Never take a bad day for granted, they don’t ever amount to as much as a shitty week.

Izzy had been dealt a hand of those, with the group project sessions skirting on unbearable. Colleen was studying diligently for her assignment so Izzy couldn’t vent on her and Kady, the only other outlet was several states apart, usually reserving her free time to train or talk to her boyfriend.

To add on to that, a call from the mechanics revealed her car had several more parts to fix. She’d been barely been scraping by her allowance while a few external costs covering the process of reclaiming her sedan ate up the fat on her wallet. Spencer texted her the other day to say he found eyeliner in his trunk and wanted to know if it was hers, but Izzy couldn’t find the energy to do more than blink at it. Much less, do her laundry.

Which meant she didn’t have a clean bra to spare and simply threw on the first blouse in sight. The material was thick enough so her nipples wouldn’t be too visible and the weather was pretty humid these days. The V hemline dipped low and offered a generous view she didn’t plan for.

Today’s group meeting wasn’t at the coffee shop, Sip It but instead a cozy, little bistro that Izzy personally liked to dine. With Doug running late, she could enjoy the mood and it would’ve almost been a good start.

If not for Brian who decided to take it upon himself to chasten any of the other guys for sneaking glances at her breasts. Izzy would’ve gladly ignored it rather than to be left being all the more self-conscious that half the people at the table cared about the meat on her chest than any piece on the menu.

Izzy didn’t bother to even read the options, beckoning over a waitress with a familiar mop of thick curls and a knowing look. The name tag bearing the name Paulina hung crookedly on her chest. As she was noting down Izzy’s order without her saying a word, Izzy subtly pointed to the tag. Paulina glanced down and then stuck out her tongue. As mature as always.

Paulina wrote down everybody else’s and was swift to report to the kitchen. Not many minutes had gone by before Simon was getting impatient, “Man, forgot how long shit takes when it’s not coming out of a machine.” He obviously hadn't thought of anything to contribute to the proposal and hoped to avoid that with his mouth full. “Why didn’t we just go to that coffee place?”

“We’ve gone there enough times. Besides, Izzy doesn’t like coffee,” said Brian.

Now every set of eyes were on her. Izzy looked at Brian. “… I didn’t hear anything about that,” came a mutter from Pike.

Brian worked up that charming smile. “Well, she didn’t tell me but every time we went there she never ordered anything. Am I wrong?” He cocked his head as he directed the question at her, pure arrogance radiating off at him.

Izzy thought about lying for just a split second. “No. I don’t like coffee.”

He lightly nodded his head, careful not to make a show about it. Though, it was blatant the choice of venue was a flex at how perceptive and accommodative he was. Why the guy went to such lengths to assert his leadership was beyond Izzy. She could only wonder if he'd chosen this place also on the fact it was one of her favourite spots.

Izzy didn’t know how to feel about all that, but she was getting treated with food she actually liked so no harm done. Darrell had to turn up before their orders, unfortunately. Even the extra biscottis Paulina added on her plate couldn’t completely block him out and the stupid suggestions he was making to cut down the size needed for capital.

When Iris, the most quiet, needed napkins, Izzy volunteered herself as an excuse to put some distance but Brian had risen up at the same time. He tailed her as she started to the  side bar where she knew a fresh stack would have them on shelf.

“You seem pretty familiar with this place,” he started.

She raised a brow. Did he intend to gloat at how he worked it out or was he actually just curious? “Oh, yeah?”

“Well, I think most people would just ask the staff to bring some instead getting them yourself.”

“Oh.”

Okay, she walked right into that one.
“Also, I got the impression from our waitress.” Brian nodded to where Paulina was lingering by a table, making terrible attempts to sneak glances at them. “You two have met before. Is she your girlfriend or something?” He said it with just enough calmness to sound simply curious rather than intrusive.

“No. She's my cousin.”

Brian’s reaction was as expected. He paused for a bit, then kind of snorted, thinking she was cracking some kind of joke. Obviously he didn’t do his research well enough to know Izzy hardly ever joked. Then his hazelnut eyes peered to the peeping waitress, the realisation settling in. “… Wait, you do look alike.”

She didn’t blame him for not catching on earlier when the first thing people generally saw was Izzy’s dark skin and then Paulina's naturally tanned skin from her stronger Hispanic descent. No one thought to compare deeper to find the many similarities in the features, they could’ve passed for siblings.

Brian was visibly trying to piece the puzzle together now. “So, you’re mixed?”

“My cousin’s from my dad’s side of the family.”

