Chapter 5

"Ouch, that hurt." I moaned leaning on the bed, eyes closed with pain.

"It is supposed to." My 'fake' boyfriend smirked happily, lying beside me.

"Next time you find some shock-giving gum, try it on someone else." I hissed, slapping his arm.

He grinned, putting the gum stick box in the cover. The prank was actually stupid and old, I just didn't see it coming. So when he offered me a gum from his five gum stick box I happily accepted it. Because well who doesn't like gum? But when I tried to pull it I ended up getting mildly electrocuted. And damn it, it hurt!

"Does your mother know I'm here?" Colton asked, chuckling when he saw my pout of annoyance.

I snorted. "Of course not. She'll kill you first then teach me the ethics of life and self-respect and how all guys are jerks and then kill me. And by the way why are you even here?"

He had suddenly shown up 20 minutes earlier at my window while I was finding some good YouTube videos to watch and I still didn't know the reason for his unexpected presence.

He shrugged. "I was bored."

I gave him a flat look. "So? My house isn't a brothel."

He returned my flat look. "Could have fooled me."

"You have to come back in a few hours anyway for the dinner with mom." I reminded, slapping his arm from touching my iPhone. "That's an iPhone, not a wePhone."

"I am your boyfriend."

"Fake." I corrected, unplugging the earphones from my phone, there goes my chance of listening to Ryan Higa's puns.

"But boyfriend." He retorted, standing and staring around my room.

I shifted uncomfortably. Suddenly it seemed that our relationship had reached another personal level. He was looking at the transparent purple curtains that half hid the window and the small bamboo plant on the railing. The flower paintings hung just above my huge soft bed. The dark purple rug hadn't been cleaned in ages. Cupboards that had photos of Ryan Gosling and Johnny Depp stuck on them with a few Disney princesses.

"I was small." I justified, turning red in embarrassment.

He smiled. "I have photos of Jessica Alba too."

He stared at our reflections in the huge mirror on the cupboard, him standing in all his glory in a dark blue tee and light blue low waist jeans and me, sitting on the bed with a pillow wearing a pink tank top and black shorts.

"Why is your mirror so huge?"

I bit my lip, my cheeks colouring up more. "Uh, I take pics?"

He looked into my eyes through the mirror, raising his eyebrows. "Really?"

I shrugged, looking at my lap. "Yeah, most people have it. Mirror selfies."

"Wow. Never really understood the trend of selfies. My forehead looks big when I take it." Colton muttered, unconsciously pressing his fingers on his forehead.

I bit my lip from replying sarcastically.

He glanced around looking at the small plastic cabinet that held around 50 books and 20 DVDs. "Any good movies?"

"I have Frozen?" I usually just downloaded them from Torrent.

"No! Anna gives me a headache."

I chuckled lightly, leaving my bed and picking up cushions from the side.

"Why so many cushions? There are around five." He asked curiously.

I laughed awkwardly. "I uh love to cuddle."

He smirked, winking at me. "I am more comfortable. Wanna cuddle while watching Star Wars?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Nope, my pillows are good enough."

"Whom are you talking to Racheal?" A teasing voice came from behind the locked making us freeze.

"Shit! Shit!" I cussed, looking around frantically for a place to hide Colton.

"Is that your brother Josh?" Colton asked in a high voice and I was sure people in France could hear it.

I slapped his shoulder. "Shut up! Want to get us killed?" I hissed pulling him towards my cupboard.

"Racheal." Josh shouted in a sing-song voice. "I'm calling mom."

"No!" I screamed.

Colton broke free of my hold on his arm and walked to the door.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing? Hastings!" I hissed, running after him.

"Shut up Smith."

I wanted to smash his face on the huge mirror in my room but couldn't because Colton opened the door and my arrogant brother would be an eye witness. Darn eyes!

"Hey, Josh." Colton greeted, giving him the man nod.

Josh returned the nod, smirking at me. "Hey, Colton."

Colton leaned sumptuously against the open door locking his ankles. "I heard you got into a fight with Derrick Rome."

My jaw fell on the ground as I saw Josh's whole demeanor change. His arms went limp against the sides, eyes wide with shock and tongue-tied inside an open mouth. Well so much for calling mom.

"Josh? Again?" I asked in disbelief.

He gulped, blinking repeatedly. "I uh-"

"And you got detention after school for two days." Colton interrupted, clearly enjoying knowing these details.

"That's why you weren't home when I came back yesterday." I uttered, putting my hands on my hips. "And you lied about Matt being hurt and you had to get him back home."

Josh shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry?"

I grinned wickedly. "Tell that to mom."

"No! No! Come on you can't do that. You are my sister." He protested, coming inside the room as he sent a glare to the smirking Colton.

