The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Jason POV:

I had arrived at Ella’s place exactly at 8:30. Yeah, I know—excited much? But come on, who wouldn’t be? I stayed in my car until 9:00, debating whether I should go up or not. Finally, I made my way to her apartment and decided to wait. The minutes dragged on, and there was no sign of her. By the time it hit 9:45, I leaned against the wall next to her door, closing my eyes and wondering if I should have just gone to the diner to offer her a ride home. But who was I kidding? She would’ve rejected the idea before I even got the chance to explain myself.

As I stood there, my mind racing with all the ways this could go wrong, I heard footsteps approaching. They came to a halt, and I opened my eyes. There she was—Ella. God, she was beautiful. Even with that frown on her face, which was undoubtedly directed at me, she looked perfect.

Great. Definitely not in a good mood.

But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I mustered my warmest, sweetest smile, hoping—praying—that it would be enough to melt her icy glare.

"You’re here," I said, stupidly.

Seriously, Jason? That’s the best you’ve got? Great job. Absolutely stellar.

She gave me a deadpan look, the kind that could freeze fire. Yeah, I deserved that.

"Yes, I’m here because this is my place. That cannot be said for you," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Perfect. Just perfect. I tried to recover. "Right," I said, attempting to sound casual. "Guess you didn’t read my message?"

She frowned and checked her phone. The moment her eyes darted back to me, the mix of disbelief and irritation on her face hit me like a slap. Fantastic. Now I had to work overtime to dig myself out of this.

"I brought snacks," I said quickly, holding up the bag and smiling like a fool. I was banking on the smile—praying it had some charm left in it.

Her expression didn’t soften, but hey, at least she hadn’t punch me on my face. Yet.

"This... this cannot be real life," she muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You’re not dreaming," I replied, grinning like an idiot. What? I was just trying to make small talk. Maybe flirt a little. "Though if you are, I’d like to think I’m the highlight."

"Highlight?" she shot back, her arms crossing over her chest. "You’re more like the jump scare."

Ouch.

"Jason, what the actual hell are you doing here?" she snapped, her tone sharper than any coach I’d ever had.

There she was—scary Ella in all her glory. So much for my flirt.

"I told you in my message," I said, trying to salvage the situation and quickly moving to plan B.

"Your message?" she repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh yes, the one where you invited yourself to my home without my consent. How silly of me not to prepare a red carpet for your arrival."

Wow. She wasn’t holding back.

I chuckled softly, trying not to show how much of a disaster this was turning into. "Relax, Ella. I thought we could study, hang out... you know, bond a little."

"Bond?" she gawked at me, her eyebrows shooting up like I’d just sprouted another head. "Jason, we are not bonding. We’re not even friends. And even if we were, this is not how normal people behave!"

"Who wants to be normal?" I countered, throwing in a wink. Yeah, I was still trying to flirt again. Bold move, I know.

She just glared at me, and I knew I had to switch gears fast. "I’ve got chips, chocolate, and—" I paused for dramatic effect—"those biscuits you like."

I held up the bag of snacks like it was a peace offering, hoping against hope it’d buy me some goodwill.

"Jason," she started, her voice slow and deliberate, as if explaining quantum physics to a child, "you cannot just show up at my door unannounced and expect me to roll out the welcome mat. I’ve had a long day, and I want nothing more than to—"

"Relax, have a snack, and unwind?" I cut in, flashing my most charming smile. "Perfect, because that’s exactly what I had in mind."

She blinked at me, utterly dumbfounded. Yeah, I wasn’t exactly doing myself any favors here.

"And yet, here I am," I added with a playful shrug, trying to keep the mood light. "Plus, I needed to borrow your notes from class today. You could help me with the parts I don’t understand while you relax. I’ll handle the studying, promise."

She gave me a long, unamused look before shrugging. "Why don’t I just give you the notes so you can study at your place?"

I hesitated for a moment, trying not to look too desperate, then replied sheepishly, "Come on, El. I’ve been waiting for you since 8:30. You can’t be that heartless. I’m freezing out here, and—"

"Not my problem," she cut me off briskly, pushing her door open.

