I should have known things would get complicated the moment Jaxon insisted on "walking me home."
"I insist," he said, holding out his arm like some rom-com hero from a movie. "You can't walk through the city streets alone at night. It's… unsafe."
"I don't need an escort," I said, rolling my eyes and trying not to look at him. But somehow, he still managed to catch my gaze.
"Of course you do," he replied smoothly, stepping closer. "Everyone needs a little trouble in their life. Lucky for you, I'm volunteering."
I groaned. "I don't need trouble, thank you very much."
"Exactly why you need me," he said, his smirk practically daring me to argue.
We started walking. The street was quiet, almost too quiet, and my nerves were on edge. Every shadow seemed like it could be hiding… I don't know… a mugger, a stray dog, or worse… a boring person. And naturally, because this is my life, he tripped on the curb and grabbed me—hard.
Our faces collided. My glasses slid down my nose. His chest pressed against mine. I swear, my brain short-circuited.
"Smooth," I muttered, shoving him lightly without meaning to admit how my body was definitely not cooperating.
He just chuckled and leaned closer. "I call that style. Very… intimate."
"Style?" I repeated incredulously. "That was nearly a full-on kiss, you idiot!"
"Not a kiss," he said, mock-serious. "Call it… advanced positioning. Very tactical."
I blinked. "Tactical? Who even talks like that while almost kissing someone?"
"Me," he said simply, that infuriating grin plastered on his face. "And it's working, isn't it?"
I wanted to roll my eyes, stomp my foot, and run screaming all at once. Instead… I found myself laughing, because really, what else could I do?
He looked down at me, mock-offended. "Laughing? Really? I was being completely heroic!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Heroic? You tripped and nearly—"
"—nearly kissed you? Yes. Exactly. That's how heroes operate," he interrupted, smirking.
I groaned again. "You are impossible."
"And you… are entertaining," he said. "See? We're even."
We walked a few more steps, and I noticed how every small gesture he made seemed to invade my space: the way he brushed a stray hair from my face, the teasing glance when he "accidentally" bumped into me, the way he laughed at my flustered expressions like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"Oh no," I whispered, more to myself than him. "I'm already doomed."
"And I," he said, stepping even closer, lowering his voice so it brushed against my ear, "am your charming doom."
I froze. The sound of his voice, that stupid grin, and the way he leaned closer made my brain short-circuit. I wanted to tell him to back off, but I couldn't move. I was trapped in this ridiculous, flirty chaos.
"Why are you like this?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed but failing spectacularly.
"Like what?" He feigned innocence. "Like completely irresistible?"
I groaned again. "Yes! That's exactly it. You're… impossible!"
"And yet," he said, smiling like he had just won a championship, "you're still walking with me. Not running. Not screaming. You're… enjoying it."
I opened my mouth to argue but closed it immediately. He was right. And maybe… just maybe, I was enjoying it.
I cursed under my breath. This was going to be a long night. And I had a feeling that every encounter with Jaxon would be even more ridiculous than the last.