"Wha-wha-what do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like?"

My eyes rest on his lips which were barely a few centimetres away from me. The alarms going off in my mind were blaring furiously and I take a precautionary step back. Do not let your mind wander into uncharted waters, Catherine. 

"Invading my personal space. That's what it looks like," folding my arms across my chest, he frowns at me before resting his gaze on my lips then looking at me from head to toe and then bursts out laughing at his handiwork.

"You know cupcake, you should never leave your hair down."

"Why?" My brow furrows in confusion, and he narrows his eyes and takes a step forward, resting a hand against my shoulder and leaning in to whisper in my ear. Hot breaths tickle my sensitive skin and send a tingling sensation rushing through me, making me blush.

"Because if other men were to see you like this, who knows what they'll do. They won't be able to take their eyes off of....all this loveliness?"

"Um, okay," I replied dumbly, not being able to even think straight because my mind was too occupied at detecting the closeness of his body but I'm smart enough to know that I was still being made fun of. Shrinking back, he doesn't let go of my shoulder but continues to gaze down at me, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I'm not very perceptive but this kind of attraction is what I want my match(ee)s to be feeling. I on the other hand, have never, and probably will never, be able to feel or make someone feel attracted to me. 

"Okay...but that doesn't explain why you dragged me here?" I added cooly, shifting my weight in a failed attempt to avoid his towering figure. 

"It's called a sleepover isn't it?"

"That's what you call it. I call it an invasion. Fine, I'll humour you instead. Why do they call it a sleepover?"

"Simple. You need to sleep here with Patrick and me, you got to really experience the great outdoors."

Gawking, I look down at Patrick's snoring figure and then back at Zander's smug looking face, "Why? And you call my living room the outdoors?"

"It's still freezing cold out here so it's basically the outdoors."

"Yes, okay it's cold. But why do I need to be out here?" I whined, imaging the layers of blankets piled high on my bed just waiting for me to use.

"I don't think I should disclose that kind of information."

"What?"

"Listen, Cupcake, you are going to bring a sleeping bag into this room and place it right between Pat and me."

"I don't get why you're making such a big deal over a sleepover. You sound like a whiney ten year old girl."

"WHAT?"

No I wasn't sorry for telling off Zander Nolan, son of the president. He enters my apartment and bosses me around and then expects me to sleep next to him peacefully? I was a saint, but even saints have their limits, and I just discovered mine. 

"A girl, a ten year old girl?"

"Yes."

"I'm at least at the level of a sexy grown woman. I mean, just look at all these sculpted muscles."

Rolling my eyes, I try walking past him but he grabs my wrist lightly and holds me back, "You're probably the first person to call me a whiney little girl."

"Should I be congratulating myself?" I admonished more harshly, raising a brow out of annoyance.

"Ha ha, funny. Sarcasm isn't going to get you very far, sweetheart."

"Then let go of me!"

"No."

"Why?"

"Will the two of you shut up already! Can't a man sleep around here?"

Both of us turn to the sound of a very tired and irritated male, Patrick's groggy face and bed head hair put mine in disgrace. Yikes, what a disaster! Rubbing his eyes, he slips out of his sleeping bag and walks soundly towards the two of us. Looking at me and then Zander, he does the good deed of smacking his buddy on the back of his neck.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"For waking me up, asshole! Just leave the woman alone, and stop being such a child."

"See I'm not the only one who think you're a petulant little boy who should just leave everyone alone and go to sleep. It is way past your bedtime sir." 

The murderous look on his face makes me inch a little closer to Patrick who gives his friend a hard look in return, "Just let her do whatever the hell she wants, it is her place after all and we're the ones that invited ourselves over and ate her food....wow, we're horrible actually."

Observation: Patrick Greene is a very sensible guy when it comes to females.

"No, not that. What the hell did you just call me?"

"Whoa man, let it go, no need to get so offended."

"So I'm a little girl one minute and then I get overly sensitive the next? And then I invade and eat?"

"It's not like that man...hmm well maybe it is?"

"It sure looks like it," And with that, Zander storms out of the room into the kitchen to gobble down a cupcake I've clearly set aside for myself. Not hesitating to stop the petty behaviour, he decisively walks into my bedroom and slams the door closed. Dear God, please tell me the hinges to that door are still intact?

Scratching his head, Patrick offers me a fleeting look of apology, "Sorry you had to witness that."

"And I'm sorry we woke you up, I value my sleep too."

"Uh, thanks I think."

"Does he always act like this?" I ask curiously, because if that is the case then I'm going to need to find someone with a soft temperament.

"Nah, Zander just has a hard time dealing with insults."

"Seriously?" Doesn't everyone have a hard time being hit in the face with insults?

"He has a tough time handling rejection or accusations...or hunger. He may be a lost cause but his immaturity can be cute sometimes. It's jokes seeing the lengths he'll go to when he's hangry, if no one thought it was a bodily state that could really cause damage, then they'd easily change their minds if they met Zander."

