Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 1529

Crap.

She really should have asked him first.

"Please go ahead and eat, Mr. Steele," she said, offering an apologetic but polite smile.

She then followed Kian over to the adjacent desk.

The two of them sat side by side, their eyes glued to the laptop screen.

As they discussed the material, Kian seemed to continuously, perhaps intentionally, lean in entirely too close.

"This is brilliant, Janet. Finding such an obscure angle is definitely going to shatter their main argument."

"Thank you."

She flushed slightly at the praise, her cheeks a soft pink.

*Cough—*

Melvin sat back in his chair, his long legs crossed, aggressively biting into his sandwich while glaring daggers at them.

Hearing the noise, both Janet and Kian glanced up.

A few seconds later, they awkwardly lowered their heads and resumed their discussion.

*Cough, cough—*

Fueled by pure jealousy, he coughed again.

*Cough, cough, cough—*

*Cough, cough, cough, cough—*

"Did you swallow a frog or something?" Juniper was trying to concentrate, and his relentless hacking was seriously breaking her focus.

"Not quite." He scowled, tossing the half-eaten sandwich back into the bag.

"Are you choking?" Janet quickly stood up, dug through her backpack, and handed him a bottle of water. "It's brand new, hasn't been opened."

"Thanks." He took it, his foul mood instantly improving by leaps and bounds.

"It's about time we head to the auditorium." Kian materialized right behind her, flashing Melvin a bright smile. "I heard you signed up for one of the department's seminars. If you ever need help navigating the coursework, just let me know."

He was absolutely determined to use this opportunity to build a bridge to Juniper and the Schwartz family.

"I'll pass."

She waved goodbye to the two siblings and walked out the door, chatting easily with her classmate.

Melvin stood absolutely still, his eyes locked onto their retreating figures, his face as dark as a storm cloud.

"What are you staring at?" Juniper walked up beside him.

"That guy is bad news." He pressed his lips together, his voice grim. "Warn her. Tell her to stay the hell away from him."

It takes a guy to know exactly what another guy is thinking.

"She's fully aware of how to handle herself," she replied, raising a brow. "But why do you suddenly care so much?"

"Do I?"

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, forcing out a hollow laugh.

"You absolutely do!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, her clear, piercing eyes locking dead onto him. She didn't pull her punches. "You're trying to make a move on my girl, aren't you?"

His heart practically skipped a beat.

Was it really that obvious?