Page 38 of With This Mask
“You’re a menace,” he says in a low, playful warning.
“Wouldn’t want you getting bored.”
He bites at my lower lip before stepping back to the stove. He scoops the last of the pancakes onto a plate before setting them with the heaping of food he’s made. “Eat up. You’re going to need it.”
I arch an eyebrow at him as I take a seat at the table. “Oh?”
“For a hike. Fuck,” he teases, but the look on his face tells me he’s enjoying every second of this. “Who knew Salem Winters was this damn horny all the time?”
“Who knew Alec Vanderholt would love it so damn much,” I shoot right back, blushing under his heated gaze.
“Me,” he says immediately. “You may have been my academic rival for the past four years, Salem. But that didn’t mean I didn’t fantasize about you all the damn time.”
The butter knife in my hand slips, clattering to the table. “What?” My face goes cold.
Alec’s blue eyes rise to meet mine without him lifting his head. “Come on, Salem. Are you actually surprised?”
“Yes,” I blurt. “I didn’t even know you knew I existed until this year. You’re… you’re Alec fucking Vanderholt. You could literally have any girl you wanted at school.”
“Four girls, Salem,” he says dryly. “I’ve slept with four girls.”
“Not the point,” I cut him off, suppressing a smile. “The whole school pants over you, and most of the internet. And you’re trying to convince me you’ve had an eye on me this whole time?”
Alec folds his arms on the table, leaning in with those blue eyes locked on mine. “Freshman year, you walked into our Business Econ 101 class wearing this gorgeous blue top that showed just the perfect amount of cleavage, Dora. White shorts that showed off those damn perfect legs. And the cheapest pair of sandals I’d ever seen. Your hair was down, wavy. My favorite.”
My mouth hangs open just a little.
I have no idea what the hell I wore my first day of freshman year. Yet Alec has just given me enough details, I’m having a hard time doubting him.
“Yes," I’ve been fantasizing about you since freshman year, Winters,” he says with a smug smirk as he brings a finger under my chin, and closes my mouth. “Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold. I thought we could go for a hike around the lake, and then if it warms up a little, we might even brave taking out the paddle boards.”
“I’ve never been on a paddle board,” I confess as I grab a slice of bacon.
“It’s harder than it looks,” he says dryly.
I throw a blueberry at him.
He chuckles and unsuccessfully tries to dodge it. "By the way," he says nonchalantly, smirking, "how does it feel to be both the most hated and envied woman on the internet right now?"
"What?" I fumble, confused by his question. "What do you mean?"
He retrieves his phone from his pocket. “See for yourself,” he prompts as he taps on the screen a few times and then hands me the phone with a knowing smile.
It’s our video, the one we posted last night. My eyes widen as I take in the numbers – the views, the likes, the comments. It’s only a hair away from a million views. In thirteen hours. There are over three hundred thousand likes, and twenty-one thousand comments.
The realization that we've gone viral leaves me reeling, a mixture of excitement and disbelief coursing through my veins.
"Holy shit, Alec..." I murmur, struggling to wrap my head around it all, "this is...insane."
"Insane, indeed," he agrees, his gaze softening. "But you deserve it, Salem. You're the reason things went wild. Your new account, without having a single post, has sixty-thousand followers now."
“What?” I laugh in disbelief. I can't help but smile at his praise, even as my mind reels from the shock of our sudden popularity.
The phone vibrates in my hand, and I can't tear my eyes away from the screen. The view count rolls over a million. Comments pour in, a whirlwind of emotions and opinions that leave me reeling.
Damn, she's hot!
Holy shit, who is this girl? I'm in love.