"Oh." This is new, and alarming yet, all I can feel is a twinge of empathy since I wasn't so keen on dealing with anyone unless all the conditions were to my advantage but that didn't make me a child. My previous inclinations about Zander lacking social distance were right on the nail then because who could possibly think that display of petulance was, 'cute'?

"Since you're up, would you like anything?" I ask politely, wanting to reward my 'hero who came to the rescue' since he stuck up for me.

"I really hope we're discussing food because..."

"Let me guess, you're starving?"

"Yes!" The agony in his eyes just makes me roll my own. Walking into the kitchen, I make him a bowl of ramen before deciding to take the risk and walk dreadfully towards my bedroom door.

Knocking lightly, I turn the knob and step inside to find Zander prying through all my drawers on my vanity table. Gasping, I march up to him and smack his arm before snatching what appears to be my journal. That is a dark moment from my past life I can't bear to expose, why I even have the damn thing is beyond me.

 I'll have to set it on fire tomorrow when they leave.

"What do you think your're doing?"

"Sorry, was that private?"

"YES."

"Whoa, sorry, Cupcake. I got bored and figured the vanity was at least the safest place to browse in order to know more about you."

"Do you have a disorder? Or maybe you're just a thousand moods in one?" Disbelief clouds his face and his eyes widen in shock, "What?"

"How can you have an argument with your friend, storm out of a room, and then cool off in five minutes pretending it never happened?" Yes, I'm snapping at him for being so indifferent within the span of five minutes, but most of all, he was over-stepping certain boundaries, especially considering the fact that he's a complete stranger.

"It's Patrick, we've known each other since we were kids, and he's my best bud. Trust me when I say he doesn't care."

"Whether Patrick cares or not isn't what we're discussing here. You should apologise for your outburst."

"Why would I..."

"Because it's the grown up thing to do. Yeah, remember that word? It also implies that if you don't want to be called a child then don't act like one."

"Yes, Mom."

"I'm being serious."

"All right! If you want me to apologise to him, I will, but I'm telling you it doesn't make a difference." Standing up, he walks towards the door to exit, and I roll my eyes and nearly grit my teeth, my own way of refraining from violent behaviour to knock some sense into him.

"Why can't you just man up?" I mumble under my breath, this however, turns out to be the wrong thing to say as he stops abruptly and turns to me with narrowed eyes.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I reply sweetly.

"You know, Cupcake, if you keep up these sassy remarks, I'll end up doing what I was planning to do in that living room not too long ago." 

I dart my eyes nervously and nearly wring my hands from the tension that seems to seep into my body all of a sudden, "And wha-what was th-that?" Damn you stuttering mouth. 

His face scrunches questioningly before a realisation dawns on him, "I meant sharing the blackmail worthy shots I got of you, not whatever it is you're thinking."

Internally, I'm scoffing, but on the exterior, I'm a mass of nerves being undone. Stepping away from him, I clear my throat and narrow my own arms before crossing my arms. I will not let Zander Nolan get the best of me! I've never met any of the other match(ee)s but they were all similar, and Zander wasn't an exception, they were all the same type.

As a matchmaker, being deluded with sweet talk and flirtatious behaviour is as good as admitting I'm an amateur. I've observed this kind of behaviour first hand and know of the consequences - mainly broken hearts.

A girl's broken heart.

And besides, Zander was just having fun with me, messing with a pathetic girl's feelings because he gets a kick out of it. He was only being friendly because he needed my help. I shouldn't get my hopes up. With new found determination to ignore Zander's flirting (and I've finally managed to figure this out at last! I'm slow but not stupid) I sit next to Patrick on the couch. 

"She wants me to say sorry, so....sorry man." Patrick's face lights up in amusement, and I nudge him with an elbow to take this seriously. 

"Er...no hard feelings then."

There's a pregnant pause before both of them shift uncomfortably. Patrick sulks deeper into the couch as Zander balances himself on the balls of his feet.

"That's it?" I rasp out questioningly.

"What did you expect cupcake? A bromance moment?"

"I was hoping for something a little better than this, next time make him beg for your forgiveness," Pointing a demanding finger into Patrick's face, he stifles a laugh before nodding solemnly in understanding.

"Yes ma'am. I'll make him work for it."

Neither one of us see it coming. All I manage to catch is a flash of green as a couch cushion hits Patrick square in the face. Groaning from the impact, I sense danger when he stands up and begins approaching an amused Zander.

"So you wanna play like that do you?"

"All is fair in love and war."

"I'll make you eat those words."

"And I'd like to see you try." 

"Um, guys listen I don't really think that's such a good idea." Two heads turn sharply and I shrink back into the couch. Opening my mouth to explain that I prefer my cushions the way they were now and not as a pile of chicken feathers, there's a knock on the door that quickly shuts down their chances to wage war as I head to answer the door.

Both of them follow me and I yank the door back without glancing at the peephole to come face to face with Celia and Ms. Zhao. 

Well you know what they say, the more the merrier, yet, my heart sinks in my chest.

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