Page 5 of Little Paper Games
Finally, with a huffed breath, Professor Quinn looked at the clock and sighed heavily, her head hitting the podium in what looked to be exhaustion.
“Alright, class, I’m calling it. Study through the next points on the syllabus and I’ll see you all next week. Watch out for any emails pertaining to class. Any questions before we break?” Professor Quinn called out tiredly. She nodded her head when no hands were raised, and no questions were posed.
“Thank fuck,” the brunette jock of a student murmured under his breath next to me. The class dispersed, and I made my way to the coffee shop on campus. It was hands down one of my favorite spots. They not only had the very best coffee I had ever tasted, but they had also recently branched out into boba. I mean, could you get any better? And don’t get me started on the zucchini bread. Sounds weird, I know, but it tasted absolutely incredible. Like banana bread, but totally different at the same time.
The shop had one of those feels to it, like coming home. The amazing smells, the atmosphere, and the fact that it was oddly overlooked on campus was just perfection. The university had put in a Starbucks closer to the classrooms, and few ventured out this way for the quaint little shop. I, on the other hand, would walk ten miles for the realness of it.
“Hi there,” I greeted the girl at the front counter. “Could I have a milk tea boba and a slice of your zucchini bread, please?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, but we actually sold out of the zucchini bread already today,” the girl said with a sad look on her face.
“Really? Wow, I don’t think that’s ever happened before. That’s okay, I’ll try back tomorrow,” I replied with a half-smile. It wasn’t the girl’s fault.
“I know. It never happens. But we had a guy come in and buy two whole loaves,” the girl whispered.
“Two whole loaves? Who does that?” I exclaimed in a half whisper.
“I know, but…” the girl trailed off, pointing behind me and off to the side. My eyes followed where she pointed. Straight to a table near the back. Where one Jude-fucking-Lincoln sat, drinking an iced drink with two wrapped loaves of zucchini bread sitting before him. He was reading a stack of papers, glasses perched on his nose and a focused furrow to his brow. I didn’t know he wore glasses. They made him look studious and serious and handsome… I didn’t let my mind wander further down that path. They were probably fakes anyway.
I made my way over to him, after the super kind girl at the counter gave me my milk tea. He didn’t even notice me standing there until I spoke.
“You really took it all, didn’t you?” I snarled at him, my arms crossed in front of my chest, the cup of boba held in one hand.
“That’s what she said, wait, what?” Jude responded, literally, without thinking. I swear, his pure inability to think before he spoke was likely what got him into half his problems.
“You. You took all the zucchini bread and didn’t even think about sharing it with anyone else,” I sassed back.
“Calm down, Red. It’s just zucchini bread. It’s not going to kill you. Plus, for all you know, I had every intention of sharing it with you.” The smug look on his face made me want to smack him straight in the damn mouth.
“Well, if you’re sharing, you won’t mind if I just take my loaf right now then, will you?” I shot him my best attempt at a smile, knowing full well it looked more like a sneer than a smile.
“Oh, no, no, Red. I said for all you know. Not that I was definitely going to share,” he corrected. Somehow, the smirk on his face got bigger. How was that even possible?
“Jesus, stop calling me Red!! I
don’t even have red hair,” I fumed, stamping one of my feet in frustration.
“Oh, I know.” That was it. The only answer I got. Which did nothing to actually help me.
“Because, Red, it’s not your hair I’m talking about.” Jude winked at me and, despite every nauseating thought attributed with it, I felt heat rising beneath the surface of my skin in a completely different way.
“You’re pathetic, Lincoln,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. My God, the way this man pissed me off was unlike any other.
“Right back at ya… Red,” he smirked. Without breaking our eye contact, Jude unwrapped one of the loaves of zucchini bread and, lifting it to his lips, took a giant bite out of it.
“Delicious.”
“Moron.” I spun on my heel and stopped straight out of the door, promptly tripping on the welcome mat outside and spilling my boba over the sidewalk. I didn’t even have to turn around.
Jude’s peals of laughter could be heard clear out into the street.
Fuck him.
JUDE
Iwatched as Kenna attempted to clean up the spilled tea out on the sidewalk, chaotically trying to catch the little jelly boba pearls like a maniac. What a ridiculous person. She’d stormed off in such a tizzy, in true Kenna fashion, that I couldn’t help but laugh. All over a loaf of zucchini bread. Albeit ridiculously good zucchini bread.
Professor Garcia had suggested this little cafe to me, and the man had been right. Beyond right. This was exactly the kind of little place I needed for some peace, quiet, and perspective in this town, and especially on this campus. Fucking figures that Kenna would come here, too. But, to freak out like that over zucchini bread, that was a little much. A lot much. Whatever. It wasn’t worth my time.
