Page 38 of Fall I Want
She turns to me. “No. No, donotcall me that.”
I chuckle, gripping the warm cup. Her cheeks are bright red.
“Have a good day,Pumpkin.” It comes out in a deep gruff and she chews on the corner of her lip.
“You too,” she whispers as I turn and walk toward the door.
“What the fuck was that?” I hear Julie mutter, and I laugh. As I leave and pass in front of the windows, I steal a glance at her, but she was already watching me.
I swirl the shot of coffee, hoping it will cool faster, and shoot it down, throwing the cup away. At the end of the block, I wait behind a crowd of people, lost in my thoughts. As I pass the windows of a store, I realize it’s full of electronics. I back up and enter.
“Hi. Do you sell phones?” I ask the woman who greets me.
She walks me over to a counter in the corner of the open space.
“All these are smart. What kind are you searching for?”
“The latest and greatest.”
She pulls the new iPhone box from a locked cabinet and sets it on the counter. “Can get a discount on it if you sign up for a new plan.”
“No thanks. It’s unlocked, right?”
“Yes, it is,” she says. “When you turn it on, it will ask you to activate it. Want any accessories?”
“Do you have any cases and maybe a screen protector so it won’t shatter?”
I’m led to a wall covered from floor to ceiling in every accessory a person could ever dream of. When my eyes land on the one with a pumpkin on it, I grab it.
“Add whatever else you think I might need,” I offer.
She grabs a few extra things, but not much. Once I finish paying, I return to the coffee shop with the plastic sack swinging in one hand. When I enter, Autumn tilts her head at me, surprised. I skirt past the line and move toward her espresso machine.
“Everything okay?” She stops what she’s doing and seems genuinely concerned.
I hand her the bag. “This is for you.”
She glances inside. “Alex. I can’t accept this.”
“You need a new one so you can text instead of talking. Seems you don’t like it much.”
She narrows her eyes. “You noticed?”
“I’ll text you,” I say, tapping the counter, willingly attempting to learn more about her. It starts with me, right here, right now. “It’s a gift.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
This time, when I leave the coffee shop, I don’t look back, but know her eyes are locked on me.
Chapter 9
Autumn
“What just happened?” Julie asks as she follows close behind me. My body is on fire as I move through the storage area toward the office with the bag in my hand. Once inside, I set it on the desk and stare at it.
We have orders out the ass to make, and customers are flooding in, but I can’t concentrate on anything else right now. I have to step away and clear my mind.
