After the Raft Capsized, the Ice Cold Campus Heartthrob Came Knocking Chapter 01
The summer trip to Cedar Creek Valley was supposed to be fun.
But our raft flipped over, and Sabrina Cole and I fell into the water at the same time.
Derek Vance, my childhood neighbor, swam straight to save her and let the current sweep me away.
The safety officer who fished me out, a burly middle-aged man named Earl Morrison, patted my shoulder and said, “Sweetheart, I saw the whole thing. That guy’s not worth it. Don’t you worry. I’ll fish you out a handsome one in a minute.”
And with that, he hauled Cole Bradshaw out of the water and dropped him right into my lap.
I blinked.
He was Pinehurst University’s notorious ice prince, cold and untouchable, the kind of guy who once made a girl cry just by stepping aside when she pretended to trip in front of him.
I panicked and shoved him away immediately.
But the next second, I heard a strange voice.
[Why did she push me away? Is it because I’m wearing too much? Does she prefer guys with better physiques?]
Right after that thought, Cole started unbuttoning his jacket.
***
I grabbed Cole’s wrist. “What are you doing?”
He froze for a second, then said flatly, “Hot.”
Hot, my foot.
We were freezing our teeth chattering in that river.
I almost exposed his pathetic lie.
But when I saw his cold, composed face, I forced the words back down.
I’d just confirmed that the voice in my head was real, but I still couldn’t quite believe it.
After all, Cole was famous on campus for being an iceberg.
He was cold to everyone and never said more than one word at a time.
Rumor had it that a girl once pursued him hard for months, and he never said a single word to her.
Another time, a girl pretended to trip and fall toward him.
His face went terrifyingly dark, and he pushed her away so hard that she burst into tears on the spot.
Thinking of all that, I looked down at my hand still resting on the back of his, and my scalp went numb.
Uh, he wasn’t going to throw me into the river, was he?
I yanked my hand back and cleared my throat. “Uh, you know, it’s easy to get cold on the river. You’d better not take your clothes off.”
Cole slowly lowered his hands and gave a faint “Mm.”
[She’s worried about me.]
[She’s so cute. She doesn’t even realize she lost her shoe.]
The next second, a strong, well-defined hand appeared in front of me, holding a pink water shoe. “You dropped your shoe.”
I looked down. My right foot was completely bare.
I paused for a moment, gave an awkward smile, took the shoe from him, and thanked him.
Cole gave me a curt, cool nod.
Then another strange voice popped up.
[So happy. She smiled at me and said thank you.]
By now, I was absolutely certain.
I could really hear his thoughts.
Just then, Earl, who’d been busy fishing people out, suddenly paddled over and asked, “Sweetheart, I got good taste, right? I watched all the rafts come down this batch, and he’s the best-looking one. You like him?”
I glanced at Cole subconsciously—deep and beautiful emerald-green eyes, refined features, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist.
Who wouldn’t like that?
I couldn’t help swallowing hard, but when my eyes met his indifferent gaze, I quickly looked away in guilt.
When Earl saw I wasn’t answering, he patted my shoulder. “Don’t be shy. I got your back.”
With that, he paddled over to Cole and asked, “Kid, you got a girlfriend or not?”
Cole paused briefly, glanced at me, and shook his head.
Earl’s face lit up. He pointed at me excitedly. “What about this cute one? I think you two look great together.”
My head snapped up in shock. I was about to tell this nosy old man to knock it off.
Then a clear, cool voice cut through. “Okay.”
I blinked.
Did he just say okay?
My eyes went wide. I stared at Cole in disbelief.
But he was looking back at me too, and a faint flicker of confusion passed through his usually cold eyes.
[Why isn’t she saying yes? Does she think I’m not handsome enough to be her boyfriend?]
Hearing that thought, my mouth twitched.
Dude. Do you even hear yourself?
You’re literally the famous campus heartthrob at Pinehurst University. You’re not handsome enough?
Oh my god, I’m the one who’s not good enough, alright?
“My child! Has anyone seen my child?”
We’d drifted into a calm stretch where some other rafts had gathered. A woman was shouting at the top of her lungs.
A kind passerby tried to comfort her. “Shoes are replaceable. Just buy a new pair.”
The woman, Patricia Bradshaw, explained in a flustered manner, “I mean my son! The current was too strong just now, and we got separated—”
Everyone went silent.
Seeing that they finally understood, she went around asking anxiously, “Has anyone seen a tall, really handsome boy in a black windbreaker?”
I looked at the tall, handsome campus heartthrob sitting right in front of me in a black windbreaker.
Was that the guy she was looking for?
