Chapter Text
Daisy knew she was in for an unusual day the moment she sighted Mac leaning on his locker, his bag sitting next to him. With his leg bent, he had his foot propped against the locker, achieving that effortlessly cool vibe he constantly aimed for. Bizarrely, he was reading a physical book. By choice. Not just any book either.
“Oh, hey buddy,” he said cheerfully, peering up from his book when she arrived at her locker.
“Are you reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar?” she asked with a furrowed brow, her hand resting on her lock.
“In Spanish,” he confirmed. “Apparently, a strategy for learning a new language is to read children’s books in that language.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I wanna learn, duh.”
“I thought you don’t have Spanish this semester. Or ever.”
“I don’t.”
“Then, why are you trying to learn?”
“I can’t learn a new language for the sake of entertainment? Maybe I always wanted to learn Spanish and finally got around to doing it.”
Daisy groaned. “You’re trying to impress a girl, aren’t you?”
“Are you impressed that I’m trying to impress a girl?” he probed cautiously.
“No,” she replied, monotone as possible.
“Then I’m not trying to impress a girl,” he concluded.
God, this predictable boy, always chasing after attractive girls. “You just admitted you are.”
“You tricked me!” Mac whined. It wasn’t even 9 AM and he was already testing Daisy’s patience.
“I didn’t, you played yourself,” Shaking her head, Daisy opened her locker. For several reasons, she lost the willpower to stay invested in this conversation. Okay, she possessed one reason – her small yet silly and inconvenient crush on him. “You could’ve asked me to teach you if you really wanted to,” she added.
“Huh,” Mac paused, tilting his head. “I could’ve. But you’re always so busy,” he sulked. “You don’t have time for me anymore.” No, his mopey face won’t manipulate her into spending countless additional hours with him, regardless of how cute he looked.
Daisy unzipped her bag, attempting to ignore him. “You dragged me into a scheme yesterday.”
“What? I needed help sneaking the zebra into the school and all our other friends decided it’d be neat to go on a group date together. It’s not my fault we’re the only single ones in our immediate social circle.”
“Technically, it is your own fault you’re single,” she pointed out. “Anyways, I would make time for you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you willing to put in effort for something with substance. Sure, you’re doing this to get into a girl’s pants –“
“Not this one,” he abruptly interrupted, flustered. “She’s super smart and a native Spanish speaker so I thought… never mind, it’s stupid. I’m stupid.” The typically cocky Mac being insecure and bashful? Interesting.
She felt a pang in her chest.
Despite the heaviness in her heart, Daisy fixated on consoling her buddy. She must shove her pride off to the sidelines. This had occurred whenever Mac dated or liked someone else and this ache will return when it inevitably happens again. When compared to earlier instances where he was into another girl, this pain tormented her differently. A dull yet persistent twinge accompanied the bitter letdown this time around. However, she couldn’t let herself drown in that sentiment.
“No, you’re not,” Daisy encouraged, placing a hand on his forearm. Wait, since when were his arms this defined? “You’re a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for, Mac.”
He regarded her with a hopeful expression. “You think really so?”
“I know you are,” she smiled.
“Thanks,” he beamed. Magically, butterflies appeared in her stomach.
Neither spoke, busy gazing at the other. Momentarily, those butterflies stole Daisy’s ability to communicate. “So…,” she started. “This girl you like –“
“I’m not telling you anything.”
“Why not? We’re friends!”
He studied her long and hard. “Yeah,” he eventually disclosed, defeated. “That’s why I can’t tell you.”
Daisy crossed her arms. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why are you being so mysterious?”
“Look Daisy. I like her. A lot. And it’s not the ‘oh she is mad cute’ like. Don’t get me wrong, she’s gorgeous but this is a different like. It’s something I’ve never experienced before and I’m unused to it. Jamie and Lexi are breathing down my neck about this and I can’t think properly –“
“No, I completely get it.” Based on her personal experience, having a crush that was impossible to move on from was a nightmare.
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you.”
“Don’t be. You don’t own me anything.” She sincerely meant those words, but it didn’t hurt any less.
Another moment passed in silence as they stared at each other.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” he stated earnestly, smiling sweetly at her.
Probably not as amazing as the girl he liked. “Thanks, Mac.”
“I’ll catch you later,” he slung a backpack strap over his shoulder and gave her a toothy photo-ready grin before he walked away, gently squeezing her upper arm as he left.
