Page 5 of Something Cheeky

“No. Everyone has that expression when they walk in here. Chill, okay? He didn’t see you.”

She took a larger sip of her drink both to hide her face and to force herself to calm down. Chewing the lychee gave her nervousness an outlet.

“Excuse me,” said a deep voice she’d hadn’t heard in more than six years.

She snuck a glance at the man standing at the counter while he was focused on TJ. Zoe swallowed hard.

Her nerdy best friend from college had become more handsome since she’d ghosted him years ago.

Chapter 3

Derek pocketed his phone and stared at the menu without really reading it. After driving in what felt like several circles of hell, he finally admitted that he had no idea where he was going. For the past two hours, he’d resisted the urge to toss his phone out the window whenever the super perky British voice instructed him to make a U-turn. Hopefully someone here was more helpful.

Or maybe not. The place looked like social media threw up in it. Every loudly decorated wall was a potential selfie background. Did that neon sign readsuck my— He sighed.

He was hungry, thirsty, and tired of being lost. As a New Yorker, he was a bit rusty behind the wheel. It didn’t help that DC drivers were awful. This place was as good as any for a break before heading back on the road. If this place didn’t pan out, he could still grab a sandwich from the bánh mì place next door.

“Excuse me,” he said as he approached the counter. Derek was surprised there wasn’t a line considering how packed the tables were.

“You look like a matcha slush with brown balls kinda guy,” announced the employee. The woman working the back area snorted.

“Sorry?” Derek squinted at the employee’s name tag. “Hi, TJ, maybe you can help me with some directions. I’m a bit lost.”

“As long as you order something, I’m here to serve.” TJ winked and pointed to the menu over his head.

TJ’s coworker cleared her throat loudly.

“Is she okay?”

“Don’t worry about her,” said TJ. “She’s reminding me that we gotta keep our boss happy and sell drinks.”

“Gotcha. First, can you tell me how to get to Something Cheeky?” Derek asked.

The woman behind the counter gasped. Suddenly she dropped her drink and coughed. Her face was hidden behind a cap, but it was obvious she was in distress. He had to do something.

“I know how to do the Heimlich,” Derek offered loudly so she could hear him over her coughing and the din of the café.

His head swiveled from TJ to the choking woman, who put her hand up. Was she telling him to stop or reaching out for help?

He turned back to TJ, who seemed only mildly concerned. The man shook his head at Derek and pointed to a laminated poster near them with basic first-aid diagrams. Right, if someone was coughing, they didn’t need assistance.

The woman’s choking turned into harsh coughs, and then a piece of food flew out of her mouth onto the floor. Her face was red from the exertion.

“Get her some water!” Derek barked at TJ.

“You good?” TJ asked as he grabbed a bottle from the display behind him and handed her the water.

She nodded but her eyes were still obscured by her cap.

“See, you should’ve gotten your regular,” TJ teased and handed her a dark brown drink with boba.

“That’s not”—she coughed and pulled off her cap to fan her face—“funny.”

What the hell?Derek leaned over the counter. It couldn’t be.

“Z?”

She turned around fully. Derek froze. He’d rehearsed all the different ways he’d greet her after six years of not talking. Finding her choking on bubble tea wasn’t one of them.

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