From the determined look on her face, I could tell she was seconds away from slamming the door in my face. Before she could, I slid my foot into the doorway and blurted out, "El, wait. Please."

Her eyes narrowed, but I pressed on, holding my hands up in mock surrender.

"Look, I know I’m pushing my luck here, but I waited outside your door for almost an hour and a half. I brought snacks! I promise I’ll stay out of your way. You won’t even know I’m here. Just let me borrow the notes, sit in a corner, and I’ll be out of your hair."

She raised an eyebrow, skepticism practically radiating off her. "Why can’t you just take the notes and leave?"

Crap. She was catching on. "I’m not great at... deciphering notes," I tried. "I thought maybe you could explain a thing or two? Plus, my place feels too... distracting right now."

Her look told me she wasn’t buying it for a second. "Distracting? What, your mansion’s too loud with all the butlers fluffing your pillows?"

"No, it’s just... too quiet," I muttered, cringing internally. I wanted to say it was because she wasn’t there, but that would’ve been suicide.

Still unimpressed, she opened the door wider, clearly ready to boot me out.

"C’mon, El. Just one hour," I said quickly, switching tactics. "I’ll even take the couch and promise not to talk unless I really need help. You can study, watch TV, do whatever. Just... don’t send me away, yeah?"

She stared at me, unimpressed.

"Wait, wait!" I stepped inside, panic edging my voice as I turned around to face her. "Look, I know I’m being... persistent."

"Persistent? That’s what we’re calling this?" she shot back, her tone razor-sharp.

"Yes, persistent," I said with a grin, trying to disarm her. "But I’m just asking for a tiny bit of your time. I’ll even sit in the corner and not bother you. I’ll read the notes myself, I’ll be quiet, and you can pretend I’m not even here."

"Pretend you’re not here?" she echoed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You are literally the most impossible person to ignore."

I smirked, leaning into her frustration. "Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment." I dropped my bag by the couch, settling in like I belonged there.

"No! Don’t make yourself comfortable! Jason, I—"

"C’mon, El," I interrupted, my voice softening. I locked eyes with her, turning on the puppy-dog look that I knew might work. "I’m... I’m not great at this studying thing, okay? And you’re smart, and... maybe I just like being around you. You don’t have to help me, but... don’t kick me out, either." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

She stared at me for what felt like forever, her lips pressed into a thin line. I could see her resolve cracking just slightly, and then—

She let out a dramatic sigh, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse. Turning sharply, she slammed the door shut with an exaggerated bang, making it abundantly clear just how much she hated this.

Victory! Well... sort of. At least I wasn’t out in the cold.

"Fine," she muttered, jabbing a warning finger in my direction. "You get one hour. One. And you better not touch anything or get on my nerves."

Her tone was stern, her eyes practically shooting daggers, but I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. I’d made it inside—that was the hard part.

"Deal," I said quickly, holding up my hands in mock surrender. "I’m a man of my word. No touching, no annoying, and absolutely no getting on your nerves. Scout’s honor."

She rolled her eyes so hard I was mildly concerned they might get stuck. "You were never a scout, Jason."

"Details," I quipped, settling onto the couch like I’d lived there my entire life. "Now, where should I set up? The coffee table? The floor? Or do I get my own personal study nook?"

Her glare deepened, and I swear she mumbled something like "Why me?" under her breath. Ignoring her obvious disdain, I pulled out the snacks I’d brought and placed them neatly on the table.

"See? I come bearing gifts," I said, gesturing dramatically to the chips, chocolate, and—of course—her favorite biscuits.

She eyed the snacks suspiciously, then crossed her arms. "You really think snacks are going to make up for this little stunt?"

"Not make up for it, per se," I replied with a smirk. "But they might make it a bit more tolerable."

Ella sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose as if she were reconsidering every life decision that had led her to this moment. "Just... don’t make me regret this."

"You won’t," I said, giving her my most charming grin. "Promise."

As she turned to grab her things, I couldn’t help but feel a small victory in her reluctant agreement. One hour. That was all I needed. Well... maybe two. Or three.