Once the scent of his expensive cologne became nothing but a memory, she took a deep breath and began collecting her binders for class. Her shoulder still tingled, causing her to exhale loudly. Daisy needed to get over him. When these feelings initially materialized, shortly after the mess known as her first relationship, Daisy assumed she merely developed a rebound crush. She expected it would wither away with enough time and an underlying belief they’ll never work out due to their fundamental differences. Yet here she remained, months later, still thinking about him. Soon, she’ll have to act proactively.
A piece of folded paper fluttered out of her locker. It was blue – she didn’t own paper in that colour. Curious, she picked it up. Judging by the texture, it was of high-end quality. She couldn’t afford this so why was it in her locker? Unfurling it, she noticed Dear Daisy written in bubbly and vaguely familiar penmanship on the first line.
She scanned each paragraph. Puzzled, she read the entire letter thoroughly. And five times after that, wrapping her mind around what she was holding.
“I forgot I apparently need a textbook to learn math,” Mac announced, strolling past her and reopening his locker. “Whatcha got there, Dais?”
Normally, she’d remind him to stop using that particular nickname but she was preoccupied. “Someone waxed poetry about my smile.”
“What?” he blurted. “Can you speak less astute English?”
“I found a love letter in my locker.”
“Let me see,” skeptical, he lumbered closer, settling his idle hand on her waist. Meanwhile, the hand carrying the picture book brushed against her wrist. This boy clearly didn’t know what personal space was. As he hunched over, his chest pressed into her shoulder blade.
The hand gripping her waist tightened involuntarily. “That’s a love letter, alright,” Mac croaked.
“Who would anonymously send me this?”
“It could be an accident.”
“It has my name on it, it must be intentional.”
“Lara Jean from To All The Boys I Loved Before wrote love letters with the full addresses of the guys she liked and she didn’t intend on those getting out, but they did.”
“You watched the movie?” Daisy could picture him viewing a rom-com under two distinct circumstances. Either a girl he tried to get with wanted to see it or Lexi extorted him into watching.
“For research,” Mac clarified. “I thought about running a fake relationship gambit and I knew the person I wanted to ask would demand me to write up a contract before agreeing.”
“Ooh, is this the girl you like?”
“Shh,” his face shifted closer. If Daisy rotated her head a little, their noses would touch. As his body tensed up, the hand on her waist clutched harder. Did he finally realize how his warmth engulfed her, how much he fondled her, how little space existed between them? His breath hitched. She didn’t have to glimpse to fathom how piercing of a stare he was giving her.
“Your cologne smells nice,” What compelled her to utter that was beyond her but something within her insisted she should notify him.
“Uh, um, ah, thanks,” he muttered. “It’s new, I wasn’t sure about it since I only have four thousand dollars’ worth of cologne on right now.”
“You should wear it more.”
He gulped. “Good to know.”
For what resembled an eternity, she was confined in this quiet cage of his, tongue-tied. The surrounding air became palpable.
She hated how good it felt having him hold her like this. Suddenly, she craved for lingering caresses, him setting her skin ablaze, feverish kisses on her neck… wait, what?
Somehow, this boy made her poetic and thirsty.
“I should go to class,” Daisy managed. “I’ll figure out what to do with the letter later.”
“Seems like a solid plan,” Mac retreated, warmth and scent fading away. The hand burning her waist slipped off but the imprint it left behind endured, searing her. “By any chance, you haven’t seen Jamie or Lexi, have you?”
“I’m pretty sure I saw them go to Lexi’s office to make out.”
“Okay, great, awesome, cool,” he nodded slowly, taking another step back with every word. “Gotta cockblock them real quick. See ya!” He sprinted off, leaving his locker wide open. Didn’t he need a textbook?
Sighing, she closed his locker. He was behaving weirdly. Probably just a result of his overwhelmingly strong feelings for this unknown girl. And no, Daisy wasn’t jealous.
Throughout the morning, she fiercely debated with her conscience. Should she track down the real identity of the note’s author? Searching for clarity, she jotted down a pros and cons list. Alas, even it couldn’t resolve her innate curiosity. Someone genuinely adored her, enough to write paragraphs describing how wonderful she was.
A small part of her considered this as a perfect opportunity to exploit. If she focused all her energy on someone who liked her, she could get over a certain rich kid. Oh, she understood how ridiculous the belief sounded but for crying loud out, she liked someone whose feelings changed faster than the weather and who avoided commitment at all costs. Anyhow, finding this secret admirer would involve some morally dubious behaviours at best. She would disrespect the writer’s privacy. Worst, it felt like she was emotionally cheating on Mac, which made absolutely no sense at all.
