10.10. The tick-tock is almost mocking me in the silence of the room. Only some whispers from here and there are being heard, therefore even my discreet sigh escaping my lips echoes loudly. I nibble on my bottom lip to avoid letting out another loud puff of air that would earn me another disapproving look from the librarian.

I glance around for probably the millionth time. Apart from a few regular books lovers – or as most would call them, 'nerds' – almost everyone in the library is people from our class working on the project. The first report being due for next week, everyone is starting to work. I guess the teacher has planned it to make us all work seriously from the beginning, and thus, avoid last-minute works – not something I would do anyway. But I guess I will have to work alone...

My gaze slides on each pair seated in front of computer screens and the few ones strolling through the aisles. My stomach shrivels at the contrast with the empty seats around me, and my gaze finally goes back to the large round clock in front of me.

10 minutes that I'm waiting, he is not going to come... I should have known... What has made me think he would come? That we would work together? I would chuckle or exhale another sigh if there wasn't the librarian just a few feet away, but instead, I bite harder on my lip as I come back to my senses. He is a bad boy; he doesn't care about a stupid school project with a nerdy girl.

"You should stop biting your lip. It's gonna bleed."

My thoughts stop with the jolt of my heart, and I release my bottom lip to gape at Alex smirking at me. I may blink one or two times, but no, he is really there. In faded blue jeans and a simple black tee-shirt, with his messed curls and his mesmerizing dark aura, looking so out of place, there is no way it could only be my imagination."Alex?!" I say, a little too cheerfully, I guess.

"Yeah, you seem surprised?" He raises an eyebrow, and since he is still standing, it just intensifies the unsettling feeling of his gaze on me.

"I thought you wouldn't come..." I admit, gazing down.

"Yeah... sorry, I'm a little late." He takes the seat next to me. "I see you've already started to work." He looks at my notes spread out in front of me, getting closer to me to read. All his movements seem so smooth and casual, while I feel the nervousness creeping back on my skin.

My breath gets caught in my throat as his intoxicating perfume engulfs me, clouding my thoughts and warming my cheeks. I don't know how I will be able to concentrate and work for more than half of the school year on this project if I'm a dazed, nervous mess every time he's around. But I have to find a way because this work is a big part of our mark.

"Er... I think we should start our researches individually. One searches on the Internet and the other searches for books," I suggest, my voice quavering. I know that I'm kinda just dodging the issue, yet for now, I just need to clear my thoughts before I find a way to not be so intimidated by his presence. If I wasn't reminded of my stunt at the supermarket every time he is smirking – and it happens a lot – that would maybe be easier.

"Er... yes..." he replies, his eyebrows furrowing.

"What do you prefer to do?" I take the initiative to be able to escape as quickly as possible.

I look up for his answer, but his penetrating gaze fixing me with his brows still creased quickly makes me glance back to my notebook.

"It doesn't matter, like you want."

"Okay, I'll search for books and you online," I don't wait for his reply. I grab my notebook and disappear in a whirlwind to one aisle.

I finally breathe once I'm alone between the columns of books. The comfort of papers and ink quickly soothe me, and I let the familiar quietness wraps me in as my cheeks are cooling down. I don't even dare to think about my weird behavior and what he must think of me. Being so close to him unsettles me; it's like I act even more awkwardly than I usually do with other people.

For the next 30 minutes or so, I focus on my researches to not think of how he makes me feel, of him and his hypnotizing dark aura.

I'm so concentrated on my work, my head lost in an open book, that I don't hear someone approaching. I'm startled by a tap on my shoulder, making me jump and drop the book I'm holding. I turn around, and I'm met by Alex, inches away from me.

We both bend down at the same time to pick up the book, and the distance between our faces narrows even more. I stop breathing under his magnetizing gaze, and I think even my heart halts as his eyes flicker down my face and back to my eyes. I become hyper-aware of the few inches between us, between our eyes, our lips... It's like there is nothing else around; all my nerve endings are being pulled by those little inches.

He slightly moves his hand to get the book, his fingers brushing my hand, and electric tingles fly all over my arm. This pulls me out of my daze, and I remove my hand, immediately standing up. The tingles in my hand turn into a fire climbing up my face, and my heart fuels it with loud thuds. Has he felt it too?

He grabs the book and stands up too, scratching his neck. "Um...you're really clumsy, you know?!" He lets out a raw chuckle.

I bite my lip, smiling shyly, and looking down to hide the embarrassment or whatever it is blooming on my cheeks.

"You should really stop biting your lip."

I'm taken aback by his comment, and when I glance up he is staring at my lips.

My mouth obeys him and I release automatically my bottom lip. "Yeah... I do this often... Y-you noticed?" I smile shyly, and I must look as red as a tomato by now, but in front of his sparkling eyes, I can't seem to care.

"Er... By the way...what did you want? I m-mean..." I stutter, the awareness of my burning cheeks quickly coming back as I struggle with my words.

"Um... yes... I wanted to check in a little what we've found."

I just notice now the several papers he's holding in his left hand.

We head back to our table, where I've left some books I've found interesting. We show each other the results of our researches, and I'm actually impressed because he's really worked seriously and he's interested in the topic. He doesn't quote any Wikipedia page; he has already discovered some interesting sources, and he even has written down some ideas he's thought about. For once, I might be positively surprised by a project in groups, and I really haven't been expecting this. I know this is not really nice of me to think that, but from everything I've heard about the bad boys, and especially him, I've thought he would do almost nothing. I guess you should never judge a book by its cover...

