Page 39 of Fated Shot

“Hey…” his deep, comforting voice reaching me like waves of peace. “You have nothing—nothing to apologize for.” He pulls back, tilting my jaw so I face him.

A single droplet slides down my cheek.Traitor.I quickly swipe it away, clearing my throat. I’m not crying, I refuse. He continues to study me.

“Just let it out, Mia. It’s okay that you’re scared.”

My voice comes out much more clearly than I expect. “It’s not that at all. I—” I stop. It’s not the time to get into this. I’m not going to dump months of frustration on this beautiful semi-stranger. I clear my voice again, taking half a step back. With an intentioned breath, I face him, pulling every ounce of strength to appear composed.

“I promise I’m okay.” Good, this also comes out with no shakiness.

“It’s been—” I take another breath, patient, piercing eyes meeting mine. “I have tried to keep it—” I struggle to find the right words.

“I’m not scared. I just never wanted anyone to ever see that,” I admit with a saddened, frustrated breath.

It’s the truth. The shame is dominating, wrecking my insides as I settle into this feeling of embarrassment.

“Thank you so much for walking me back home. I’ll be totally fine.” I genuinely will, once the humiliation subsides allowing me to function again. “I had a lot of fun with you, but it’s just that this has been, well, frankly, mortifying.”

I don’t allow myself to assess his reaction. Instead, I reach into my purse, pull out my keycard, and tap it on the lock. WhenI see the green light flash, I tug on the handle and walk inside. The door doesn’t close behind me, though. Turning, I spot Jack’s tall frame as he carefully takes off his running shoes, lining them up by my door.

Bean’s excited meow, or rather scream, pulls my attention away as he excitedly trots over. Rubbing his face against my leg, his upright tail happily shakes. He continues past me, though, to trill up at Jack.

“Hey, little buddy,” he calls down as he hunches over to scoop him into a cradle.

“Oh, he doesn’t really like strangers—” I stop, watching Bean’s paw boop Jack’s nose as he lowers his head to Bean’s whiskered face.

“Fuck, you’re cute. Aren’t you, Bean?” he says, holding Bean’s arched body in one arm while tickling his tummy with his free hand. I can hear his purrs from here, growing louder by the second.

“I love cats,” he admits with a sheepish grin. Of course, he loves cats. This guy’s the human incarnation of a green flag.

Still holding Bean, he takes a few steps forward, seriousness reappearing.

“We don’t have to talk about it right now if you don’t want to, but I do want to talk about it. So, I’m here when you’re ready.”

I’ve been holding everything in for so long, slowly eating away at me. It may feel good to let it out. So, instead of shutting him down, I just nod. “Coffee?”

“I’d love some. I actually didn’t get a chance to grab any ‘cus I—”

“Came to my rescue?” I smile appreciatively at him. He literally stormed in like a knight in shining armor.

“Don’t think you needed rescuing. I just hate that he was trying to intimidate you.” He casually takes a seat at the island as Bean lets out a big yawn.

“Sleepy, little guy?” he coos to Bean, who gives him a slow blink before closing his eyes. My heart. Puddle. Melting.

He catches me staring as I hurriedly try to look busy, grabbing two mugs and getting to work at my Nespresso.

“What can I get you? I only have espresso pods, but I can make a latte or an americano?”

“Barista’s choice,” he says, smiling kindly up at me before returning his focus to a sleeping Bean.

I whip up two vanilla lattes and pop open the fridge, grabbing a white chocolate macadamia cookie, albeit a little deformed from my experimenting with a different recipe, before setting it on a plate in front of him.

“Thanks!” His lighthearted tone instantly changes my vibe as he takes a huge bite. “You’re a cookie wizard,” he lets out with an appreciative hum.

“Ha, thanks.” I struggle to match his tone, still overpowered by my want to run and hide.

Perceptive as always, Jack looks over to me, seriousness returning in his eyes. “Mia, has he always been like that?”

“No, not at all,” I say instinctively, stopping myself. Why the hell am I lying right now? I force myself to be honest; it’s the least I owe him. Taking a shaky breath, I finally admit, “Well, sometimes, but usually, I can avoid riling him up too much. It’s just… this morning, I don’t know, I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

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