Page 6 of Something Cheeky

“Zoe, is it really you?” he said, mostly making sure he wasn’t dreaming.

She nodded as she rubbed her chest with her hand. Zoe took a deep breath and her lips quirked into a familiar crooked smile.

“Hey! Funny seeing you here, Derek,” she said brightly as she pulled the apron over her head and rolled it into a ball.

Derek’s heart pounded. Zoe in real life was more stunning than the Zoe of his memories. Her previously long black hair had lavender tips that hit below her shoulders. She wore a loose, stylish top in lilac, her favorite color. And her pants hugged her hips in the most delicious way.

He blew out a breath.Don’t get distracted.He’d come here to invite her to work on his project with him. Once he got that out of the way, he’d figure out how to tell her the truth. He gave her his best smile, the one he used to impress producers when he pitched plays to them.

“Talk about fate,” Derek said. “I swear I’ve driven across the entire state of Virginia looking for your shop.”

“Surprise...” Zoe’s voice trailed off. She bit her lip before adding, “You found me. Making an idiot of myself, but here I am.”

“You’re too pretty and way too smart to be an idiot,” Derek said softly, then clamped his mouth shut. Way to make things even weirder.

“Come on, choking on a piece of lychee jelly is the dumbest way to die,” Zoe joked, but her cheeks were flushed.

She bit her lip as he stared at her. He couldn’t remember the lines he’d prepared for their meeting. All those years onstage and he’d forgotten everything he’d learned about composure in her presence.

“Her shop is about half a mile down the road that way,” TJ offered, coming to their rescue. He pointed north. Or was it south?

Derek had lost all sense of direction. He shook his head and shrugged.

“I think I took a wrong turn at Seven Corners. Why is it even called that? There are no corners. It’s the worse intersection I’ve ever driven through!” Derek tossed his hands in the air.

“I’ve lived in the DMV for almost a year and still can’t remember which side of the Beltway is the outer loop and the inner loop.” TJ drew a circle with his finger and then reversed direction while shaking his head.

Derek nodded in solidarity, even though he had no idea what TJ was talking about.

“Stop, you don’t even drive!” Zoe stepped out from behind the counter. “Don’t get him started on the drivers here.”

TJ shrugged. “Rideshares count.”

The two of them were too familiar with each other to just be coworkers. Derek was suddenly jealous that TJ knew Zoe better than he did. He had no clue if she still liked the same foods or movies from when they were in undergrad together.

“He claims people are nicer drivers in North Carolina, where he grew up. But there’s way fewer people there,” she continued.

Were they dating? No way.

“So, handsome, you must be parched after all that driving,” said TJ as he batted his eyes at Derek.

Derek sighed in relief. The two were only friends. So he still had a chance with Zoe.

“Yes. I’ll have a Vietnamese coffee, please, half sweet with, uh...” Derek paused as he studied the menu.

“Coffee popping bubbles,” Zoe finished for him.

“Yes, what Z said. It’s my favorite but not everyone carries it.”

TJ raised his eyebrows at Zoe before turning to make the drink.

“Go sit. I’ll bring your drink to you.” TJ pointed to a tiny table in the corner that was miraculously unoccupied.

Before they could claim it, two teen girls holding hands grabbed it.

“Young love is so cute,” Zoe said, “until they hog all the tables.”

“I don’t mind standing. I need to stretch my legs after sitting in that tiny car for hours.” Derek’s shoulders finally relaxed after being stuck in the rental car. His favorite boba was what he needed to fuel up before the second most important conversation of his life.

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