Never had I seen a person so happy. Chanelle had on the widest smile ever. Her Louis Vuitton purse hung off one of her arms as she walked past, looking like she'd won the lottery.

"She seems happy."

I broke my stare on Chanelle and shifted it to Manu who was halfway through her sandwich already. A deep frown decorated her lips. "Normally she's always scowling like she's mad at the world."

Chanelle had every reason to be happy. After all, Cherry did break the good news to her. The mission was accomplished, Daniel liked me. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Ali snorted and put her soda into her tote bag, trying to keep up with Manu and I. "She is mad at the world."

Manu shrugged, finishing off her sandwich and tossing the wrap into a trashcan.

At least, one of us was happy. So happy that she didn't even try to notice my existence.

I felt like this should have been good news to me as well. My twenty five grand was just within reach. All I had to do now was ensure that my spot in Daniel's heart was secured and then break him without being affected by any of it.

Easy.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed in my hand.

From: Assface

Where are you?

Many threw a look my way, wiggling her eyebrows knowingly. I just rolled my eyes and typed back a response.

To: Assface

On my way to the library. You?

From: Assface

Apparently on my way to the library. See you;)

My heart fluttered and I let it.

I was a bad person. A terrible person who did not deserve Daniel's attention. But this, him, it felt so right. Almost worth defying Chanelle for.

At this point, I'd accepted our situation for what it was. I was attracted to Daniel. I wanted him even though he wasn't mine.

It was a damned if you don't, damned if you do situation.

I sighed and put my phone away, chiding myself. I wasn't supposed to be thinking about this. I had a job to do.

"So..." Muna dragged out suggestively, nudging me with her elbow and grinning like the Cheshire cat. "How's my favorite couple?"

"We're not a couple." I shifted my braids away from my face and tucked my hands into my pockets. "We kissed on Saturday."

Both Ali and Manu gasped but didn't stop walking. The latter still had her jaw dragging on the floor when Ali spoke.

"You do not just dump info like that!" she pouted.

Beside her, Manu recovered from her mini shock. "When? Where? How? I thought you said you were just friends!"

"You believed that bullshit?" Ali's eyebrows shot up as she snorted. It was fair so I didn't argue. Part of me didn't believe it too.

I licked my lips and exhaled. "it just kinda happened. He walked into my hostel and we kissed. End of story."

"Oh, ho, ho, no can do, Miss," huffed Manu. "There's more to this story and you are telling us everything."

Deciding that they wouldn't stop looking at me like I'd just dropped from the beyond until I told them, I went ahead and did just that. I relayed the story again up until the part where Carol and Cherry walked in. No need to start something I knew I couldn't finish.

By the time I was done telling the story, we'd walked through the doors of the library.

"That is wild," Ali commented.

Muna, on the other hand, had a lot of questions. "How good a kisser is he? Are you two a real couple now? Did he want to take the kiss further or—who am I kidding? Of course he'd want to take the kiss further. He's just too whipped to insinuate it. Was there close contact? Are we expecting babies now?—"

"Slow down, Manu. You'll give her a headache." Ali plopped down into a chair while Manu and I sat opposite her. At the last minute, she lifted a brow. "We're not expecting babies now, are we?"

I rolled my eyes. "We didn't bone each other and go at it like rabbits in my room if that's what you're asking."

Manu snickered. "I can't believe you. After all that talk about just being friends. How does it feel to have Daniel Brighton's heart?"

Honestly, a huge part of me wanted to say suckish. It wouldn't have felt like that if I wasn't carrying the Chanelle factor. "I don't have his heart," I said instead. "It was just a kiss."

Both my friends gave me a look that said, "you're either crazy or delusional." Then, Ali went to say the words out loud.

"You're in denial."

I bit down on my lip.

Okay. Maybe I was in denial. Agree to disagree. Whatever.

Point is, I could not screw this up. I just had to find a way to get all these bubbly emotions out of my system, eradicate the thought of kissing Daniel from my mind, and stop craving to comb my fingers through his surprisingly silky soft hair—I simply had to know what products he used.

See? Easy.

While Manu laughed at my expense, Ali shook her head and drew out a novel from her bag.

"You both like each other," Manu started with a pointed look. "He's a hot guy, you're a good girl. I wonder what's the holdup."

The holdup was the fact that I wasn't a good girl.

