All I wanted today was a vanilla bean latte, so remember that alongside a grilled cheese. I left my credit card at the apartment but there should be a twenty-dollar bill inside my purse for emergencies. If the drink is seven ninety-nine and the sandwich is nine ninety-nine, that means I’d maybe have some change left. I took a deep breath and practised the order in my head while Kaan took the customer’s order in front of me.
There were four people waiting behind me so there was no room to mess up my order or hesitate—if I did—there’d be those cold sighs, those under-the-breath curses, and the judgemental looks.
Did I even have twenty dollars on me? What if it wasn’t enough?That would be embarrassing, and these people would surely hate me if I took more of their time.
“Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me you’re on Hong Hae In’s side? Baek Hyun Woo locked his feelings for so long and did everything for her when he found out she was sick. What do you even mean bythat?”
I’d recognize that voice anywhere.
Umaima sat on our usual table in the corner, she wore a long sky-blue dress and paired it with her go-to favourite chiffon hijab. Lids of her elongated eyes were painted with baby pinks and gold shimmer in the inner corners. As usual, the high placement of her blush made her look an ethereal princess.
Beside her, Hasan wore a bored expression. Sunglassesperched up high on his nose and body facing away from Umaima’s constant yapping. I bet he was watching Yunus with Hasan’s Mom through his home cameras.
Then there, leaning against the window with a straw between his teeth, was Osama. Only he’d know how to charm Kaan into giving him a drink not even five minutes after he left me alone in the car with his abhorrent friend.
“I’m not saying hewasbad; I’m saying he should’ve empathised with her a bit more. She had a miscarriage and he completely neglected her.”
Umaima’s mouth opened then shut—repeating the process twice—before she folded her hands over her chest and pouted, “Whatever.”
Osama kept his eyes lowered, but his mouth curved into a tender smile.
Isn’t that interesting?
“Thank you,” the person in front of me said.
My head jerked forward.
What was my order again?
“I’ll have a large black coffee with your best-selling sandwich and Adelaide will have a vanilla bean latte with?—”
My head snapped to him.There was no way he remembered…
“A grilled cheese,” Kaan interrupted with a smile. “I know her order.”
The corner of Christian’s lips twitched like his tongue couldn’t lift the weight of the words piling on top of each other. They tugged at his mouth, hoping for a chance to unleash theirspittynonsense.
Words weren’t enough to describe how I was feeling. “You remembered.”
Christian leaned down.What is he doing?
His cheek brushed against my own which elicited a quiet gasp. Subtle, warm breath fanned against my cheek. “I remember everything about you, Sunshine.”
My heart was panting like a nun reciting a mantra of celibacy to herself. It would be so easy to press my lips against his.Would he taste the same?
Instead, I choked out, “Thanks, Kaan.”
Before I could hand him the twenty-dollar bill, Christian gave Kaan five twenties, grumbled a quiet, “Keep the change,” before walking past me to the waiting side—taking my limited breaths with him.
It wasn’t until the person next cleared their throat that I shoved the cash back in my purse and headed straight into the direction of my friends.
My heart did a little pitter patter, skittering past the most important organ of the mind to the pits of my stomach.
Christian was just so…manly.
Clenching the space between my thighs, only I’d get turned on by a man paying for me.
“Hello, earth to Addie?” Umaima waved her hand in front of me while smirking. “Has the postnuptial bliss already hit you?”
