Chapter 4

“Wait, seriously? You don’t have time to spend my birthday with me either?”

A terrible feeling crept up my spine!

Out of three boyfriends, not a single one was panning out.

Sean was young, flashy, and intensely romantic. Being around him always brought out that intoxicating, butterfly-filled thrill.

He didn’t have any tragic first love hanging over his head, but he was constantly surrounded by girls, perpetually wrapped up in vague, flirty entanglements.

After hanging up, we agreed to meet up at a strip mall near his campus. I had barely sat down inside the coffee shop when a young girl marched over to my table, looking furious.

“Are you Mia?”

“The middle-aged real estate hag who won’t stop clinging to Sean?”

My blood instantly boiled!

Still, noticing her designer clothes and luxury bag, I tapped into my professional customer-service patience.

“I am Mia. And who might you be, sweetheart?”

“Bella! Sean’s closest classmate.”

She crossed her arms and dropped into the seat across from me. “I’m warning you to leave Sean alone. Everyone on campus laughs at him, saying he’s being kept by an older woman. You’re totally ruining his reputation!”

I threw my hands up in pure shock. “I’m not keeping him!”

Hand on my heart, my feelings for Sean were the purest of all. There was zero financial entanglement between us—I was purely in it for his god-tier face! Besides, me? Spend money on a man? Never going to happen.

Then I vaguely recalled Sean acting like a sweet puppy, trying to cheer me up by gossiping about his college friends.

One of them was Bella, who came from a super modest background and was drowning in student loans. That meant the designer labels she was dripping in were almost certainly cheap knockoffs. My interest evaporated instantly.

“Hey, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”

“Sean is only with an old woman like you for the novelty! You’re totally beneath him. Tomorrow he’s coming with me to Comic-Con. You probably don’t even know what Comic-Con is, do you? You’re ancient—you and Sean have absolutely nothing in common—”

Before she could finish her sentence, I picked up my iced coffee and threw it right into her face.

Sasha and Lily at least put on a show after dropping serious cash. You didn’t give me a single dime, so where do you get the nerve to run your mouth? I wasn't putting up with this crap!

“You... you old hag, how dare you—!”

Seeing me reach for a piping-hot cup of coffee on the next table, Bella shut her mouth in sheer terror.

The guy at the neighboring table happened to be a ridiculously cute young guy. He stared at me with wide eyes. “Damn... that was so badass!”

“I overheard everything. You’re not old at all. In fact, you’re way prettier than her.”

*Well, well.*

Do college boys just naturally have silver tongues these days?

Just as I was about to buy him a fresh cup to replace his, Sean sprinted inside and planted himself right between me and the cute stranger, looking hurt and betrayed.

“Mia, why are you buying him coffee? I’m your boyfriend!”