Chapter 1

I was an average-looking girl, and I'd had a crush on Wilbur Stein, the campus heartthrob, for three years.

I had done everything to win his favor, but he never paid me any attention.

As graduation approached, I made a bet with Wilbur: if we dated for three months and he still didn't fall for me, I'd never pester him again.

Three months later, he was left breathless from my kiss.

I asked, "Do you like me even a little bit now?"

Wilbur gave me a sidelong glance. "What are you thinking?"

Looking into his cold, amused eyes, I climbed off his lap.

I said, "A bet's a bet. I won't pester you anymore."

I stopped deliberately arranging to run into him, yet strangely, we kept running into each other.

Every single time, I pretended I hadn't seen him.

Until one day, Wilbur saw me about to give a gift to another guy.

He snatched it away and accused me with red-rimmed eyes. "You kissed me. Are you really not going to take responsibility?

*****

I fell for Wilbur the moment I saw him.

My roommate said every case of love at first sight was just lust.

She was right. I was obsessed with his face. He had flawless skin and sharp, striking features.

Especially those almond-shaped eyes, so reserved and aloof, they made my head spin every time.

At the New Year's party, Wilbur and his crew were sitting in the booth right next to ours.

I'd had a few drinks, and my eyes were locked on their table the whole time.

Wilbur was lounging in the corner, scrolling on his phone, looking as aloof and untouchable as ever.

Leila Schmidt nudged me with her elbow. "Come on, stop drooling. If you like him, just go for it."

I shook my head.

I was just too average. I had a plain, girl-next-door look, and the only good thing about me was probably my flawless skin.

There was no way I was good enough for a guy like him.

Leila said, "The worst that can happen if you ask him out is he says no. But what if he says yes? If you don't try, you don't stand a chance at all."

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe the room was too stuffy, but my face was burning up and my mind was fuzzy.

I had to admit, she had a point.

Leila kept egging me on. "Just go for it."

Fine. I would do it.

I downed another drink, then stumbled my way over to their table.

Stuart Hatcher, one of his buddies, caught on right away and slid over, leaving the spot next to Wilbur open for me.

Everyone knew I was the girl who had been fawning over Wilbur forever.

I had even bribed his friends more than a few times to get info on him.

I sat down next to Wilbur, staring at him with glassy, drunk eyes.

He gave me an indifferent glance, then went right back to scrolling on his phone.

The bright glow of the screen lit up his face, and I could see how long his eyelashes were.

My brain went blank for a second, but I quickly remembered why I had come over.

I tugged at his shirt. "Wilbur, I really like you. Will you be my boyfriend?"

Every single person around us, the ones chatting, drinking, and playing games, all froze and turned to look.

No one expected me to be that bold, to ask him out so directly.

They all wanted to see how Wilbur would react.

Wilbur glanced up, pulled his shirt away from me, and slid over, pretending he hadn't heard a word.

But I wasn't ready to give up. I held up three fingers at him.

I said, "Three months. We date for three months. If you still don't like me at all after that, I'll never bother you again.

"No more texts, no more running into you on purpose. I won't come to your basketball games; I won't sign up for the same classes as you. Nothing."

Wilbur frowned, refusing to respond.

I leaned in, teasing him. "Wilbur, are you afraid you'll end up falling for me after three months?"

He laughed, amused and a bit mean, like I had told the world's funniest joke. "Keep dreaming."

"So you're afraid to take the bet?"

"Not interested."

I said, "You're scared you'll lose.

"You're scared you'll actually fall for me.

"You're scared you won't be able to resist me."

Wilbur stayed completely unfazed.

I played my last card. "What, are you not man enough?"

There weren't many guys who could brush off a line like that.

He finally looked up at me, annoyed. "You're really loud."

"If you take the bet, I'll shut up," I said.

Wilbur went silent.

His friends started whooping and cheering him on.

"Hey, you've got no shot. Wilbur never pays attention to girls," one of them said.

"The chances of him falling for someone are lower than my grandpa having another kid," another joked.

"Just give up. An ice-cold guy like him isn't your type. I'm single right now; why don't you give me a shot instead?" a third one echoed.

Wilbur suddenly spoke up. "Just three months."

My mind went blank for a second, and then I was so thrilled I nearly screamed.

"You said yes!" I blurted out.