Chapter 4The Mute and the Wild

“No way. Wes spent all of last night researching the perfect date spots?”

“So he let his brother act as his proxy yesterday, and now he’s acting as his brother’s proxy today? The irony is delicious.”

“He’s completely whipped. I don't think he even remembers who Penelope is at this point.”

I offered a dry nod of approval. Weston reached out, his fingers hovering near mine as if to hold my hand, but I pulled away sharply, my expression cold.

"I don't like guys who are that forward," I said. "You're acting incredibly cheap. You weren't like this yesterday."

His hand froze in the air, his fingers curling inward as he slowly pulled back.

For the next three hours, I made his life an absolute living hell.

When he bought me lunch, I pushed the plate away with a look of utter disgust. "Your taste is terrible. Yesterday you picked much better options."

When he ordered us drinks, I rolled my eyes. "I literally told you yesterday that I'm on my period. Do you have a memory deficit? How can you be this stupid?"

Every time he flinched, a small, dark spark of satisfaction flared in my chest. I leaned in, continuing to chip away at his pride.

"Yesterday, I thought you were the most attractive guy I’d ever seen. Today? Aside from your face, you’re incredibly disappointing."

Weston stood there, taking every hit in silence, a quiet 'I'm sorry' slipping from his lips. The arrogant, untouchable star athlete was entirely gone, replaced by a boy desperately trying to please someone who despised him.

But the more I looked at his face, the more I missed Wyatt's soft, starry eyes.

Finally, after making Weston stand in a bakery queue for over an hour to get a specific strawberry tart, I glanced at my phone and sighed. "I don't want it anymore. I'm going home."

He stared at me, the white bakery box held tightly in his hands. He took a step forward, his fingers catching the very edge of my sleeve.

"But... we haven't even had a real conversation today," he said, his voice barely a whisper, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "And you didn't..."

He stopped, his ears turning a bright, furious red.

"You said yesterday... that you'd kiss me again today."

I stared at him in sheer disbelief, and the floating chat above us went wild.

“Oh my god, Wes, have some self-respect!”

“Is he seriously begging for the kiss his brother got? This is tragic.”

“So he told his brother to stay away, only so he could slide into his place? That's low.”

A wave of intense revulsion washed over me. I didn't bother hiding my disgust anymore.

"Let me be completely honest with you," I said, stepping back so his fingers slipped off my sleeve.

He looked up, his eyes wide and vulnerable.

"Before today, I actually liked you," I said, my voice dripping with cold indifference. "Especially yesterday. I was completely crazy about you. I didn't even want to let you go."

The flush on his cheeks faded, leaving his face a stark, fragile white.

"But today's version of you? Honestly..." I let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "You're pathetic. You're not half as attractive as you were yesterday, and your personality is exhausting. You don't even compare to the guy I met first."

Weston stood completely still under the harsh afternoon sun, looking like a piece of fine porcelain that had been shattered into a thousand pieces.

I pulled out my phone, opened our chat, and blocked him right in front of his face.

"Let's not do this again. We're done."

Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and walked away, never once looking back.

My phone buzzed in my hand. I ignored the chaotic chatter of the floating comments and dialed Wyatt's number.

The moment the screen connected, his face appeared, his eyes immediately lighting up like a pair of lanterns in the dark. My sour mood evaporated instantly.

"What are you doing, baby? Did you miss me?"

Wyatt held up a thick textbook, bringing it close to the camera so I could see the cover, before lowering his head to write on a fresh Post-it.

Reading. And yes, I missed you.