“Montego,” he slowly uttered her surname on his lips in perfect pronunciation. “The hint was right there, must be an idiot to not to have put that together sooner.”

“Real idiots don’t let that sink in. You can ask Darrell to confirm it.”

The laughter Brian let out was a rich pitch of gleeful and pleasant to the ears. He certainly was in shape from his days spent golfing on fresh mowed grass and the most exposure to hazardous materials was probably cheap leather.

“I happen to be a quarter Mexican myself,” Brian boasted. “Ironic, no?”
No. No it was not. “I have no tack for languages though and only know the standard greetings in Spanish. How about you?”

“I only speak it with my family.”

Brian wisely took the hint the discussion was over, but not before leaning in close to say, “Guess I'll have to meet them huh?” The brush of his fingers against her waist was so subtle and faint, she could almost imagine it didn’t happen.

Izzy could tell from the sheen in his eyes he was more chipper than ever, probably from how much he got out of her. Though, Izzy would urge herself to be frank about that topic after experiences in the past when she kept a tight lid about her name and roots, leaving to assumptions she was adopted. Of course.

Dealing with the pity and everything was a far bigger hassle. Besides, if Brian got it in his head that she was warming up to him, was that such a bad thing?

When Colleen had looked up his profile on Instagram, she’d fell into a dramatic fit. “Business— it’s always business that has all the hotties.”

Izzy wouldn’t lie, Brian was very handsome. Brian was well put together, paid attention, thought up a good business proposal and drove a pretty nice black SUV.

Except when the hour was ticking by and soon enough, everybody would be clearing off, Izzy felt that awful dread in her stomach each time Brian locked eyes with her. He was going to offer her a ride and she still didn’t want him to. Despite how much easier that would make things for her if she did.

It wasn’t like Izzy cared about using Brian's interest for her advantage when she didn’t share them. A ride home didn’t mean she owed him anything but Izzy just didn’t want to concede any ounce of need towards him. Towards anyone, really.

Amidst that, she recalled Spencer’s text. The one about the eyeliner, which she was sure had to be his ex's because she wasn’t carrying any that day.

Spencer wouldn’t know that though, since she left him on read. A great excuse to have him drive over and conveniently take her to the park from there. Though, he'd texted her at least six hours ago and would’ve contacted his ex too. Janice or Juliette could’ve already gone to claim it.

That risk still wasn’t enough to dissuade Izzy and she sent the message. She didn’t realise she was holding her breath until she felt the gentle vibration of her phone.

She hastily read the response and for the first time all week, Izzy smiled.

**

The sight of the steel blue pick up truck glinted in rust was oddly comforting. As for the dark haired guy poking his head out, that was debatable.

When she drew close and Spencer took note of her exposed chest, he bore on a face like he just discovered that Izzy had tits. It was comical.

“You got here quick,” she said it off-handedly as she fastened her seatbelt. Small talk was the last thing she cared for.

“M-Mm? Oh, yeah…” He quickly tore his head away, redness dusting his sharp cheekbones. When he coughed into the back of his hands, the stammer smoothened out of his voice. “You don’t strike me as someone who’s patient so…”

She raised a brow, a damper on that earlier comfort. What was this, psychoanalyse day? “And you reached that conclusion how?”

She waited to see what narrative he'd state to flaunt his deduction, only to receive a simple shrug. His fingers lightly tapping on the steering wheel. “Dunno, just a feeling.”

And that was it.

That was it?

She took him in pensively, uncovering nothing but a carefree expression and benign smile hanging on his lips. He'd clearly said it without a single, intellectual thought behind it like locker room talk with the girls.

It nearly triggered a snort. God, how could she almost get herself worked up? It was Spencer.

A sentence she didn’t think would come into a context as anything other than a migraine. He surprisingly hadn’t gone to pry for an answer but maybe he figured she’d brush him off. A shame, because she felt in a much better mood to humour him but the quiet drive accompanied by sound of Millennial Coast on the radio wasn’t so bad.

“So uh, I actually took out the eyeliner and forgot I left it at my place,” he started with a bit of a nervous hitch.
Izzy didn’t know what the hell he was on about until it came back. Right, that was the reason he was meant to have picked her up for. “It’s fine, I can get it another time.” She pulled off the seatbelt and reached for the door to unlock.

“Izzy, wait.”

The funny thing was, she half expected he was withholding from saying something and Izzy would take that as a sign to get away faster. That sign didn’t come up though. She paused and turned.

Spencer’s hands lightly rubbed at the back of his neck. “You never got back to me about my offer.”

“Offer?”

