Page 10 of Sunflower Persona
What’s her name again? Fuck, she’s told me it at least twice now, but it didn’t stick. It starts with a K…I think. Krista? Kari, maybe? Fuck. I’m an even bigger piece of shit than I thought. My apology won’t mean shit if I screw up her name while making it.
“Hey…Yellow.” I cringe as soon as the words pass my lips.
The snort of laughter from my friends confirms it sounded just as bad outside of my head.
“How’s the job hunt going?” Her eyes never leave her worrying hands.
“Pretty good, actually. I’m starting at the Bean Bar in the morning.”
That drags her attention from the floor. As her gaze meets mine, she smiles, and a sharp pang flashes through my chest. For a moment, I’m captivated. Dark ridges add depth to thoserusset pools, making it look as though her eyes are made up of miniature mountains. The spell breaks as she blinks and diverts her focus to something over my shoulder.
“That’s great news. I’m glad everything worked out for you.” She bites on her lip and resumes her fidgeting.
It takes everything in me not to grab those nervous fingers and still them with my own. She shouldn’t be scared of me—she wasn’t before. No, I fucked that one up by treating her like shit.
“I’m sorry I was short with you earlier.”
An apology won’t fix things. Hell, I don’t deserve her forgiveness.
“Don’t worry about it. You were busy, and I came up and started bothering you out of nowhere. Kind of like I’m doing now…” Her face twists into a grimace as she bites on her lip again. “I’m sorry. I’ll just go.”
“Wait.” I grab her hand, stopping her before she can flee.
Electric currents dance along my palm where our skin meets, and I yank my hand away in shock. With a quiet gasp, she turns back around, and her chest heaves. The classic rock and din of chatter fade into a buzz in the background. All that exists is me and her.
I really need to learn her name.
“Don’t leave us hanging. Why is she waiting?” Karis’s snark-filled words shatter the moment.
As Nathan chuckles beside her, Yellow stiffens. Her face falls as she looks between my friends with wide-eyed panic. There’s no salvaging this—at least not tonight. Goddamn, they are awful sometimes. She takes a step back, ready to flee, so I blurt out the only thing I can think of to make her stay.
“Let me make you a drink. On the house.”
“No, thanks. I’m going to go now,” she says with about as much conviction as a field mouse.
Shit.
This time I don’t stop her as she beelines out of the bar. All that would do is make her more uncomfortable. Another pang shoots through my chest. When I saw her before, her awkward aura was still cheerful and bubbly—like a sunflower—but today, her bright charm has all but wilted away.
I did that, and now I need to find a way to make it right.
“Yellow?” Nathan questions as soon as the woman is out of earshot.
Unfortunately, he was on his best behavior when she was here. He doubles over as his whole body shakes with laughter.
“You don’t know her name, do you?” Karis asks with a shit-eating grin.
“No,” I admit with a defeated sigh.
“But you like her?”
“No.” The lie comes out far too quickly to be believable.
“Sure. You take the time to talk to all the lost little ducks that waddle their way up to the counter. That’s definitely something I’ve seen you do before.”
“Gage? Friendly?” Nathan gasps out before falling into another fit of laughter.
“I don’tnotlike her”—I hold my hand up to stop whatever comment my friend is about to make—“but I’m not into her. She’s practically a kid. It would be beyond weird if I saw her like that. I don’t want to see her get hurt, that’s all.”
