Page 3 of Between Here and There

“Sorry, I—I didn’t know…” I mutter, unsure of how I can justify my outburst.

“That there are people working at a construction site?” he finishes for me, his voice laced with amusement as he strolls over. He oozes a sort of effortless arrogance that makes me instantly rethink my initial assessment. Okay, maybe notthatattractive. He stops just in front of me, and even though I’m on slightly higher ground, he towers over me.

“No, just… I didn’t know there were lurkers in this alley,” I say, trying to regain composure.

“Lurker? Ouch.” He clutches his chest as if I’ve offended him. “I’d like to think of myself as an innocent, observant, bystander.”

“Is that what you call it?” I raise my brows. “I was thinking somewhere along the lines of a local eavesdropper.”

He smirks, clearly enjoying himself. “Well, if I just happen to stumble across the entertainment, how can I resist?” He crosses his arms and leans against the wall with a cocky smile. The kind of smile that pulls you in.

Yikes. Attractiveandcocky. A lethal combination.

I roll my eyes and spin on my heel, determined to retreat to the café and salvage what little peace I can for lunch. The alley feels like it’s shrinking around me, and I have to get out of here.

As I step out onto the sidewalk, lost in my thoughts, a blur of motion cuts across my peripheral vision. A bicycle barrels down the narrow street, the rider shouting a hurried, “Watch out!”

Before I can process what’s happening, a hand grabs my arm and yanks me back. I stumble into my eavesdropper’s chest just as the bike zooms past, narrowly avoiding disaster. My heart pounds like it’s trying to leap out of my chest, and I look up to see the guy smirking. He’s still holding my arm, and I’m still about five inches away from his face. We’re frozen in this weird position we’re in.

“Be careful,” he says, breathing hard. His voice is so deep I can feel the vibration of it through his chest.

For a moment, I can’t speak, still reeling from the close call. We’re so close I can see the flecks of gold in his otherwise dark eyes, and the way his lips quirk up in satisfaction like he knows exactly the effect he has.

I glare at him, but before I can come up with a biting retort, my stomach growls, loud and insistent.

His grin widens, and he gestures toward the café. “Hungry? That might explain the whole… scene. Why you threw that temper tantrum.”

I scoff, pulling away from him and straightening my apron. “Thanks for the unsolicited psychoanalysis, Dr. Freud, but I’m perfectly fine.” I walk past him to return to the café.

He follows me as I head back; his strides are long and easy, while my march is stiff and determined. “You know, most people would say ‘thank you’ to the guy who just saved them from becoming roadkill.”

I stop abruptly and turn to face him, swallowing my pride because he’s right. I let out a deep breath. “Fine. Thank you, mystery hero. Can I go eat my lunch now?”

He holds up his hands in mock surrender, but there’s a playful glint in his eyes that makes it clear he’s enjoying this. “Of course.” What an infuriatingly charming man.

Once I’m near the café again, I check my watch to see that there’s only fifteen minutes left on my break. I need to eat fast. I take a seat on one of the benches near the back entrance and take out my sandwich.

That’s when I notice I’m being followed. My savior—more like nuisance at this point—is watching me while I eat my lunch. I scan the area, making sure there are enough people around. Not that I have a lot of faith in bystanders, but this isNew York City. I look at the guy again, and he doesn’tlookdangerous. But isn’t that what they always say on the news?

Needing to break the awkward silence, I ask, “Do you always listen in on conversations?”

“First of all, that wasn’t a conversation,” he says, and sits down beside me on the bench. He’s so close to me that our arms almost touch. I should probably move. “And no, I only listen when it’s as riveting as yours,” he adds. “What’s got you all worked up anyway?”

“Yeah right. Like I’m going to divulge my problems to a stranger,” I say, taking a bite of my ham and cheese sandwich.

“You did just scream them out to the entire back alley.” He points to the space where I had my tantrum minutes ago.

I narrow my eyes at him. “How much did you hear?”

“I heard you cursing out a big butt, a guy named… Bob? And the universe,” he says, and I can’t help but chuckle. In fact, I laugh a bit too hard and almost choke on my sandwich. I cough relentlessly while he hands me my water bottle.

“Easy there.” He chuckles. “Don’t die before you tell me all about it, please. I already saved you once today.”

I glare at him playfully. “How about you tell me what you make of it?” I say, playing along as I take a sip of water, sneaking a glance at him from the corner of my eye.

“Very well,” he says, rubbing his chin in a mock representation of thinking. “Did you, by any chance, witness Bob’s big butt and you cursed the universe because you’ll never see it again?”

I laugh and shake my head. “I wish it were that fun.” I sigh. “But no.” I hand him back the water bottle as I continue, “Let’s just say Bob’s existence is proof that some people are put in your life solely to test your patience or push you to the brink of insanity,” I don’t bother to correct him that his name is Rob, and he’s not just a terrible human being, he’s insufferable. “And Hugh Jass,” I spell out, “was a fake name I had to shout at the counter earlier.” I roll my eyes as I remember. “And lastly, the universe, well, it hates me. So maybe I hate it back.”

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