“To lend you the truck until your car's fixed. Colleen told me how much those repairs are taking.” Goddammit, Colleen. “Please, Izzy. I know you’re uncomfortable about this stuff and you don’t—” He stopped himself mid-sentence, shaking his head. “You’d honestly be doing me a favour, I swear.”

Oh, Izzy fully believed it. With the way he had that look in his eyes, desperate, urgent and downright insufferable in ways she didn’t know what to do with. She hated feeling overwhelmed or helpless, the whole aspect of depending on others, even her own family at times was something she hated with a burning passion.

She hated it even more because of dumbasses like Spencer Hull. Who simply couldn’t comprehend how this was difficult, so he senselessly pushed and pushed.

For a moment, Izzy’s thoughts could sink somewhere deep and dark at the appeal of just toying with him. At the end of it all, even if she didn’t, someone else would and sometimes people didn’t learn until they had it beat into them, didn’t they?

But Izzy wasn’t going to be that person anymore.

“It’s really not that big of a deal, Spencer—”

“Bullshit.”

She could only raise her brows at his tone. Regret instantly flashed across his face and he recoiled. “I’m sorry. But, why is it so bad if I want to help you? I don’t care if you hate me, I just don’t want to be worried…” he mumbled, eyes broodily fixed on the dashboard. “I don’t get it. I really don’t.” His frustration was loud and shameless like a whiny child.

That probably should’ve irritated Izzy, instead of this warmth in her stomach. “Well, I don’t know how else to explain it to you. I've used every basic word in the English language.” She caught his expression grow a bit dim before she added, “But what am I even expecting at this point? Fine.”

His face lit up. “What, seriously?”

“But only on the condition that in return for lending me the car, I will compensate you so that we're even.” She could stomach her qualms if it seemed less like a hand-out and more of a trade.

“Compensate?”

“Like paying for gas—”

Spencer shook his head. “I can’t accept that from you. The repairs…”

“I know, it was just an example. You can take your time to think of something that would benefit you that I could do, simple as that.”

Spencer's lips flattened to a terse line, a thoughtful look streaking his gaze. Yeah, this was gonna take a while…

“Call me once you come up with something.” Izzy turned to unlatch the door when his hand cuffed her elbow.

“Hang on.”

She faced him once more, a look in his deep stare that made her slightly more alert. Or perhaps it was the feel of his callous fingers still wrapped on her. Either way, her mind was divided as he spoke. “I know what you can do as compensation. You'll repay me with your company.”

Izzy slowly blinked. “Company?”

He nodded. “You take the truck when you want and then you'll meet with me, keep me company until I say you've satisfied the amount of time you used. Sound good?”

Izzy took a moment to soak in the string of words, trying to grasp at the implications that seemed to roll off his tongue like nothing. “Keep you company doing what, exactly?”

“Just stuff. Y'know like—”

“Stuff? What, sex related stuff?”

Spencer stilled. “I-I wasn’t— what? No!” Realising he stilled had his hands on her, he dropped it like it burned him. “That isn’t what I meant!”

Izzy cocked her head. “Yeah? With all those connotative words like satisfaction? Hell, that’s honestly even shadier if that isn’t what you’re implying.”

His face became redder, spreading to his ears. “I was just trying to say, we could like, spend some time to talk, maybe get something to eat and… and…”

“And fuck?”

Red flushed his cheeks, threatening the corner of her lips to curl. She resisted, keeping a neutral front while he found his words. “Sounds more like that’s what you were hoping for, from how I see it.”

Oh? He was trying to taunt her now?
Izzy’s humourous moods were fleeting and about as common as a blue moon. In taking in the flustered man in front of her, it was far too tempting to let it pass. She crossed her arms, “You’d certainly benefit from it, that’s for sure. Who knows, with what I could teach you, you might not only get rid of all your pent up sexual frustration but maybe learn how to keep a girl longer than a couple of months.”

It had slipped through her lips with ease, like much else that the weight of it didn’t sink in until the way Spencer winced back as if she physically slapped him. Though, she might as well have.

God, I'm a bitch.

She crossed the line, that much was certain. How could she fix things? An apology for starters. “Okay, I think—”

“Alright."

This time, Izzy stilled. A silence lapsed that wasn’t one of the usual, strained ones and had her feeling unnerved. “What?”

Spencer’s gaze was heavy, pale eyes filled with some sort of determination and intrepidness that stirred an off-beat spike in her chest. “If you’re so sure you could 'teach me', then fine. That’s what I want in return.”

Another out of place beat, a hitch in her breath and an unflinching, burning stare. Her fingers found the door latch, mouth moving in tow to push. “I’ll call you later then.”