There was so much on the line here. If the truth about my intentions with Daniel came out, I wondered if Ali and Manu would still think I was good enough to hang out with. And I'd surely loose Daniel.

Suddenly, twenty five thousand didn't seem all that grand.

Ali, looked up from her book. Only, her gaze wasn't trained on me. It was fixed on something behind me.

Or someone.

I felt Daniel tug on one of my braids before he materialized beside me. Stupidly beautiful grin and all. Under the gazes of Manu and Ali, he bent down and planted a kiss on my cheek.

Like a switch had been turned on somewhere, I felt my cheeks rise up into a smile.

"Hey, Freshman."

Right then, I was literally itching to slap my hands on both sides of my face. The traitors were ruining everything for me.

"Hi, Daniel." Even as I spoke, the silly smile didn't waver. No matter how many times I mentally smacked myself.

He had his hair held up in pigtails again and I just couldn't begin to describe what it was doing to me. I put both hands under the table and pinched myself. Twice for good measure.

"You look different today," he commented.

"You've probably seen me in this shirt a thousand times without noticing but thanks for the compliment." I shrugged, trying to play it off. My gaze travelled everywhere but him. Maybe if I didn't stare at Daniel, I won't have to deal with my raging thoughts.

"I always notice, Noah." All my efforts were tossed out the window in that second as my eyes found his. He smiled. "Always."

My chest felt like it was heaving and suddenly, I simply couldn't think. Daniel was doing something to me by just being here and I wasn't sure I didn't like it.

Ali cleared her throat, drawing both my and Daniel's attention.

A smile split her lips and she put down her book. "Hi, I'm Alice Loewe but you can call my Ali. This is Manu Chabra." She nodded towards Manu who sent a small wave, sporting an excited grin. "We're Noah's friends and since the two of you are something now, you should get used to seeing us."

"We're not—" I started speaking to correct Ali, but Daniel beat me to it.

"It's nice to meet you." He gave me a look that had me swallowing all my words. "Noah never talks about her friends even though my friends would pick her over me any day. I hope I get you guys on my side though. So when we hang out, I won't get forgotten."

Manu snorted, breaking free of her Daniel-daze. "As if you could be forgotten."

My eyes widened but he just laughed. He probably got this a lot, but it was still embarrassing. Even for me.

His gaze found mine again and without looking at them, he asked, "mind of I steal her for a bit? She'll be back in a second."

Ali picked up her book, feigning ignorance. However,I knew that look in her eye. It was the you-are-telling-me-everything look, identical to the one Manu had on.

"It's fine. Take your time."

After thanking them, Daniel took my hand and led me out of the library. All the way, I urged my brain to kick in. To figure out what I was supposed to say to him. To think like a rational person in my shoes would.

A breeze passed us when the library door swung shut and Daniel turned to me. His pigtails swished. He didn't let go of my hand.

"I want to —"

"I don't—"

We both shut up then chuckled in the next second. Apparently, he was almost as nervous as I am. Almost. Between the both of us, I was the one initially faking this.

"You go first," I urged.

Daniel exhaled and stepped closer to me. I swallowed.

"I want to talk about us," he began in a low tone. I sucked in a breath and held it. "I feel like I forced myself on you. You know with you leaving the way you did on Wednesday and me showing up and kissing you. I—I'm sorry for—"

"No." What was he even saying? "I liked it. The kiss. You can't even force yourself on me if you tried." When Daniel raised a brow, I knew he wanted to challenge that statement but I rolled my eyes and continued. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

If anything, I was the one supposed to be apologizing.

He visibly relaxed, shoulders slumping and hold on me tightening. A soundless gasp left my lips when he put an arm around me and pulled me flush against him.

Okay so we were doing this. Right her in front of the library where the whole school could see.

He grinned. "In that case. I want to kiss you again. Real bad." For a second, his gaze flickered to my lips. My pulse quickened in reaction, but then he brought his eyes back up to mine. "But I'll save that for later. For now it's wrong place, wrong time, right girl."

My stomach tightened, partly in anticipation of that promise and in disappointment that it wasn't being fulfilled right away. Fast felt good in a way.

Maybe cherry was right. I should enjoy this while it lasted. I was way too deep to come out of this mess unscathed.

Daniel tugged on my braid again, gently. I blinked back into reality.

"You wanted to tell me something?"