Page 7 of Molly

He nods, and the corners of his mouth turn up slightly. “Alright,Molly. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He turns his back to me and saunters away. I can’t stop my eyes from zeroing in on his ass.Damn. No wonder he’s got women taking numbers to get in line.

My brain registers what he just said as he gets to the door. “Wait, what? Ry-”

He pauses as he opens it, turns, salutes me, winks, and then he’s gone.

What the hell just happened?

3

RYAN

I've been sitting here for half an hour, watching her. She’s magnificent. Her smile lights up the whole damn cafe. She moves from table to table, asking everyone if they need anything with a huge grin, and they can't help but return it. I don’t blame them. I’m smiling, and she hasn’t even said a word to me.

“Talk Is Cheap” by Chet Faker is playing softly through the speakers as I finish off my coffee, put the mug down, and look around. Coffee Leaf has the best vibe; nothing matches, and it’s the coolest fucking thing. The tables and chairs all look like they’ve come from an antique shop, and there isn’t a surface in sight that doesn’t have a plant on it. The pink, neon Coffee Leaf Cafe sign is so out of place, yet it fits right in. You can feel how much love they’ve poured into this place.

I look back at Molly and watch as she goes between serving coffees to mixing soil in a huge container on the other side of the room. She doesn't seem to lose any steam running back and forth the way she does. I admire the shit out of that.

Her little plant corner has a giant skylight above it and a massive raw timber shelving unit that runs along the length of the wall. As she messes around in the dirt, her hair falls forward onto her face. The light coming through the roof hits it just right, highlighting the lighter tones running through the waves. I’d love to wrap it around my wrist, pull her head back and...

I shake my head. Not the time, not the place to be getting turned on.

I turn my focus back to Molly. When I walked in earlier, she saw me, rolled her eyes and went back to serving the customer she was with. I ignored her irritation and sat down at the table closest to her plant display so I could watch her in action. She didn’t acknowledge I was there for about ten minutes, but then she disappeared and came back with a cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake. She put them down in front of me, huffed, and went back to unpacking plastic pots from their boxes.

Her eyes wander over to me every now and then, though, like she’s checking to make sure I’m still here.

I look down at my empty plate and remember I’ve got to be back at the shop by 2:00PM for my next client. I pull out my phone to check the time and notice I've got a message from someone saved in my phone asGREAT TITS.

Fuck, I am a bastard, aren’t I?

GREAT TITS:Busy tonight?

Well, I wasn't wrong...

“Nice,” Molly whispers into my ear.

Shit.

I panic and drop my phone on the table. It bounces, and I hope I haven’t smashed yet another fucking screen. She’s standing next to me, hand on hip, one eyebrow raised. She’s smirking, so at least she’s somewhat amused. I can smell her perfume from here, and it makes my mouth water. It’s a mix of vanilla and something else. I can’t place it. I stare at her mouth, waiting for her to speak. Wanting to hear her voice.

“Just go, Ryan. I don’t know why you've been sitting here watching me like a creeper. I’m not your type. You’re not mine. I can promise you my boobs don't look like that.” She nods towards my phone. “So, you may as well takeGreattitsup on her offer.”

I love the way her eyes light up when she’s pissy. She really is the most stunning little thing...

“Don’t want her, Molly. I'm here cos I want to takeyouto dinner,” I reply quietly. I’m still fixated on her lips. The way they move when she speaks is so. Fucking. Sexy. Her bottom lip is so full. I'm aching to bite it. Lick it.Something.

“Why?” she asks.

I move my eyes back up to hers and shrug. “Not every day a woman tries to take your photo to add to their spank bank, figured you’re something special.”

She groans, tilting her head back. “That’s not even… that’s not what I was doing. God, you’re so arrogant.”

I lean forward. “Alright, tell me why you took it then?”

She shakes her head, picks up my empty plate and coffee mug, and takes them behind the counter. The way she glares at me while she angrily wipes the display fridge makes me laugh to myself.

I want to stay, want her to come back over here, but I've got to get back to work. I stand, take my wallet from my back pocket, pull out a $10-note and place it on the table, all while maintaining eye contact with her from across the room. I turn and walk towards the door, looking back over my shoulder briefly as I open it, pleased her eyes are still on me.

---