Yeah, she should get some second opinions.
When lunch rolled by, Daisy headed straight to The Max where she spotted the squad inside. Great, the sole seat available at their booth was beside Mac but she could handle it.
“What are you guys chatting about?” she plopped down, refusing to think about how her side rubbed up against Mac’s. Seriously, couldn’t he slide down the upholstered bench just a smudge?
“Mac was recounting how his appointment was accidentally scheduled at another location so he had to drive all the way to Sherman Oaks,” Lexi informed.
“Appointment?” Daisy questioned, quirking a brow.
“So, I, um, might’ve started going to therapy,” Mac admitted sheepishly, fiddling with the straw of his milkshake – quarter vanilla, quarter banana, half pina colada. Don’t ask why Daisy had his usual order memorized. “My mom discovered I tried to humiliate a dude so badly he’d switch schools ‘cause I liked his girlfriend and decided I needed healthier ways to deal with my emotions.”
Daisy was aware of how petty Mac could be and how easily he surrendered to his destructive tendencies when upset. Hell, she had been on the receiving end of that anger before, particularly early on in their friendship. But this was on a whole new level, one she didn’t know he was capable of being on. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?”
“Probably has something to do with how society teaches men they shouldn’t express their emotions or they’ll be deemed unmanly,” Jamie mused nonchalantly.
“No, not that,” Daisy replied. “I’m talking about Mac trying to humiliate a guy just because of some girl. How come I haven’t heard this story before?”
Her friends exchanged strange glances before Mac responded. “It happened a while ago –“
“And you started going to therapy now?”
“Well, my mom only found out recently,” Mac glared at the others, as if threatening them to keep quiet about something. “Anyways, you got any leads on the love letter?”
“Love letter?” Aisha echoed. “What is Draco Malfoy talking about, Daisy?” Daisy didn’t miss the way Mac silently sneered from the corner of her eye.
“I found this in my locker this morning,” Daisy slid the note over to Devante and Aisha. “And I have no idea on what to do with that information.”
“When we first met, I never thought in a million years that you would become everything I could ever want in a person,” Devante read aloud. “That’s sappy,” he pointed down at the paper. Well, he wasn’t wrong.
“And cliché,” Lexi chided, grabbing the letter so she and Jamie could read it. “Whoever wrote this needs to get some original thoughts.” Why did she directly glare at Mac as she talked?
“You’re being harsh,” Mac criticized. “It must’ve taken whoever wrote it a lot of nerve to confront their feelings and be vulnerable like that.”
“I don’t know if I should try to find out who my secret admirer is,” Daisy shared.
“You should probably leave it alone,” Mac immediately proposed. “They definitely didn’t want you to know their identity, otherwise they would’ve signed their name at the end of it. You don’t know what their intentions were writing this letter – what if this was a cruel prank? Wouldn’t it be easier to go on believing a person wrote it ‘cause they liked you in that case?”
“I’m confused why someone would do this. I just want answers, even if the truth sucks.”
“I’d say go for it,” Jamie advised, lounging back in his seat. “Finding out could be a good thing. You could get a boyfriend out of this.” Mac nearly choked on his milkshake.
“I totes agree,” Lexi chimed in. “Meeting the mysterious person who wrote this romantic letter would be such a meet-cute.”
“I do like the idea of a meet-cute,” Daisy muttered.
“I don’t say this often, but I’m with Mac on this one,” Devante said. “There’s probably a reason whoever did this did it without giving themselves away. And just because this could lead to something doesn’t mean it will.”
“What if this secret admirer wanted her to know and forgot to include their name?” Lexi speculated. “Imagine the love Daisy could be missing out on just because of this one detail. It’d be so tragic because the other person would believe they got rejected.”
“I really don’t think that’s what happened, Lexi,” Mac asserted.
“It was purely theoretical, not the truth. Can’t I dream of a cute romantic situation for our fashionably-challenged friend?”
Daisy was tempted to argue she wasn’t but that’d likely end with Lexi giving her a backhanded compliment or an insult, depending on her mood. Plus, Daisy needed Lexi on her side. Partly because she didn’t want Mac involved if possible… for reasons she wouldn’t elaborate on. Still, Lexi was the second-best schemer in their friend group. More importantly, Lexi was a love guru who specialized in schemes designed to get couples together. If anyone would know how to find Daisy’s secret admirer, it’d be her.
