Page 59 of Just Act Natural

A virtual stranger she’s claimed as her pretend boyfriend.

Yeah, it still sits weird. Too many qualifiers in there.

When her eyes hit mine, her grin sparkles. My stomach dips in return. I don’t want to lose whatever it is that makes her shine like that.

She beelines over to me, adding a little skip to her step. “Am I late?”

“Right on time.”

“Good. I’m usually late to things, but I wanted to be on time for you.” She wrinkles her nose, as though I wouldn’t appreciate that bit of information. “To show you the magic of boba tea, I mean.”

“Of course.”

I open the door and trail her inside the coffee shop. A fresh, almost spicy scent drifts along with her. It’s delicious just like her—like a crisp summer day—but I can’t place it.

At the counter, she orders two boba teas from the young barista. I pay for them while the two talk, but Lila catches it.

“I was supposed to treat you.”

“Not this time.” It’s unlikely I’ll let her pay next time either, but she’ll figure that out eventually.

We stand at the counter while the barista prepares the drinks. Lila watches her progress so eagerly, she might as well be making grabby hands and saying, “Gimme.”

“Not to oversell it, but this is going to be your all-time favorite drink.”

There’s that sparkle in her smile again. I’m lost for it. If this is all it takes, I’ll drink boba tea with her every day.

“Better than water fresh from a mountain spring?” I tease.

“You won’t even have to filter giardia out of it.”

“I’m curious about the blobs in the bottom of the cups.”

Her sparkle dims a touch, but she nudges me with her shoulder. “Blobs. That’s the boba. They’re tapioca pearls.”

How did I not know that? I’d seen pictures of them, but had I ever heard what they’re made of? My stomach turns an unfortunate direction.

She nudges me again, leaving our shoulders touching. “What’s that face for?”

“My grandad used to eat tapioca pudding. It was his favorite dessert.” I shudder against her, thinking of the bland, gloppy dish. “I’m not a fan.”

“It’s not like tapioca pudding. They don’t taste like very much, really, they just add chewy goodness to the drink.”

“A chewy drink.” Maybe I should have thought this boba tea date through a little more.

She slips her hand around my biceps. “Stop with the gross face. You’re going to like it.”

“I feel like there’s an ‘or else’ in there.”

Her smile is all wickedness. “How perfect is this? We’re already finishing each other’s sentences.”

I’m in good shape, but this flirtatious side of her just might give me a heart attack.

The barista presents us with our drinks, and Lila releases me to claim hers. I take mine, examining it. It’s half tapioca. I have one very specific reservation about drinking it.

“Looks like fish eggs.”

“Says the man who swims with leeches,” she scolds before grabbing a table.

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