After the Raft Capsized, the Ice Cold Campus Heartthrob Came Knocking Chapter 04
“You’re insane.”
I walked straight past him.
Derek panicked and lunged to grab the cup from me.
I ducked behind Cole without thinking.
He smirked at that, held me behind him with one arm, and threw a punch that sent Derek flat on the ground.
Wow. No wonder he was campus royalty. That was actually pretty cool.
I gave him a thumbs-up. The corner of his mouth lifted just slightly. Then he shifted one step to block Derek’s furious glare from reaching me.
[Looks like Mia’s pretty happy with my performance. I wonder if there’s a reward.]
A reward? How about an extra beef jerky stick?
Without a word, I shoved a couple of beef jerky sticks and one cup of mac and cheese into his hands.
[She gave me this. Is she hinting at something?]
Hearing that, I snatched the jerky sticks back.
His hands suddenly empty, Cole shot me a wounded look.
Sabrina, seeing Derek on the ground, cried and threw herself over him. “Derek, I don’t need hot food. Cold is fine too.”
I was completely out of patience. I grabbed Cole’s hand and started to leave.
Cole’s inner voice screamed: [AHHHHH! MIA TOOK MY HAND! I’M NEVER WASHING THIS HAND AGAIN! NOT TOMORROW EITHER!]
At that, I nearly choked on my own spit.
Dude. You’re being ridiculous again.
Derek saw me holding Cole’s hand and lost it. He scrambled up, clutching his face, and yelled at my back, “Mia! If you walk away, don’t expect me to give you a ride home!”
Ugh. I really wanted to throw the mac and cheese at his head.
But fine. I shouldn’t waste food.
Seeing me pause, Derek pressed on confidently. “There’s no Uber out here. I don’t think you can get a ride anywhere.”
I snorted. “Fine. I won’t ride with you. I’ll just be a forest ranger’s assistant and live in the woods!”
With that, I pulled Cole along and left.
It was the first time I realized how insufferable Derek could be.
If it weren’t for my mom—who thought I was too much of a homebody, and when she heard Derek and some classmates were going on this trip, she insisted I come along—I wouldn’t even be here.
Our parents had been close friends for years, so we’d known each other since we were kids.
The older generation had always tried to set us up. And to be fair, Derek had been pretty nice to me growing up, so I’d once had a bit of a crush on him.
But this trip had made me see him for who he really was.
I was lost in thought when Cole’s cool voice came from behind me.
“You can ride back with me.”
Wow. He was such a good person.
I spun around, grabbed his hands excitedly, and said, “Thank you! You’re a lifesaver.”
Cole cleared his throat twice, quickly pulled his hands back, and his ears turned pink.
That was when I realized the so-called iceberg was actually kind of adorable.
We’d just finished our mac and cheese when the sky opened up.
The staff made an emergency announcement: the rain was going to keep falling through the evening, so the rafting was suspended. People could either hike back the way they came or find lodging nearby.
Cole and I decided to find a place to stay for the night.
But when we rushed to Whispering Pines Inn, we were told there was only one room left.
Cole and I stood at the front desk, staring at each other, neither of us sure what to do.
The clerk, Lacey, seeing us hesitate, gave us a helpful nudge. “We’re completely booked today. Every other place nearby is full too. You two lovebirds can just share one room. If you wait too long, even this one will be gone.”
Just then, Derek walked down the stairs, looking smug. “Mia. If you apologize to me, I might consider letting you have one of my rooms.”
I couldn’t stand seeing him so cocky. Without a second thought, I whipped out my ID, slammed it on the counter, and said, “We’ll take this room. We’ll stay together.”
