Page 62 of Siren's Heart

No wonder, I mean, the guy is almost two meters tall, even taller than Asher, and pure muscle. I ran into him accidentally when I changed my mind about where I was going, and that man is a freaking wall!

"Wait!" Naroa yells back, and I see her fight her way through all the scurrying staff in the hallway. "I'd really prefer it if you didn’t go out."

"Naroa, I've been sitting in some kind of sad, windowless room for–" I check my watch. "More than six hours today already. I need some air and some sunlight, unless you want me to slip into a depression."

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose between her eyes. "Please don't."

"Rob will come with me. I'll be fine. I solemnly swear to not run away, listen to every word he tells me, and act on it." She eyes me, exasperation etched into her face, and a deep, deep sigh escapes her. "I can't just hole up and hide from the world because I'm dating. Everyone's more interested in Kayla's love life anyway."

Her distraction tactic worked. One walk from her car to a shop, holding hands with Asher, managed to get a good portion of media off my back. Well, so I've been told because I still haven't dared check myself.

Naroa realizes there's no use in discussing my coffee run. It’s happening, whether she likes it or not.

I hope she comes from a place of concern and worry for me, but I fear I might go crazy if I have to stare at the bleak walls of our dressing room, which probably haven't been painted since the eighties, within the next fifteen minutes. Plus, we still have two more hours of interviews to go, and I'm just so fucking tired. I need some sugar, caffeine, and maybe a cupcake if they have any.

"Only coffee," she finally says, pointing at me with her index finger threateningly. "No detours. No walks. Only the coffee shop right next door. Are we clear?" She stares me down until I nod, then gets confirmation from Rob. "Good. See you in a few minutes."

"Well, what kind of coffee do you want?" I ask her before she leaves. As if I’d go for a coffee and not get her one too; she’s been working longer than Kayla and me already today.

"Cappuccino," she shouts, then turns the corner to the hallway.

"Kayla?"

"Iced coffee. And get me a pack of sugar, please." She shoots me an air kiss, then turns to the mirror to quickly freshen up her makeup. I also ask the rest of our team for their orders, jotting them down in my notes app before leaving.

My eyes narrow when we step into the sunlight. Damn, it's bright out here. Horns are blaring, and people are chattering, and I quickly put on my sunglasses. I'm not exactly incognito, still wearing my press conference outfit, only with a jacket thrown over it, a hat, and the sunglasses. I just hope I'll be in and out of there without anyone recognizing me.

The coffee shop seems pretty empty. Thank God. Rob walks in first and scans the store, deciding it's safe he opens the door to let me walk through it in front of him. I feel like an agent on a secret mission.

Well, a bad agent. It feels like as soon as I step in, all eyes are on me immediately. Which must be my paranoia because I can't actually see anyone looking up from what they're doing, but the prickly feeling in my neck tells me I'm being watched.

Forcing myself to pay it no mind, I hurry to the counter, waiting behind the one person who is currently ordering. They're taking a while, so I take the chance to have a look at the store.

It's cute. Not a coffee chain but, it appears to be an independent store with its own roast and wonderful coffee specials for spring. They apparently have a pink latte.

Lovely, I can't wait to try them out. Discreetly, I jot down the name and take a picture of the logo. It's a cat staring longingly at a coffee bean, and it's absolutely adorable.

"Next one," the barista shouts, and I step up, all the orders pulled up on my phone.

Despite the sunglasses, recognition flashes in the barista's eyes. They grow wide before she schools her face and clears her throat. I might as well take my sunglasses off to see the screen better, then.

"Hi there, what can I get you?"

I smile and greet her back, before dictating my order. Some of those they don't have here, so I substitute it for similar drinks, hoping it's alright with everyone. Just in case, I order three regular coffees additionally, as well.

"They're coming right up. Would you mind waiting over there?" The barista points to the end of the counter, and I shoot her a smile and nod. She turns around to start on the coffees, and while I’m facing her back, I quickly slide a generous tip into their tip jar.

The person who ordered before us has already received their coffee and left, so Rob and I have some space as we wait for my order. He stands between the tables and me, shielding me from the area where people are dutifully working on their laptops, while I inspect the picture on the wall. It shows the different stages of coffee beans, which is interesting to see. I didn’t even know that coffee had petals. Suddenly, a female voice booms through the room, making me jump.

"Yo, ain't that the slut from the news?" My heart starts beating furiously, and a cold shiver runs down my spine. I can’t see where the voice is coming from; all I see is Rob straightening his back to his full height and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Get the fuck out of here, whore!"

Now, all eyes really turn to me. And Rob is wide, but he can’t shield me from all of them. I remain where I am, crossing my arms in front of my chest, while Rob’s whole body tenses, ready for whatever is happening here.

"I'm so sorry," the barista says, suddenly beside us, and says something into her headset, hopefully calling for backup.

Then I hear a commotion and a scream from that same voice. “Get out of my way, that bitch needs to learn some manners!”

Then there’s even more commotion and shocked gasps, and suddenly, Rob is on the ground, pinning a woman who must be in her forties down with his knee on her back.

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