“Excuse me.” I didn’t even recognize the softness of my voice. “I uhm, you dropped this.”Son of a bitch, is that the best you have, Barton? Idiot!
Finally, she opens her eyes and sees me holding out her unharmed phone. She stares at me for a while, like she’s trying to figure out why I have her phone and how it’s still in one piece. She has the most beautiful deep brown eyes that sparkle in the shop lights, like looking into two pools of Dr. Pepper.Maybe I should cut back on the soda.
“Oh, I, oh my god, how did you catch that?”
“Reflexes are pretty good, I guess.” I wasn’t about to admit that I had been staring at her since I got in line. I’m not that much of a fucking moron.
“That’s amazing! Like Spider-Man or some shit. Thank you so much!”
When she reaches out for the phone, her soft fingers brushing against mine, sending a jolt of electricity through me. She’s captivating, and I’m not sure she even knows it. My father always told me I had the mind of an artist and a dreamer. I’ve always seen people for their beauty, both inside and out, and used to love showing it through my art. Watching her, I instantly visualize her beauty on canvas; this woman might be my muse. I mean, if I was ever going to get back into art.
Wait, did she call me Spider-Man?
The soft pink on her cheeks is getting darker now, and I watch the embarrassment take over. “I should, uhm, I should probably…”
“No, no, let me. It’s the least I could do considering how full your arms are.” I don’t even remember how little money I have when I tap my phone against the reader. I barely even register the sound of the machine as it pulls the last pennies from my bank, too busy drowning in her eyes again. She can take everything I have—I won’t stop her.
Neither of us has looked away yet.
In an unblinking gaze, our eyes linger until I eventually give up and lower my gaze to her full lips and shy smile. In a rom-com, this is where we’d kiss, and a year from now we’d come back and get married right here in this boba shop. I’ve never wanted someone as badly as I want this woman, and I don’t even know her name. This is LA; she could be a tourist, and I may never see her again if I don’t do something.
But she doesn’t look like a tourist. I wonder if she works nearby.
“Alexis!” The screech from across the cafe pulls us back to the harsh reality of the busy shop around us. It’s the blonde, who isstillblocking the door and texting. I hate her so much right now. “Are you coming or what?”
The quintessential valley girl has given me something, though.Alexis. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect name.
“Hey, uhm, so thanks for the coffee. Oh, and for catching my phone.” She walks backward toward the exit, biting her lip nervously and trying to fight the smile. “I really appreciate not having to order a new one. I really need to be more careful.”
“No problem. Just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”
Her giggle is ethereal, and I feel the pull of my half-smile on my mouth. These are the moments when I wish I had any game at all. I’ve become entirely dumbfounded and unaware I’m still in line as I watch the sun hit her hair when she opens the door and disappears. She’s gone, and my heart sinks as someone clears their throat.
“Uhm, so are you going to order something or what?” The kid behind the counter is glaring at me, bored and unimpressed.I’d forgotten other people existed.
“Shit, yeah, yes. I’ll just, uhm, coffee. Do you have just coffee?” He rolls his eyes, judging me. I must be some kind of brand-new alien who’d never been in a boba shop before. This is why I don’t leave the house. “Just give me the biggest, cheapest thing you have with caffeine.” I glance at his nametag. “Okay, Zack?”
I use my emergency-only credit card to pay because this is essentially an emergency. Then, an idea pops into my head. As he hands me a large coffee, I blurt out, “Hey, does she come in here often?”
“The one whose pants you were trying to get into, Mr. Good Reflexes?”
I close my eyes and force a smile. Smug motherfucker, but I had earned that, hadn’t I. “You know what, never mind. Sorry.” I pull the wrinkled bills Dani forced me to take from my pocket and stuff them into the tip jar. Broke, enamored, and embarrassed, I leave as quickly as possible.
CHAPTER4
HEADS WILL ROLL
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
I don’t stop.I rush back to the office, even though Kennedy complains the entire way that I’m going too fast and her feet hurt.
Blue—such a pretty blue. It’s not like the sky or a baby blue, but steel, almost grey. Sad.
“Oh, man!” Dani yells out as I barge through the door. “Lex Luthor, you have the absolute worst timing, I swear!” Our receptionist announces the obvious as I stumble back into the office. She sees me juggling things and runs around the desk to help while eyeing the utterly clueless Kennedy as she parades in.
“Shit, did I miss something? Did Sam need something?” I check my watch. The download should still have another few minutes, so it shouldn’t be that.
“No. The guy I’ve been trying to hook you up with for fucking months was here.” She takes a few things until I can get a better grip. “Tall, handsome, great ass—ringing any bells?”