"You don't tell mom that Colton was here and I don't tell about detention." I offered, knowing he had no other option. He very well knew if mom came to know he had been in another fight, she wouldn't hesitate to put him under lock and key, literally.

"Ugh!" Josh groaned. "Fine but not a word. No hints too."

"Baby brother you are in no position to argue." I warned blowing him a kiss.

"I hate you." Gritting his teeth he walked out of the door. He stopped to face Colton. "And you too. Bloody Know-it-all faggot."

"Josh." I chastised mockingly. "Language. Mother always says 'You are what comes out of your mouth'."

Josh flipped us off. Walking to his room all the while swearing unheard profanes under his breath.

Colton came inside, shutting the door behind me. We stared at each other before bursting out in laughter. Stomach-clutching-toe-curling-eyes-watering-insanely-awesome laughter.

After ten minutes of rolling and laughing on the floor. I took a few deep breaths to calm down. "How did you know about the fight?"

He winked at me. "The walls talk to me."

I chuckled, climbing on the bed and laying on my stomach. "Thanks, Hastings."

After a few seconds, I felt a presence beside me and saw Colton laying on his back, looking at me. "Pleasure Smith."

.

I groaned at the consistent knocking. "Go away." I muttered, snuggling into the hard pillow. I frowned my pillow was never so hard. I shrugged, at least it felt good and smelled good. Wait! Smell?

I shot up to face a smirking Colton. Was I seriously just cuddling Colton Hastings? Darn it!

"Idiot." I hissed, pulling my tank down and throwing a pillow at him. He graciously dodged it.

"Racheal! Are you dead in there?" Josh screamed, banging his fist on the door.

I jumped at the sudden noise. "No! Mom's here?"

"Yeah an hour back. It's 7.30! Hurry before she comes knocking." He warned and I heard his footfalls.

"Shit!" I cursed, grabbing blue jeans and a plain red top. "You couldn't wake me up?"

"Nope. You really are a great cuddler."

I blushed, remembering the proximity we were in. I had my leg around his and my head on his chest, his arm was around my waist and lips so near my forehead. I shook my head, blushing 50 shades of red. I glanced at Colton, standing in all his glory with messed hair and tee and a bit of drool at the corner of the lips. "You need to clean up." I told before entering the bathroom and locking it behind me.

I heard him shuffle as he came to the door. "You can change in front of me, I'm your boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes, splashing water on my face. "Fake Hastings, fake." After that, I heard nothing.

I changed into decent clothes and stepped out. Colton was on the bed, looking through my photo albums. I ran and grabbed them shoving them back in the drawer. "What are you still doing here? You can't go down from my room. I'm grounded."

"So I have to use the tree branch again?" He sighed, wrinkling his nose at the thought.

I nodded, pushing him to the window. "Yes now bye. Mom will already be pissed thinking you're so late so think of a good reason."

"Good luck kiss?"

"No. bye." I watched him pout and then grab the branch, slowing climbing down until he jumped, landing on his legs. How was he comfortable doing this, I’ll never know. I sighed as he walked away towards the front door. Phew safe.

Shutting the window I opened my door, taking deep breaths.

"Hey, mom." I greeted, entering the kitchen.

"You're late." She stated icily, looking up from the newspaper she was reading while sitting on the dining table with all covered food at the center. Josh was next to her, texting on his phone with a huge smirk.

"I was sleeping. Sorry." I sat on my chair hesitantly.

"And so was your boyfriend? I don't like him. If he thinks money can substitute for punctuality then you better leave him." She put down the paper, looking at me seriously.

"Oh no! He-" just then the bell rang and I sighed in relief. "That would be him." I ran to open the door, closely followed by mom and Josh.

"I'll open." Mom said just as I touched the handle.

I stepped back, gulping. Looks like the case went bad. "Be a nice mom."

"Don't order me."

"I wasn't-" but she had already opened the door. There standing was Colton Hastings in all his glory, with his huge million-dollar smile that made him the perfect model to promote any toothpaste advertisement.

"A very good evening Mrs. Hastings." He greeted, removing a bunch of fresh white daffodils from behind his back. "I thoroughly apologize for the delay but my father had given me some important work plus it's not easy to find fresh daffodils. Your choice in flowers is quite exquisite ma'am."

I don't know who was more surprised. My mother, me, or Josh. We were all staring at him with open mouths. Mom was the first to recover. Her icy look and flat smile had instantly faded into admiring eyes and a pleasing smile. She took the bunch of daffodils delicately with a bright smile as her eyes roamed over my boyfriend and they gleamed with appreciation.

Looks like no one is immune to Colton Hastings's charms.

