THE BAD BOY.
❝You got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes.❞
- Style, Taylor Swift

IT ALL STARTED WITH A DARE. Cece had read and watched romantic comedies with exactly the same story premise, but she had never imagined herself to be living one. Then again, she brought this upon herself when she declared that starting on her twenty-first birthday, she was going to put herself out there. But she didn't really mean it---Nobody who made bold promises like that ever meant it, did they?

"Sorry, you want me to do what?" she asked.

Her friend, Denise, swirled her wine, mischief lining her lips. By the looks of it alone, it wasn't anything good; she'd always had a penchant for stirring trouble, usually involving a man or two. "I said, I dare you to get his number." She pointed behind Cece, who turned around and took the quickest glance at the man sitting on the bar. She didn't see his face, but she somehow just knew that he was hot---Might have something to do with his cocky posture, the way he seemed to occupy every inch of space around him, knowing with full certainty that this was his world and everyone else was just living in it.

She turned to her friends and shook her head profusely. "Can I please do something else?"

"Cece, we've talked about this," Denise said, her tone firm but gentle. "You said you needed the push to put yourself back on the market after what happened, and now, we're giving you that push."

"But---"

Her other friend, Rory, added, "C, you have nothing to worry about. You look stunning. Seriously, I cannot imagine a scenario where someone says 'no' to you tonight." Around the table, her friends chimed in with compliments, some mildly inappropriate but most effective in convincing her to take the dare.

Cece exhaled deeply before drinking one shot of liquid courage. "Fine, I'll do it," she told them, which was followed by a chorus of claps and cheers. She stood up and walked over to the bar, throwing another glance over her shoulder on the off-chance that one of her friends would stop the whole ordeal. But they only gave her a round of thumbs up. She reluctantly took the seat on the edge of the bar and ordered another drink.

Cece took a few subtle glances at her target. So, what's her play? She could sit closer to him, opening with a fun pick-up line or icebreaker. But she was currently blanking on conversation starters and was already committed to her seat. Or she could try and maintain eye contact with him, sending him a smile and inviting him over. But not once had he looked her way. Maybe, she could---

A deep, masculine voice behind her interrupted her thoughts. "He's single, if you're wondering," he said, and Cece looked at the newcomer who took the seat next to her, blocking her view to her target. He gave her a dimpled grin, and in return, she smiled politely.

"His name's Sam. Twenty-four, works as a software engineer, and stands at 6'2. Also, he's a Gemini," he continued, and the crease on her eyebrows deepened.

Cece eyed him suspiciously. "Who...?"

"I'm his friend, Jacob," he said, "and you are...?"

"Cece." She shook his hand, still suspicious but grateful for the distraction. She took a long sip of her wine and then after a while, gestured at Sam. "So, he's a Gemini, huh?"

Jacob winced. "It's a bit of a dealbreaker, I know. But he doesn't smoke. Drinks occasionally, though."

"Why are you telling me this?" Cece asked, tilting her head. She observed the way he lazily shrugged or swirled the drink in his hand. Something about him was so effortlessly charismatic that she couldn't help but pay attention to every little thing he did. But she pulled her gaze away from him before he noticed that she may be slightly attracted to him.

"Hopefully, that offsets the fact that he's a Gemini," he answered.

She shook her head, pressing on, "No, I mean, why are you telling me all of these?"

"Between you and me, I'm his designated wingman for the night," he explained, leaning closer that she got a whiff of his cologne. "And I'm supposed to be hyping him up. I mean, the odds are stacked against him as it is, being a Gemini and all."

She chuckled under her breath, putting her hand up to get the bartender's attention and order tequila shots. "You know, I'm taking a shot every time you say 'Gemini' from now on."

"I'm just saying, I've been working overtime as his wingman," he said, resting his palms on the counter. His hands were ridges of veins, decorated with silver rings and leather bracelets. "Do you know how many women turned the other way because of his sign? Nine."

His energy was contagious, and before she knew it, Cece started to match it, playing along. "Gee, I'd really hate to round it up to ten."

Jacob gave a chuckle. "I'd hate that, too."

"Well, I hope he's making it worth your while," Cece told him.

"I know, I keep saying that," he said. "Would you mind mentioning that when you talk to him later? About how he's making me work overtime and all that."

"I would, but I still don't know how to approach him," she replied, pursing her lips. "I'm not really the type of person to walk up to somebody and start a conversation. I usually just... wait for someone to come up to me."

He gave her a one-over and smirked. "I bet it always works out for you. I mean, you're magnetic," he said, the carefree words rolling off his tongue without any hesitation.

"To the trained eye of a wingman such as yourself, I guess so," she said teasingly, daring him to cross the line she had just drawn.

And he did. "You know, it's a shame I didn't get here earlier. Maybe then, you would approach me instead."

Cece would be lying if she said she wasn't attractive to him, but he was already oozing in charisma and confidence that she didn't want to give him the satisfaction by agreeing. So, she said, "Oh, really?"

Jacob took a sip of his drink, his gaze never leaving her. He smiled when she took the challenge.

Ten seconds, she counted in her head.

Usually, Cece held her own in staring contests, but goddamn, Jacob smiled and winked at her, catching her off-guard. She looked away, her lips involuntarily stretching to a smile. "Fuck," she muttered, avoiding his eyes, red staining her already wine-flushed cheeks. It took a while for her to pull herself together and when she finally did, Cece noticed that he was repressing probably the most self-satisfied smile ever.

"Shut up," she said, focusing her eyes on the empty shot glasses in front of her.

"I'm not saying anything."

"Your face says it all."

Jacob chuckled softly, shifting in his seat before saying, "You know what, I'm just going to be straight with you---I'm obviously very, very attracted to you. So, I say, forget about Sam. He's a Gemini anyway," he told her, making a dismissive gesture toward him.

Cece turned to meet his eyes, downing a tequila shot. "You're not a very good wingman, are you, Jacob?"

"I did tell you about my dismal numbers a while ago." He smiled when she scrunched her nose. "But I am an excellent date. You can see it for yourself if you want."

Cece pretended to consider his invitation, making him sweat a little as payback for a while ago. Just then, behind Jacob, she saw her friends, some waving their arms around and others giving her thumbs up. She opened her phone when she received a notification for a text message saying, "forget abt the stupid dare, c !! go have fun w the new guy <33 keep us posted, love you lots mwa mwa"

She had almost forgotten about the dare.

"So, are you in?" Jacob asked, standing up and offering his arm. "I know this Asian fusion restaurant that just opened, and we can try it out if you're interested."

"I'm in," Cece responded, hooking her arm around his and then giving a secret thumbs up to her friends when she passed them by.

---

A/N: hello again! thanks for reading :) and sorry to geminis out there ! their views do not reflect mine (or do they? :P jk)

so, it's actually my first time exploring other tropes and dynamics, and it's been really fun and exciting! i get now why people write about cocky or bad boys :') HAHA but i know some parts are still pretty awkward but it gets better, i promise haha

💭 i would love to know your thoughts on jacob hehe do you think jacob is the fiancé? why or why not?

the next update will be sometime soon! :) my focus is on finishing 'our tulips together,' but i'll make sure to update at least every other week! thanks so much again for reading, and hope you have the best day <33