Page 88 of The Fallacy of True Love
“And to tell you to keep your hands off my stuff. Didn’t your sisters teach you that?”
“They did, and I’m sorry. I promise I didn’t mess with anything else.” I cocked my head to the side. “So you didn’t come here because you wanted to see me?”
“Of course not,” she snapped.
I expected it, but the disappointment still hit. Trying to keep it from showing, I tapped her money. “If you’re that determined to give this to me, let me get you a drink. What do you want?”
She stared at me, her eyes giving nothing away. Finally, she spoke. “Hot chocolate. And I did want to see you.”
For the second time in minutes, she caught me by surprise. It was the last thing I thought she’d say, and it nearly catapulted me to cloud nine. “You just made my day, you know?”
Maya harrumphed, evading my gaze. “I thought you were getting me a drink?” She sounded impatient but also uncomfortable, as though she knew she shouldn’t have offered that admission.
But she had.
That sent me careening way past the territory of happy. The word paled next to the vivid emotions bursting inside me.
“Grab a seat and I’ll be right with you,” I told her, fighting to maintain some semblance of professionalism instead of acting like a boy with a crush.
But as I prepared her hot chocolate and toasted a sandwich to go with it, all I could think about was how I might actually have a chance with Maya Cruz.
Cam
I didn’t intend to wait for Alonzo to finish his shift, yet I’d already wiped out my hot choco and grilled cheese and still I stayed. Between checking my emails and applying for new projects, I watched as he chatted with people at the counter. He smiled just as easily serving them coffee as he did fielding complaints about the limited menu. Only the twitch of his left eyebrow and the slight clench of his jaw gave away his annoyance.
If it had been me, I would have told them to take it up with management.
But this was Alonzo. I’d pegged him as the typical rich kid with the perfect grades and the promising career. The carefree guy who was everybody’s friend and most girls’ dream date. Beneath his golden boy facade, he was flawed and confused and struggling like I was, and that did nothing to dull his shine. It just showed me that he was human too, and a genuinely kind one at that.
Damn if that didn’t make him more appealing.
At ten, he flipped the sign up front to closed and said good night to the customers heading out. One girl walked up to the counter, and seeing him smile at her set off a burning sensation in my chest. His gaze flickered to me, and I dropped my eyes to my phone.
Shit. He’d caught me watching him and instead of holding my ground, I’d looked away like a wimp.
To distract myself from my embarrassment, I scrolled through my phone and paused on my dating app. Restless energy buzzed inside me, and I chalked it up to me being back in this city. Since I couldn’t get rid of my tension by surfing, I was left with two options—working it out in the gym or on a mattress. Only one alternative appealed to me.
“Bumble?”
I looked up at Alonzo’s dismayed face and shrugged. “There are more options here compared to in Juana.”
His eyes flared. “Are you kidding me? You were glaring at me while I was talking to that girl, and now you’re on some dating app.”
“I wasn’t glaring at you. And me using Bumble is none of your business.”
“What if I want it to be?” he demanded. “Why are you looking for some random guy when you have me?”
“I’m not looking for a friend, Alonzo.”
“Then tell me, Maya. What are you looking for?”
The challenge in his tone sent my back up. “A hookup.”
“A hookup?” His voice sounded raspy, deeper than usual.
I shrugged.
“Why not me?”