"Thank you. Please call me Diana. And how did you know I love daffodils?" mom asked, shutting the door as he entered. Josh was scowling knowing Colton had definitely won this round.

"Racheal speaks a lot of you Diana." Colton answered, sending me a discrete wink.

I rolled my eyes. I hadn't even told him my favourite flower forget about mom's.

Mom looked at me with a blissful smile. "That's sweet."

I smiled back, feeling a little guilty. But if this was going to reduce mom's anger towards me then I was more than okay with it.

She put the daffodils in the flower vase and added water. "They are beautiful." She admired, touching the white petals in awe.

"Just as you." Colton deftly answered, making colour rise on my mom's cheeks.

I and Josh looked at each other with raised brows. We couldn't remember the last time she had blushed, it seemed ages ago.

"You better hope mom doesn't grab him for herself." Josh whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Please, mom wouldn't do that. Besides -"

"Please have a seat, I'll start to serve." Mom interrupted the pink in her cheeks still evident.

"I'll just wash my hands." Colton said, starting towards the stairs but stopping suddenly. "Uh, where is it?"

"I'll show him." I ran to him, grinning. Of course, he knew where it was but that would seem suspicious. We entered my room and he went into the washroom.

"How did you know my mom's favourite flowers?" I probed, that question had been killing me since he gave mom those.

"I saw a few of her wedding pictures, it was decorated with only daffodils and some roses and she was even holding a bouquet of daffodils. I figured they were her favourite. Judging by her reaction I was right." He replied wiping his hands on the blue napkin.

"Wow. Impressive. And how did you get them so soon?"

"People living two houses away from here grow them."

I gasped at him. "You stole them!"

He shook his head. "I borrowed them-" he corrected. "-for infinity."

"That is stealing." I said flatly.

"Depends on how you see it. I see the more positive version."

I sighed as my eyeballs went upwards. "You're an idiot."

He winked as we walked downstairs. "And your favourite is blue and purple Orchids."

"How did you know that?" I gaped at him, not many knew it. People thought it was Rose.

"Call me Sherlock Holmes."

The dinner was splendid, excluding when Colton would compliment mom and she would blush like a 16 year old and Josh would kick me under the table, wiggling his eyebrows at me with sheer confidence that mom had a crush on Hastings. And at times even I had started to give that absurd idea a thought.

Just when Colton was going to leave after a 2-hour long dinner and tons of honeyed comments and pink cheeks, mom grinned and declared that the whole Smith family would be attending the Hastings party. "It would be such an honour. I would love to meet the parents who raised such a sweet child."

If only my poor mother knew how sweet he actually is. He is blackmailing your daughter, mom!

"The pleasure would be all ours." Colton said, smiling at the praise. "I look forward to meeting you Diana." They hugged as I stared on. Even we hadn't hugged, of course, cuddling was unintentional.

"Josh." He gave a nod to him and Josh nodded back, clearly pleased that Colton was leaving.

"I'll show him out." I said, smiling at mom and walking in front of him as we stepped out of the front door. I turned to him with hands over my hips. "Now Hastings-"

"You just had something on your ass." He interjected.

I twisted trying to look at my jeans-clad butt. "What?"

"My eyes."

I gave him a blank look. And this is the Colton Hastings we all know. If my mother were to see this side of his, she would never let me date him. "I knew that was a façade just for my mother."

He grinned proudly. "Now I know where you get that blush from."

Instantly my cheeks reddened and slapped my palms over them. "Bye. I'm going to sleep."

"Can I Slyther-in?"

I stared flatly before bursting out in laughter. "My god! You're never out of pick-up lines, are you?"

He winked. "Nope."

I shook my head. "It's almost 9.30. You should leave."

"Midnight chats?"

I nodded, smiling like a crazy obsessed girl. "Okay."

He leaned closer and I froze, my heart stopping and then beating faster than before, was he going to kiss?

"You have something on your chest."

I sighed with disappointment. "Oh yeah? Your eyes?"

He leaned closer. "Nope. A noddle." He leaned back smugly, happy with my shocked and embarrassed face.

"You are such a jerk." I hissed, slapping his arm in humiliation. "Get away from here."

"As you wish." He winked at me and got on his bike, starting it. "If the pillows don't satisfy you I'm just a text away."

I blushed. "I think they will do."

He shrugged. "Your loss."

I chuckled. "Goodnight Hastings."

"Goodnight Smith." And with that I watched him disappear in the darkness.

I walked back into the house with a giddy smile. Maybe, just maybe Colton Hastings isn't as bad as the rumors paint him to be. Maybe there is more to him than the obnoxious, flirty jerk.

Maybe the bad boy has a good heart.

Oh whom am I kidding, he's a douchebag!