"Either you have a very forgettable face or I've never seen you around before," this guy was saying.

Um, ew. Just an hour ago I had seen him being led by the hand to some creepy dark corner by a pretty blonde and moments later, reappearing and smoothing the creases in his newly rumpled clothes. Gross, I was probably contracting some gross disease just by being within three feet of him right now.

"Are you always this stupid or are you just making a special effort today?" I snapped back.

I didn't even bother acknowledging his presence, my attention was on Luke who was standing in the corner of the room, laughing loudly at everything this bottle blonde, fake tanned cheerleader was saying. It made me sick. You'd think that after our previous escape he would have learnt to stay away from cheerleaders by now. Instead, Luke accepted an invitation to this party at the Lotus Casino and even suggested we stay and 'blend in' for a while. It was just an excuse so he could chat up the pretty blonde cheerleader who invited him in the first place. Not that I cared or anything.

"Don't let your mind wander; it's far too small to be let out on its own," his voice echoed in my ear. What did he know? What Luke did wasn't my concern. I was simply… looking in his direction.

I turned to glare at my offender and fire a string of insults when I faltered.

Smirking back at me was the most incredibly good-looking guy I had ever laid eyes on. He was almost better looking than Luke. Okay, much better looking than Luke because it's not as if I have ever found Luke attractive at any point in my life… He had piercing dark brown eyes, tousled dark hair and a face that almost hurt to look at.

He chuckled. "I'm very multi-talented: I can talk and annoy the hell out of you at the same time."

"I'm impressed," I replied, refusing to smile at his dry humour even though I could feel a smile working its way onto my face. "I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before."

"I will defend, to your death, my right to my opinion." He didn't even have the good grace to look embarrassed. He nudged his head in the direction of Luke being led onto the dancefloor by Blondie. "Is that your boyfriend over there?"

"No," I said, a bit too loudly.

Luke looked over Blondie's shoulder where they were romantically slow dancing and mouthed; everything alright?

I nodded, my stomach recoiling at the sight before turning back to finish verbally sparring with the good-looking jerk. "I used to think that you were a colossal pain in the neck. Now I have a much lower opinion of you."

He simply looked amused. "You know, I've come across rotting bodies that are less offensive than you are," he said, laughing at his own joke.

"Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?"

He silenced himself when he caught my soul-destroying glare and struggled to keep a straight face. "Sorry," he apologized. "Personal joke."

We stood where we were for a second in a strangely comfortable silence. As much as this stuck-up, thick-as-a-wall, obnoxious guy annoyed me, I actually enjoyed his company. I almost forgot about Luke and that dim-witted, pumpkin colored cheerleader for a second. Even if every muscle in that well-toned chest of his screamed player.

I glanced over at Luke who was beaming as Pumpkin reached over and touched his arm.

"Look," I said, finally breaking the silence. "Do you want me to accept you as you are, or do you want me to lie to myself and pretend to like you?"

He grinned. "The second option actually sounds pretty good. Let's start over." He extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Nico di Angelo and I like you. People say I've got no taste -"

"Clearly," I interceded, nodding my head in the direction of the pretty blonde he had been chatting up before.

"But," he interrupted, holding up his hands in surrender. "I like you."

What kind of pick-up line was that? Disappointing, really.

"And clearly, no brain in that big head of yours either," I commented, shaking my head.

Nico cocked a brow, looking amused. "I get told a lot that females generally like to think they're the smart ones, so I'm just going to play along with it."

"Oh, sorry. Let me clarify," I snapped. "You do have a brain-"

"Ah," Nico nodded, meaningfully although I could see a mischievous glint in those eyes.

"Only it's located in your pants," I continued.

"Sure thing, chicken wing," Nico retorted, unfazed. "I trust your better judgment to know those things."

"That's why it's so microscopically small that the Hubble telescope would struggle to find it," I fired back. "There. You have just discovered the meaning of life."

Nico was silent and I gauged his expression for any form of emotion.

Damn, had I gone too far this time?

Then he burst out laughing.

"Oh my gods," he spluttered, doubling over and clutching his stomach. "You're hilarious. Now, we just have to be friends. I won't take no for an answer."

"For a guy who reeks of alcohol, has no standards and a brain the size of a parasite. I'm flattered you want to be my friend."

He finally got a grip on himself and the cocky grin was there once more. "So, friend," he replied, leaning forward. "You haven't told me what your name is yet."

I looked down unable to hide the smile on my face.

"Chicken wing it is then," he shrugged. "Or maybe chickie or nugget. Get it? Like chicken nuggets- hey what in Hades was that for?"

I whacked him on the arm hard and recoiled wincing at how hard his bicep turned out to be. Geez, he had arms made out of steel.

Nico continued to look amused. And smug.

I wanted to punch that smile off his face but he probably had a jaw made out of iron too.

His grin disappeared when he realized I wasn't smiling anymore. "Hey, I'm sorry. That was out of line. Is your hand okay?"

Before I could protest he grabbed my hand and I felt my skin static with electric currents where he touched me. Okay, now this was getting weird.

"I'm fine," I said. "Really."

I took a step back to give myself some distance. Only that wasn't necessary. Suddenly, Nico had been flung halfway across the room and this time it wasn't me.

It was Luke.