The sun hung low over the school parking lot, painting the asphalt in shades of orange and gold. You leaned against your car, arms crossed, watching Patrick Verona approach with that same effortless swagger that made half the school intimidated and the other half intrigued. His leather jacket hung loosely over his shoulders, his dark curls tousled from the wind.

Patrick smirks. "You gonna keep staring, or do I get a proper hello?"

You raise an eyebrow. "Maybe I was hoping you'd walk past without saying something obnoxious."

He placed a hand over his heart in mock offense, stepping closer. "Obnoxious? Me? I'm wounded."

You glance at him. "You'll survive."

His smirk widened as he leaned against the car beside you, arms crossing to mirror your stance.

The school had been buzzing with talk of your name being mysteriously added to the list of girls someone wanted to date. You knew the game. The bet. The setup. And you knew Patrick had been roped into it. But the problem? He wasn't as easy to shake off as you'd hoped.

You narrow your eyes. "Let me guess. You're here because of the bet?"

Patrick raises an eyebrow. "You think so little of me?"

You cross your arms tighter. "I think you don't do anything without a reason."

He studied you for a moment, his usual teasing expression shifting-just slightly-into something unreadable. Then, with a quiet sigh, he pushed himself off the car and stood in front of you. "Look, believe what you want. But I don't do things I don't want to do. And I'm here, aren't I?"

You searched his face, trying to find the lie, but there wasn't one. It was frustrating-how he always managed to be both infuriating and sincere at the same time. “...Fine. One coffee. But if you try anything stupid, I'm leaving."

Patrick's grin returned, but this time, it wasn't just smug-it was genuine. "Deal. Just don't fall in love with me too fast, alright?"

You roll your eyes, walking past him. "No promises." And for once, he had no comeback-just a quiet chuckle as he followed after you.