CHAPTER 41: LITTLE RED FLAGS

Catherine’s POV

The moment the final bell rang, I ran to find Gabriel, eager to get out of this fucking school.

He was by his locker pulling on his jersey, when I found him. Shit! I remembered his practice.

"Gabe," I called, trying to sound casual.

He smiled, breathless from rushing. "Catherine, heard about your relationship. Collins, huh? You know he is Julian’s rival?"

I swallowed hard, pretending not to care. "That has nothing to do with me. Collins is a great guy."

He nodded with a smile. "Alright, I’m happy for you but I have to go now. My team is waiting."

"Okay," I nodded.

As usual, the only other ride available was Julian, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him.

My choices were limited though, I wasn’t ready to talk with Collins, as a matter of fact, I was still feeling guilty about the loss, so I tried to avoid him.

I found Julian’s car parked a few rows away. I rushed over to it, waiting for him to arrive but then... I started hearing weird sounds. The tinted windows made it impossible to see inside, but when I heard a girl’s laugh, I realized what was going on.

That moron was making out with a girl inside the damn car!

Oh, for God’s sake.

My blood boiled before I could stop it. I knocked sharply on the window. There was silence, then a muffled voice, and finally, the window rolled down halfway.

Julian’s tousled hair was a mess, his expression unreadable except for the sheer boredom in his eyes. "What the hell do you want?" he asked, with a low tone, edged with irritation.

I crossed my arms. "Gabriel has practice. I need a ride."

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "And that’s supposed to be my problem because...?"

I clenched my teeth. "Because you live in the same house, genius."

His mouth curved into that mocking half-smile that made me want to slap it off. "Not my problem. Go meet your boyfriend. I’m sure Collins would love to play chauffeur."

I scoffed, getting furious. "You’re one selfish bastard."

"Thank you but I’ve got a pretty lady to get back to," he said dryly, rolling the window back up.

That was it. I didn’t wait another second. "You can fuck off," I snapped loud enough for him to hear, turned and walked away before the heat in my face could betray me.

I pulled my phone out and called the only person who wouldn’t leave me stranded.

"Hey," Collins’s voice came through, "You done for the day?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Could you pick me up?"

"Sure. I’ll be outside soon. Wait by my car."

Ten minutes later, Collins appeared and opened the passenger door for me to enter, before running over to his side and getting in.

A gentleman indeed.

"You look like you’re ready to commit murder," he joked.

"Just a long day," I muttered, fastening my seatbelt.

He chuckled. "Then let’s fix that. Where do you want to go?"

I hesitated, realizing I didn’t even want to go home yet. The thought of dealing with Lucy already made me feel sick.

"Any suggestions?"

"Uhm," he said, placing a finger on the side of his forehead, like he was trying to think. "How about a movie?"

That actually didn’t sound bad. "Alright," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips.

—

The cinema was nearly empty, which was perfect. We picked an action-comedy and sat toward the back. For a while, I forgot everything. I even laughed a few times.

But somewhere around the middle of the movie, Collins’s arm brushed mine and stayed there. His fingers moved slowly, tracing the edge of my hand, then his palm slid to my thigh.

I stiffened.

He caught the change in my breathing and stopped, his eyes on the screen. "Sorry," he murmured. "Do you mind?"

I forced a small laugh, keeping my gaze ahead. "Let’s just watch the movie."

He nodded, removing his hand without argument. The rest of the film passed quietly, and by the time the credits rolled, the tension had faded again.

When we got outside, the evening light was fading into orange and violet. It was only six.

"Should I take you home now?" Collins asked, leaning against his car.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

He smiled. "Then dinner it is. I know a place."

The restaurant was small but cozy, tucked between a bookstore and a bakery. Collins ordered something fancy I couldn’t pronounce for the both of us.

When the food came, he took one bite, frowned, and leaned back. "No way, ugh. This doesn’t taste as good as my chef’s version."

I blinked, confused because it didn’t taste as badly as he made it out to be. "How can you tell the difference though? Is this another typical rich kid thingy?"

He let out a low laugh. "I don’t know but if you have a taste of my chef’s version of this dish, you will feel the same way. I could show you, that’s if only you do not mind coming over to my place."

My lips folded in uncertainty. "I don’t know if that’s—"

"Relax," he cut in smoothly. "It’s just dinner."

I wanted to argue but ended up saying "Fine."

We got to his house and it was bigger than I expected. Everything inside gleamed, from the marble floor to the glass staircase.

"Your house is beautiful," I said, still staring in awe.

He smiled, tossing his keys to a man in uniform.

"Richard," he called and another man in an apron appeared.

"Prepare that risotto I mentioned earlier."

The man nodded and disappeared.

I followed Collins through the wide living room, my shoes barely making a sound on the floor. "You don’t have to stress him for me."

"You are my girlfriend now, of course I have to. You deserve good food," he said simply. "Besides, nothing is stressful about getting my staff to do what they are paid for."

There was something about the way he said those words. Wanting me to eat good food was flattering but speaking about his staff with disregard felt very unsettling.

—

Dinner came quickly, and I had to admit that Collins was right.

"Told you," he said with a smirk, watching me eat like my reaction mattered.

"You did," I admitted with a smile.

He seemed pleased, and for a while, things felt normal until he led me upstairs.

"Where are we going?"

"My room," he said casually.

It felt wrong going into his room with him but I followed anyway.

My goodness! His room looked like it belonged in a magazine. It was neat and expensive. Framed photos of him in sports events and award ceremonies filled his walls. While glancing around, I realized I hadn’t seen any pictures of his parents. Come to think of it, he never really mentioned anything about them.

"What about your parents?"

His expression shifted instantly. "What about them?"

"You’ve never really talked about them."

"That’s because it is none of your business," his tone suddenly became sharp.

"Sorry," my voice cracked after a while.

There was a heavy and awkward silence afterward.

He blinked, then sighed. "No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be harsh."

He moved closer and gently took my hand, leading me to the bed.

"When I was a kid my parents divorced. My dad remarried and moved abroad. My mom... Well, she’s busy living her new life. They’re both alive, just not really around or concerned about me."

I bit my teeth together as guilt pricked at me. "I’m sorry, Collins. I shouldn’t have asked."

He smiled weakly. "No need to feel sorry for me. I get to have this big house for myself at least."

I smiled back and that was when he leaned in, closer than before, whispering, "You’re such a breath of fresh air, you know? No one has ever really cared to ask about my parents."

Before I could respond, he kissed me.

It wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t gentle either. I didn’t kiss him back right away. My mind screamed at me to stop, but I didn’t want to hurt him, not after that story. So I let him.

But his hands started to move up my legs, to the middle of my laps and that was where I froze.

"Collins, stop," I said quickly, pulling back.

He shot a confused look at me. "What’s wrong?"

"I... I want to go home."

For a second, he looked frustrated, I noticed from the way he rubbed his face. "Did I do something wrong?"

I stood, straightening my shirt. "No, I’m just not ready. We just started dating yunno."

He looked pissed. "Fine. I’ll have my driver drop you off."

My eyes widened. "You are not going to drop me off because of this?"

He walked closer to me, placing his hands on my shoulders, "of course not, I just have something to do. Get home safe," then he kissed my cheek and looked at me with a smile.