chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hakeem

Honestly, I didn't give a damn who rented my old apartment. I just wanted someone to take it off my hands. So, when Drake mentioned that he came across someone looking for a place, I waved him off and told him to handle it.

I barely paid attention until he mentioned her name. ‘Octavia Whitman’.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. My heart hammered against my ribs. Was this the same Octavia Whitman whose every routine I knew by heart? Where she worked, the classes she attended, and even the feelings she stupidly tried to hide for my idiot cousin?

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't some pervert who stalked people. Octavia was simply someone I'd loved from afar. Ever since we were eight, I'd watched her stick to Cole at our family dinners like glue while barely sparing me a glance.

She had gotten under my skin so badly that every woman I'd been interested in shared some of her features: red hair, curvy hips, and plump lips. It was fucking insane. I'd even convinced women I've fucked to wear wigs in her exact shade of red, all because I couldn't get her out of my head.

I glanced down at Octavia, who still looked overwhelmed by everything she'd just seen on my phone. 

“What deal exactly are you talking about?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her question was the last thing on my mind. With her standing so close, I could feel my body reacting to her in ways I had no business admitting.

“Your best friend, Cole, doesn't give a damn about you. He doesn't see your worth. And now you're trending on the school platform. Everyone's going to have something to say about you.” I paused, letting that sink in. “But you know what? They'd think twice about mocking you if you showed up with a boyfriend.”

“Excuse me?” Her eyes widened, her lips trembling with disbelief.

“You need a place to stay, somewhere far from Cole, and I need a girlfriend to get my obsessed ex off my back.” I leaned closer, holding her gaze. “Think about it, Tavi. You get a free apartment, I get a girlfriend, and we both get something out of this arrangement.”

Well, that was only half a lie. I did have an obsessed ex who wouldn't leave me the fuck alone.

But the truth was, I had several ways to get rid of her. But then I saw Octavia. Her shiny red hair, the way her eyes lit up whenever she smiled, and the way I kept getting lost in them like a lovesick idiot.

And that video? It couldn't have come at a better time. It was the perfect excuse to get rid of my ex and finally get close to the woman I'd wanted for years.

“But here's the thing,” I continued, watching suspicion creep into her eyes. “If we're doing this, we're doing it properly. No half-assed pretending. No backing out the second things get uncomfortable. When people see us together, they'll believe we're crazy about each other.”

I paused, letting the weight of my offer settle between us.

“I'm saying, don't you want to make Cole jealous? To show him your worth and prove your life doesn't revolve around him? 

Her lashes fluttered as she fought back tears, her lips pressed tightly together. Then, she glanced at her phone, probably hoping Cole would call, even once, to show he cared about what the whole school was saying about her.

“You don't have to pay for the apartment. All you have to do is pretend to be my girlfriend. Cole gets jealous, realizes your worth, and who knows? If you love him that much, maybe you even get him in the end.”

My throat tightened at my own words. The last thing I wanted was for her to go back to Cole, but I needed to convince her to say yes. I just had to find the right thing to say.

“Look, I'm not forcing you into anything. I could charge you whatever you can afford, or hell, let you stay for free. But I get the feeling you'd rather chew glass than accept a favour from me. This way, we both get something out of it. You don't owe me anything beyond what we agree on.”

Her anger seemed to fade as she considered my offer. She wasn't looking at me like she wanted to strangle me anymore. Good. Maybe I was finally getting somewhere.

“I…I…”

I cut in by pulling out my card and handing it to her, keeping my face as serious as possible. “If you need help packing your stuff, just call the number there,” I said.

I turned to leave, but before I could take another step, she called me back.

“I'll take the offer,” she said in a small voice. “But we need to draft a plan, rules and regulations…” She kept talking, but I could barely hear her. My heart was already jittering, and all I could see was her moving in slow motion.

“Do you understand me?” Her voice yanked me out of my maladaptive daydreaming.

I smiled and nodded like a fool, even though I hadn't understood a single word she'd said.

“I'll need help packing some of my stuff before it gets dark,” she said, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice.

I simply gestured for her to get into the car because, at that moment, I was way too excited to trust myself with words.

We arrived at Cole's apartment and she stepped out of the car, arching her back slightly as she stretched.

“Uhm… just wait here, okay? I'll call you once I'm done,” she said before walking away.

I waited exactly thirty minutes, and when I didn't hear anything from her, I knew I needed to go in. I walked in without even thinking when I heard their voices.

“And where exactly are you going?” Cole questioned. He had no idea I was there, while Octavia stood with her back facing me.

“I'm leaving!” I really wanted to applaud how nonchalantly she said it.

“Come on, Tavi, just because of a little misunderstanding? You want to throw away our years of friendship?” 

“You want an apology? Fine! He yelled. I'm sorry alright?”

“No, Cole, you don't care about me! When was the last time you asked if I was okay instead of spending your time fucking around or throwing money lavishly at people you don't even care about? Did you even stop to think about how I felt when you said that to me in the school hallway?”

“Or how I felt after reading all those mean comments about loving someone who doesn't even see me?”

“I've always been there for you, Cole. Always at your beck and call, dropping everything just because you needed me.” Her voice cracked, and something inside my chest twisted painfully. “Because I loved you!” The last words came out shakier, almost breaking beneath the weight of everything she'd kept bottled up. Each crack in her voice seemed to echo the painful rhythm of my own heart.

“So where will you go now?” he demanded angrily. “You want to keep struggling to pay your rent? Or have you forgotten you have nothing…”

“She's with me now, Cole.” My voice echoed through the apartment. I smiled slowly as his face twisted from anger into pure rage. 

God forbid a man speaks the truth?

“Fuck no!” he spat, glaring at me with undisguised hatred.

I ignored him and wrapped my hands around hers, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. I fucking hated seeing her cry.

“Why the fuck are you here? He scoffed unbelievably.

“Are you trying to spite me?”

I hadn't expected her to cut in , but what she said next made my heart fucking soar.

“He's my boyfriend now. I'm finally giving love a chance.”

“Love? What love?” Cole looked ready to explode.

So, naturally, I decided to make things worse. I hesitated for a split second before lowering my head and capturing her lips, making damn sure Cole got the message.

She didn't pull away. Instead, she kissed me back, and fuck, it was the best kiss of my life.