Chapter 6

I chuckled softly, looking down. Zack grabbed Lucas with one hand and Ethan with the other, ready to drag his bros away. Lucas shook him off, staring at me intently, his tone pleading. “Beautiful, what about us…” Zack’s face darkened. “Seriously, bro?” “Lucas, I did consider dating you seriously before. But you made a bet about this first, so I don’t think I’ll consider you as boyfriend material anymore.” My response was sincere. Over these two months, I’d put a lot of effort into pursuing Lucas. Not to mention the 70+ different “cool older sister” outfits I’d worn. Every day I’d walk 500 meters in 4-inch heels to the street corner instead of driving, covering over 30 kilometers total. My feet would ache when I got home. And I’d even chosen this location for my new store because of him. But he made a $5000 bet about me. $5000 isn’t even enough to buy me a pair of shoes. Lucas looked at me dejectedly, his eyes reddening slightly. “I’m so sorry, beautiful. I really didn’t mean to, I wasn’t the one who suggested it.” Zack couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Lucas’s hair and yanked him away. “Stop with the ‘beautiful’ already. Look at your bro instead.” Ethan gave me a cool glance before turning to leave. I picked up my phone and chased after him to the door. “Wait. Can I add you on SnapChat?” I stared at him quietly, my heart pounding. It was my first time actively asking for a guy’s contact info. Ethan’s expression was cold. He didn’t say anything. Zack’s confusion was obvious, his tone uncertain. “You let her touch you down there but won’t give her your SnapChat… Is SnapChat that private?” Lucas suddenly ducked out from under Zack’s grip, baring his teeth at Ethan. “I just remembered! That day when I went back bragging about meeting this hot older woman, he insisted she wasn’t into me and was just treating me like a beggar. That’s how the bet started. This was all his jealous scheme!” I was stunned, looking at Ethan. Ethan took out his phone. “Sure.” Lucas almost lunged at me. “Don’t add him!” Zack grabbed him in a bear hug. “Stop with the conspiracy theories.” After the three of them left bickering, I was surprised to discover something - I’d already added Ethan on SnapChat three years ago. But there was no name, no group, no chat history. I had no memory of it at all. Not wanting to change the subject, I ignored this and sent him a message. “Almost there?” After a while, my screen lit up. Ethan: “Mm.” I stared at that emotionless “Mm”, biting my lip hard as my heart raced out of control. He really knew how to play. “Can I ask you out?” “To win?” “Doesn’t hurt.” “I’ll give you $20,000 if you leave Zack alone.” “Sounds like you think I’ll win.” “You’ll be unhappy if you lose.” I couldn’t help but smile. Such a thoughtful thing to say - does that mean he’s agreeing? After a long while, Ethan sent another message. “I’ll be unhappy if you win.” My fingers froze over the screen. I frowned slightly. Was he rejecting me? “Is that a no?” Ethan: “What, do I look that easy to you?” “Mm.” I hadn’t seen anyone who seemed easier than him. “Oh, I just wanted to show you I’m bigger than them.”