Besides, I'm also surprised because talking about our project with him is easy and natural. I'm a little bit more confident when I'm focused on the work, and although my stammers are still appearing here and there – especially if I look in his tenebrous eyes – I can form normal and understandable sentences that allow us to progress in our work. We even seem to be on the same wavelength, on how to do this project, I mean, and that's surely why in one hour we've managed to already come up with an outline.

"We should compare our schedules to see when we have free hours together," I suggest as we're discussing when we will come back to the library, a few minutes before break time.

I show him my schedule, and he searches in his bag for his. He finally takes out a piece of paper folded and torn. Boys... I keep my comments inside though. I may be slightly more at ease, but I'm still far from being as confident!

"We don't have any free hours at the same time before the weekend." He strokes his strong jaw, observing our schedules side by side, which look as different as us.

"Maybe we could come after school? The library is open 'til 6 p.m." I bite my lip. I'm used to working after school hours, but I don't know if proposing this to the bad boy will suit him.

"Um, yeah, tomorrow?" he asks, surprising me once again.

"No... I... er... I already have something to do..." I avoid his gaze. "Maybe Friday?" I offer with a small smile as his eyes are studying me.

"Yeah, okay for me."

The bell rings, and I can still feel his piercing gaze on me as we pack our things.

"So... See you Friday," I stand up.

I may be more at ease when it comes to school work, but as soon as it comes back to casual conversation, I can sense my awkwardness running back, so I want to quickly head out.

But Alex stops me in my tracks, grabbing my wrist. "Wait! Elena..."

I turn around, and he has stood up, so I lose my breath, startled to find him so close. Our eyes find each other again as we stare at each other for a frozen second. His hand stays on my wrist, warming it up deliciously for this short instant.

He withdraws it, taking out his phone. "Give me your number, so next time if I'm late, I can text you." He taps something on his phone, and the smug smile playing on his lips makes me take a hesitating pause as he hands me out his phone.

The name 'Miss Clumsy Cookie' is appearing on the screen, and a smile stretches out my lips as I type out my number under it. I give him back his phone, shaking my head. He is definitely surprising.

"I'll text you later, so you'll have my number too." He offers me a wink, unsettling me once more, and I'm left standing here and considering everything as he walks away.

***

"So, how was your 'work session' with Alex Carter?" Judy asks me, excited, during break time. I've had barely a few minutes to get over the bewilderment that he has left me in, and now he's brought already brought back in the conversation.

"Er... quite well... we've worked well," I narrow my eyes, looking weirdly at her over-excitement for school work.

"Alex Carter has worked too?!" Carry, one of Judy's friends, gasps, her smokey makeup disappearing behind her wide eyes.

"Er... yeah?"

"The bad boys usually don't do homework and all that stuff," Judy explains, probably noticing my lost frown in front of their excessive behaviors. "I think he does a lot of things with you, that he doesn't usually do: work, be nice..." She counts on her fingers, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Stop with your innuendoes," I tell her serious.

"Oh! Come on! You'd make such a cute couple: the bad boy and the good girl..." she says dreamily.

"We're not in some romantic comedy." I roll my eyes, trying to hide the heat rushing to my cheeks again.

"I agree with you. Everyone knows Alex Carter is a player. He sleeps around and never dates. You should be careful," Carry adds, her eyes now coming back to their normal size as she looks straight in mine.

"Oh please! This could be a beautiful love story, or at least a good fuck. And that's exactly what you need!" Judy winks, totally not minding that I'm shrinking with each of her words.

"You should take care of your love life, instead of fantasizing mine!" I protest her, trying to end my torture before my face bursts on fire.

"Oh! But I do! I got Wes' number the other day!" She shows off her phone, beaming.

I finally let out a sigh, glad to have dodged her attention. Yet as I'm cooling down, Carry's words keep echoing in my mind... Is he really a player? Or is it like the other gossips people say about him? After all, people say that he doesn't do school work, that he is scary, ruthless and dangerous, but he's been nice and has worked seriously with me. Besides, I feel safe with him.

And why does it matter, anyway, if he is a player or not?

My thoughts are interrupted when my phone vibrates, signaling me that I have a text message from an unknown number:

'Stop biting your lip ;)'

My heart skips a beat. I haven't even realized I've been biting my lip. I've been so lost in my thoughts, but my questions all vanish, and a smile tickles my lips because I know instantly very well who is this unknown number.

I glance around and spot him, on the other side of the schoolyard, smirking at me. So I reply,

'I'll stop biting my lip when you stop smirking :)'

I lift up my gaze to meet his dark one and I purposely bite my lip with a playful smile as I see him chuckling in front of his phone.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's got a phone number..." Judy nudges me, pulling me out of my phone.

"No... I... I don't know what you're talking about," I stutter, red like a tomato.

Luckily for me, the bell rings, saving me once again.

I put my phone away, after having saved the unknown number under 'Alex'.

What do you think of the bad boy working seriously? ;) And do you think he is really a player?

And it looks like he's got a nickname for Elena... ;)

I hope you liked this chapter, please please let me know what you think in the comments, vote, add to your library...

I'm new here, so your help and feedbacks are more than welcome! :)