“You’re acting like this is my only shot at love, Lexi,” Daisy complained instead.
“Look at this way,” Jamie replied. “The Sweethearts dance is coming up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a date for that?”
Daisy knew he had good intentions but it still stung. “You guys don’t think I could get a date on my own?”
“Of course, you can,” Mac reassured her. “That’s why what Jamie and Lexi are suggesting is dumb.”
Daisy looked over at her best friend. “What do you think about this, Aisha?”
Aisha swiped the note off the table and skimmed it. “This might be because I love knowing things I shouldn’t be knowing but I think you should at least try. There’s still a major problem tho. How are you gonna find this person? They don’t leave any clues as to who they are. For we all know, they might not even go to Bayside.”
“It’s more likely that they attend Bayside than they don’t,” Devante disputed. “But yeah, how are you supposed to search for this person when you have nothing else to go off of?”
“One of you,” Daisy pointed simultaneously at Lexi and Mac. “Better have a brilliant idea to help me find this individual.”
“Sorry, Daisy. I got nothing,” Lexi conceded. “I mean you could compare every single student’s handwriting to the letter but I can’t think how you could accomplish that efficiently. But it looks like Mac might have a plan in the works.”
Daisy turned to him and well, Lexi was right. Based on his wide-eyed expression, the charming way he bit the tip of his tongue and how his previously loose fists had transformed into exposed palms, he already formed a mental blueprint. Hold on, has his hands always been that nice?
“I might have an idea but I’m not gonna tell you because I think you should respect the writer’s wishes and not pry.”
“That’s juicy coming from you,” Lexi taunted with a dangerous smile. “Remember when you –“ Mac threw a fry from his basket which Lexi swatted. “Real mature, Mac.”
Daisy laid her clasped hands on his shoulder, resting her chin on top. “Please, Mac, can you tell me?” she implored, battling her eyelashes.
“You’re placing these high expectations on this person and possibly setting the bar way too high. I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” he fretted, evading eye contact.
“This is the second time today you refused to tell me something.”
“Aw, don’t pull that card. You know there was a very legitimate reason I couldn’t tell you. I would’ve physically combusted.”
“I know. It’s just that… you probably won’t understand what’s like, given your endless supply of girls waiting to date you. I don’t get that same attention from guys –“
“Oh, you do, but your nose is always in homework hence you don’t notice. They also don’t approach you ‘cause they’re scared of me. And rightfully so, I could make their lives hell if I wanted. According to my therapist, I can get very possessive of things that are mine –“ If derailing a conversation was an Olympic sport, Mac would win a medal.
Daisy sighed. “What I’m saying is if I met this person, I could ask them why me, and not anyone else –“
“They spill their entire guts to you in that letter and you’re still unsatisfied?” Why did he sound… hurt?
“It’s not like – just forget what I said,” Daisy lifted her head off him, dejected. Persuading someone stubborn as Mac was a futile endeavour. However, he splayed a hand over her interlaced ones still on his shoulder, restraining her.
He peered deeply into her eyes. God, he has pretty eyes. Such a striking shade of blue. Were they always this intense or just around her? They reminded her of a storm that could come to and blow her off course… damn it, what were her friends discussing again?
“Fine,” Mac huffed. “Do you wanna hear my idea?”
Daisy nodded vigorously. Slowly, he removed his hand. “Obviously, you know that student council will be selling those matchmaker questionnaires next week. Nearly everyone single will fill one out so assuming your secret admirer is indeed available, all you gotta do is find the questionnaire that matches the letter’s handwriting.” This was exactly the zany scheme she needed.
“Oh my god, you’re so right,” Daisy exclaimed. She could hug him right now. But she won’t. “As student body president, I would have unrestricted access to all completed questionnaires. Plus, I’m responsible for packaging them up for shipping, meaning I could go through them next Friday after school.”
“Hmm, you could but that’d be too suspicious. Toddman will question why you’re taking hours to do something that should take ten minutes. And why would you stay that long after school on a Friday? You should be leaving school early on a Friday.”
“You do realize school ends at the same time on Friday as it does the rest of the week?” Aisha asked.
“Anyways,” Mac continued. “What you should do is try to have someone in on the plan sell questionnaires as much as possible the entire week. They quickly compare each questionnaire to the letter and make note of the ones with similar handwriting. Then, you properly assess them before shipping them off Friday. You review any you believe are possible matches and go through any questionnaires that were sold when you or an ally weren’t manning the table. As long as you have most of the shifts covered, you can examine the majority before next Friday.”
