

The drive felt strangely endless, even though we barely spent any time on the road. When we arrived at the apartment, it was everything I'd hoped for. A charming off-campus studio with red brick walls, large windows, and a small balcony. Best of all, it was close enough to both school and work.

For the first time all day, I smiled,  glancing at Hakeem, who was frowning at his phone then wandered back to the apartment, and reality came crashing in.

Rent, Utilities, Food, My pathetic savings.

I could barely afford to look at the place, let alone live in it.

“Hakeem?” He finally lifted his eyes from his phone.

“I don't think I can afford this,” I admitted, gesturing towards the apartment. “I mean, look at this place. It's obviously way beyond my budget.”

He studied me for a moment before speaking “Honestly? It is.”

“What?” “Then why the hell did you bring me here?”

“Because you don't have to pay, Tavi.”

I stared at him for a moment before bursting into sarcastic applause, because apparently, the dramatic bitch in me refused to be silenced.

“And the award for the most ridiculous statement of the year goes to Hakeem Lannister!” I announced, waving an imaginary trophy in his direction.

“What do you take me for? The kind of girl who pays in kind when she can't afford to pay in cash? Hell no!” I snapped. 

“Tavi, Tavi, calm down, okay?” He raised his hands in surrender. “That's not what I meant. I just thought we could help each other out in a way that benefits us both.”

“Help?” I scoffed. “And why the hell would I need your help?”

He pulled out his phone. “Look.”

I leaned closer, and my stomach dropped. My face was everywhere on the school's gossip page. My confession and pathetic cry to Cole in the hallway had become campus entertainment.

Such a desperate girl.

Imagine begging for a man's love.

Unrequited love at its finest.

Heat crawled up my neck. I wanted to snatch the phone from his hand and throw it into the nearest lake. Instead, I stared at the screen, unable to look away. I wanted to disappear.

Then Hakeem lowered his phone and studied me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher.

“Let's clear this mess up by making a deal, love.”