“You two done?” a young woman asked, glancing at us and the strawberries behind us.
Tate darted out of the way with a quick apology before turning to look at me, narrowing her eyes.
“I was going to come see you,” I admitted after moving over to the side where she was currently crossing her arms and glaring up at me.
“Uh-huh. Well, you’ve seen me now. No need to get the flowers.”
“You never called.”
“Neither did you.”
“Oh my god, it’sthem!” A teenage girl squealed, and I glared down at the ground. She came running over with her boyfriend in tow and started gushing at Tate, who was stunned. It must have been the first time someone approached her in public.
“I’ve been following you for years. You are so much prettier in person. And your arms aresonot too muscular. I want to look just like you. Do you have any tips? What about training? Could you train me?” The girl was rapidly firing questions at Tate, who appeared to be completely overwhelmed.
“Tate.” I slipped my fingers through her hand, and she instantly clutched it like a lifeline, looking between me and her very excited fan.
“And you’re Griffin Silver. Oh my god. In my grocery store. No one is going to believe me. Chester, can you believe it?” She slapped her boyfriend’s chest who seemed he couldn’t care less. “Oh, take a picture of us. Wait. Is that okay?” She was shoving her phone in her boyfriend’s hands before looking toward Tate and me.
I nodded before squeezing Tate’s hand, and she also nodded. We posed for a picture with the excited girl who turned to us after examining her picture.
“Hold on. Is this the first time you’ve seen each other since you publicly claimed her? Good move by the way. So hot. Definitely book boyfriend material.”
“Hailey, you’re overstepping,” her boyfriend whispered, attempting to pull her away.
Tate still hadn’t uttered a word, and I was worried she had gone into shock.
“Are you okay?” Hailey asked Tate, completelyignoring her boyfriend.
“Just shocked. You really want advice from me?”
I saw the uncertainty flash in Tate’s eyes, heard the fear in her voice. She truly didn’t believe in herself, and here was a teen girl freaking out over her.
“You’re Tatum freaking Grace. Have you looked in a mirror? I would do anything to look like you,” Hailey gushed, oblivious to all the turmoil flashing over Tate’s expression.
I pulled out my phone after glancing around and noticing we were drawing a crowd. A few people had their phones out recording, and that was not what either of us needed right now.
“Why don’t you give me your Instagram username, and I’ll make sure she follows you back later. Maybe you two can message about her favorite splits and meals.”
Hailey squealed, grabbed my phone, quickly typed away, and then handed it back.
“This has been a dream. I hope you two make things work. You’re a total power couple, and I’m so here for it.”
Her boyfriend finally managed to pull her away, and I turned to Tate.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“How do you handle that all the time?”
“It gets easier. You should be excited. You have your first real-life fan.”
I shielded her from the view of people behind us. I felt their curious eyes and cameras watching our every move. I was sure there would be another article later tonight, but I wanted Tate to enjoy this moment. It was important.
The overhead lights buzzed, a cart squeaked down the aisle, and somewhere near the registers, a kid whined about candy. None of it mattered.
Tate was standing in front of me, our chests practically brushing as she looked up at me, every emotion possibleswirling in the depths of her green eyes. Fear, anxiety, excitement, frustration, anger, and something else. Could it belove?
She reached for her cart, fingers curling around the handle, knuckles turning white.