Daisy would never admit it but his plan was sorta great. A very ambitious plan, but still. However, she couldn’t overlook one minor detail. “How on earth am I supposed to execute this alone?”
“That’s where I come in,” Mac grinned. “You need me –“ Daisy’s heart didn’t skip a beat.
“Projecting much?” Lexi muttered. Mac threw another fry at her. Seconds prior to hitting Lexi’s face, Jamie snagged the fry mid-air and ate it.
“As I was saying before being rudely interrupted,” Mac resumed. “I’m key to this plan succeeding for multiple reasons. First, I can bribe Devante and his girlfriend into –“
“We aren’t people you can easily bribe, dog,” Devante objected.
“So, Nadia wouldn’t want those nice-scented candles on her Pinterest board?” Lexi inquired. “And you don’t want those noise-cancelling headphones you’re always raving about?”
“Guess we can be bribed after all,” Devante shrugged.
“Second,” Mac justified. “I can get you a list of students attending Bayside–“
“I can also do that,” Daisy interjected.
“But how ethically would that be? You, student body president, sneaking into the administration office so you could upload the most recent list onto a USB…“
Ugh, why must he sound logical? “Okay, I see your point.”
“Besides, the list I can obtain would be way more useful. I already have a slightly outdated version that mentions stuff like relationship status, whether they came out recently, things like that, to help you narrow down the possibilities. Me and Lexi can inspect it this weekend and –“
“Did just you voluntold me into helping?”
“Well, yeah, you’re like the best at gathering personal intel.”
“Cite me a reason I should help you, Mac.”
“You’re not technically helping me, you’re helping Daisy find the person who could be her soulmate. Don’t you enjoy scheming on behalf of love? You’re like Cupid, if Cupid was a hot teenage girl.”
“You could’ve been more apt by comparing me to Aphrodite.”
“I don’t know trivia. I only know she’s from Greek myths ‘cause Daisy keep talking about that one book series.”
Wisely, Lexi disregarded his previous statement. “There’s gonna be some sort of catch where I expect your plan to unfold one way but it doesn’t because you have other ideas and would happily mislead me so I can’t foil your actual plan.”
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Mac dismissed Lexi’s apprehensions with a hand, his attention back on Daisy. “Three, you’ll need an accomplice to help you sell questionnaires and out of the four of us who aren’t in student council or dating someone in student council –“
“Yet,” Jamie muttered. “Ow, did you kick me Mac?”
“My bad, I must’ve stretched my legs out and accidentally kick you again,” he shrugged. “Out of the four of us,” he repeated while gesturing to himself, Aisha, Jamie, and Lexi, “I’m most likely to do something like that. The matchmakers are a byproduct of the Sweethearts Dance, and I helped plan dances before, which you can verify.” Unfortunately, Daisy could.
“Yeah that’s why it’s believable,” Lexi murmured under her breath. What was that supposed to mean?
Prepared to chuck another fry at Lexi, Mac decided against it. Instead, he munched on it as he briefly glared in Lexi’s direction. “Fourth, you’ll have to be at school before your bus arrives in the morning and you’re gonna miss the bus after school selling questionnaires so you’ll need a ride next week. And lastly, if things go south, I can bail you out –“
Thus far, he made too much sense. Either this was a part of a larger, crazier scheme or something sinister was at play – he was naturally this clever. If her brain arbitrarily determined that he was even smarter than already Daisy thought, she’ll never get over him. Thank god, he mentioned something jail-related –
Wait a second.
“Are you saying I could go to prison for this?” Daisy panicked. “I get this might involve invasion of privacy –“
“No, no, no, not like that,” Mac comforted. “If someone gets suspicious, you need someone who is an excellent liar and who can think on their feet. I’m a great distraction. I mean, look at this jawline, it’s mesmerizing.” Vain much?
“Yes, I know… objectively speaking, since I overhear girls talk about it all the time,” she said. Nice save. “And it’s obnoxious.” Overkill, but she must drive the point home she wasn’t interested in him, even if untrue. Who knows what he’ll do if he knew. He’d either use that information as blackmail or ask her out. Daisy didn’t know which would be worst.
“Aww, is somebody afraid they won’t receive my affections and attention as much?” he smirked. Stupid lopsided smirk that kept showing up in Daisy’s dreams, out here ruining her life.
