Page 20 of Cruel Alpha Bully

Love never does.

Is that what this is? Love? I don’t even know.

Luckily, some customers come in and distract me. I make a conscious effort to forget about Bae while I talk to a mother and her two kids about sheet music, drums, and guitars.

As they leave, my eyes sneak back towards the window again. I can’t help it—all this time, I’ve been carefully making myself not look, so of course, now I can’t stop myself.

Just as I turn right towards the window, I see the bright flash of Bae’s hair as he turns away from the window and strides towards the back of the store.

Wait… was he watching me?

I stand there, my stomach bubbling with conflicting emotions. Has he been staring at me all day, just like I’m staring at him?

Don’t be ridiculous.

The door jingles, and I smile with relief to see my old friend Veronica. She wraps me in a warm hug, and we go out the back for a cup of tea and a quick catch-up. I had a lot more friends here than I ever realized. Every single one of them has been dropping by to make sure I feel welcome.

Except Scott.

I grin, trying to hold in a chuckle. It shouldn’t be funny.

But it is.

After Veronica leaves, I spend the rest of the day serving customers and staying away from the front windows. I don’t want to spend my day torturing myself by looking at him, but I also don’t want to know if he’s staring at me or not.

Don’t get your hopes up.

Bae made it pretty clear more than once that he didn’t find me attractive. Why should I believe he’s changed his mind?

The memory of our kiss comes back to me, making my lips tingle and my blood run hot. I close my eyes, falling into the memory, the sensory overload of being in Bae’s arms and feeling the lust taking us both over.

“You okay, Gina?” Martin’s voice cuts through my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I say quickly. “Just thinking.”

“Looked like you might have been about to faint,” he says, showing real concern.

“I’m okay, thank you,” I say, meaning it. He’s not just my boss; he’s become a good friend, too.

“How about you head off early?” Martin suggests. “It’s almost closing time, anyway. I can close up.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, feeling bad that I was having an erotic fantasy and Martin genuinely thinks I’m unwell.

“Of course.” Martin waves a hand at me. “Scoot. Get some rest.”

Getting home early for a rest sounds like a great idea. I thank Martin and grab my things, promising him I’ll take care of myself.

The crisp, cool air hits me in the face as I swing the door open and hurry down the street. I wrap my scarf around my neck and take a deep breath, loving the feel of the chill air stinging my cheeks.

“Hey there,” a deep voice sounds from right beside me. “Care if I walk you home, cutie?”

My good mood shatters and falls to pieces, replaced by a tense note of excitement. I didn’t even see Bae catch up to me, and it’s giving me a head rush that he actually chased me down just to walk me home.

“Don’t you need to get the car?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I can jog back for it. I wanted to walk with you.”

My throat closes as my brain collapses in on itself. I’m stuck between my current feelings for Bae and this being my prime fantasy every single day of my life as a teenager.

---