Why was he so conceited? Yeah, it was sorta factual but that wasn’t important here. “That sentence literally has nothing with any of this! Are you implying you’d make out with anyone as a distraction or something?” Why did she say that? Did she subconsciously want to… Oh dear.
“No,” he sipped on his milkshake, blissfully oblivious to her inner turmoil. “But if it came down to it, I would.”
“Would you make out with Daisy as a part of a distraction ploy?” Aisha asked casually, gaping up from her phone. “Hypothetically,” she added, like that made everything better.
“Aisha!” Daisy yelled, praying her cheeks weren’t rosy. She didn’t have to fuel Daisy’s immature infatuation like that. “You don’t need to answer that. Please don’t answer that.”
“Got it,” Mac spluttered. Why was he blushing? He glanced at his watch. “You should get going if you’re gonna make it to your student council meeting on time.” How did he know that? She mentioned it in passing like once this week.
“You’re probably right. Devante, you coming?” Daisy said, grabbing her backpack. She was so ready to leave, specifically after Aisha’s comment.
“To support my boo Nadia? Why is that even a question?”
“Wait,” Mac clutched her wrist, his concern evident. “Daisy, did you eat lunch?”
Guess she forgot about eating lunch until he brought it up. Oh well. “It’s fine, I’ll eat later.”
“Hold on for a minute,” Mac urged as he caught a waiter’s attention. “Excuse me, can I grab this and that to go, please?” he pointed at his own fries and Jamie’s untouched cheeseburger. The waiter smiled and nodded, taking the food away.
“Dude, you can’t steal my food and give it to someone else,” Jamie protested. “I know you –“
“Quit babbling and I’ll pay for your next date with Lexi?” Mac offered.
“Okay, fine, I’ll let you avoid your feelings for now.” What was Jamie talking about?
“Thank you!” Mac shrilled.
The waiter emerged from the kitchen, holding a paper bag in one hand and a debit card machine in the other. After a ding indicating the shiny credit card went through, the waiter handed Mac the bag and vanished.
“This is for you, mi pequeña reina,” he smiled as he delivered the bag to Daisy. Her skin tingled as his fingers brushed hers.
Remember, he wasn’t learning Spanish for you, Daisy mentally prompted herself. “You should work on your pronunciation,” she mumbled. “But gracias. And sorry about your burger, Jamie.”
“It’s cool, Daisy. It’s not your fault Mac can’t think rationally.”
“But on the bright side, our next date is gonna be an all-paid expense, courtesy of Mac,” Lexi gloated. “Meaning this will be our most expensive date ever. I’m thinking a weekend getaway to Saint Lucia.”
“Ooh, I like that, babe.”
“Well, that backfired,” Mac mumbled. “Also, you’re not free this weekend, Lexi.”
“Since when?”
“You got mad at me about it two minutes ago!”
“You ready to go?” Devante asked Daisy, already standing.
“Yeah, let’s go,” she agreed as she rose.
“Aren’t you missing something? Or rather, someone?” Aisha posed. “If Mac’s gonna help you in this scheme, he has to attend the meeting so he can sign up to volunteer. Unless, you’re gonna break the rules for your favourite rulebreaker,” despite the relatively innocent sentence, Daisy could feel her face grow hot because of those words.
“Give me a sec,” Mac instructed, chugging down his milkshake quickly as possible and tossing a few bills onto the table. Unsurprisingly, some of his drink got on his mouth. He shouldn’t appear that endearing especially when he looked up at her, eager.
Daisy snatched a napkin. “I can’t take you anywhere,” she joked dryly. “Hold still.” With her free hand, she gently cupped his face and carefully wiped off excess milkshake. Mac remained quiet, watching her curiously. “Okay, you’re good. No more milk mustache.”
“Cool,” Mac uttered, rendered motionless. He stared at her, dazed.
“Are you gonna get up or do I have to drag you out of here?” Daisy lectured, annoyed.
“Uh,” he drawled out intelligently.
She rolled her eyes as she seized his hand. “Let’s go.” She guided him out of The Max, hand in hand. Devante filed out after, shaking his head in disbelief.
At some point on the trek back, their fingers interlocked and honestly, Daisy didn’t notice. Hell, she didn’t register the fact they were still holding hands when Devante hugged his girlfriend in the school hallway. It took Daisy witnessing the real couple holding hands to realize she was doing the same with Mac unintentionally. And only then, in that moment, did she drop his hand.
Daisy pretended she didn’t see him pout ever so slightly.