***
“Do you like almond milk?” Poppy called from the refrigerator door she held open.
“It’s all right.”
“Yeah. Me neither.” She paused, eyes twinkling with humor. “What’s it they say … it’s called almond milk because no one can say nut juice without laughing?” She paused. “Go on. Say it. Nut juice.”
“No.”
Her lips formed into a pout. “Please? For me?”
My eyes rolled. “Fine. Nut juice.”
And down Poppy went, sliding to the floor in a fit of laughter.
“You happy now?”
“Supremely.”
Reaching for her hand, I hauled her back onto her feet as her giggles tapered off. Grabbed a couple of bags of Hot Fries and then dropped them into my basket. A great afternoon snack. One could never have too many Hot Fries.
“I tried being vegan once,” Poppy continued, opening and closing each door down the line in an apathetic pace. Her basket was as empty as the bodega we were perusing.
“Oh, yeah?”
She reached for a package of hamburger meat and then placed it in her basket. “Yeah. Lasted all of two hours, and then I got a craving for beef tacos.”
I burst out in song, “Tacos are life.”
“Tacos are life,” she harmonized in a pitch above me.
With a grin, I put a six-pack of Dr. Pepper into my brimming basket. “I’m going to check out now.”
“Be there in a sec.”
Once finished, I waited outside to say good-bye. The street was quieter than normal, the distant sound of the rickety subway passing overhead. I tucked myself against the building, adjusting the strap of my tote. There was something beautiful about the dilapidated part of town I lived in. Something tragic and alive with history.
When she emerged, she stopped in front of me, a tote full of goods. “What street did you say you lived on?”
“Two blocks down. On twenty-fourth.”
“Cool. I’m a few blocks the other way. You can call if you ever need anything.”
I smiled, a bud of a feeling unfurling in my belly. This was what having a friend felt like. This was what I’d always longed for. “Want to meet for coffee in the morning?”
Her face screwed up. “I don’t touch the shit. But I can wait with you.” She grinned. “I don’t have many female friends. I’m glad we met, Prim.”
“Me too.”
“Night.”
“See ya.”
After waving her off, I started in the direction of my apartment, intent on bingeing on Netflix, only to be lured by the savory scent of pizza. I peered at my thermal tote. It would hold long enough for me to order a few slices.
The bell on the door jingled as I entered the parlor. After placing an order, I found a table by the window and set my tote down. The shop was small, the tables crammed beside one another. Bodies filled every empty space, and where they couldn’t fit, their voices did, booming and blending together.
Pulling out my Kindle, I opened my latest read and then put in my earbuds, content with immersing myself inside someone else’s world.
Blissfully unaware that serendipity had other plans.
Closet Nerd
Grayson
“DO YOU HAVE PLANS TONIGHT?” Fin asked on the other end of the line.
“Nah. I’m going to work some more on the roof renovation. You?” I was already shutting down my laptop, ready to get out of the office before rush hour began.
“Yeah. There’s a pop-up art thing I want to check out. Totally your vibe. Want to join?”
“Since when do you care about art?”
“Since my dick cried with loneliness.”
My head shook, a hearty chuckle rumbling in my chest. “You keep that mentality, and you’ll never find yourself a keeper.”
“Says the notoriously branded serial dater.” He paused. “Come on, man. It’s been a while since I’ve put myself out there. I need my wingman.”
I could almost envision his twisted ass on his knees, groveling for me to come out with him.
With a groan, I said, “Where is it?”
He gave me the directions, his tone lifted with excitement, and then hung up. I knew Fin had been a wreck since he and Poppy called it quits. The slew of women he’d brought through the apartment in the beginning was a testament, followed by a sudden abstinence that had me worried.
Maybe all he needed was a wingman.
“We set for this weekend?” Harrison asked as I headed toward the elevator.
“Yep.”
Once outside, I paused and tilted my head, taking in a whiff of city air riddled with the savory scents of hot dog and halal carts. The low hum of car engines and muddled voices. This was home. Where I had been raised. Where everything felt right.
I decided to walk instead of taking the subway since I had time to kill. Nights in the city were vastly different from the days. It was as if everyone had finally let out the big breath they’d been holding in all day. The flow of traffic moved like fish in a stream. All in step with one another. All keeping to themselves, granting me a small moment of reprieve. A chance to move among them without the fear of being spotted.
My hand slid into my pocket, fingers brushing over the business card Prim had given back to me. I thought about the round shape of her inexperienced eyes when my lips were so close to hers. A ghostly echo of a kiss I never tasted. Lips I could spend an entire evening exploring if she let me.
I could call her. I still had her number from when she’d called me to meet up.
No, you can’t, I thought. She never offered it to you. Remember?
I smiled.
That fact made me like her even more.
As I neared a pizza shop wedged between a block of row houses, my stomach gave its first real growl of the day. Though I’d had breakfast, I never got around to lunch due to a meeting concerning the finishing touches for the charity event. If I went straight to meet Fin, there was no telling when I’d get a chance to eat again, and the thought of a few slices of pizza sounded like heaven.
I reached for the handle to the shop and lucked into being the next person in line. After placing an order for three slices of cheese to go, I moved off to the side near a brochure stand. Stopped short when I noticed a small frame curled over a Kindle in the corner across from me. Hair tied in a thick bow on the crown of her head. The back of her slender neck covered with wispy brown strands, shadowing a minimal sunflower tattoo.
Prim?
She’d said the word, and the word came true. Serendipity. I wasn’t supposed to go out tonight. I hadn’t wanted to.
But fate had had another idea.
A smile spread across my lips as I said, “Serendipity.”
Her body jolted, and then she spun in her chair, pulling her earbuds out. “Grayson?” A bout of laughter. “Oh my. I didn’t …” She stopped. Collected herself. “Wow. You’re … you’re here.”
“In the flesh.”
A smile spread like wildfire across her lips, and then she peered past me, out the shop window. “And without your fan club, I see. However did you manage that?”
“I’d reached the daily quota for how many strokes my ego needed, so I sent them home.”
Her laughter was music leaving her lips. A fucking symphony I’d only just discovered.
“I see the Kindle is holding up. What are you reading?” I leaned over her shoulder, glancing at the book on her screen, the floral scent of her shampoo upstaging the tangy scent of pizza. “Wuthering Heights?”
She tucked the device against her chest. “I’m a sucker for the classics. The romance, though tragic, has a passion to it I can’t seem to find nowadays. It lives inside the waiting. The stolen glances. The longing.” Her gaze dropped to my lips, lingering. A rosy blush spread across her cheeks before she turned away.
I liked how unwound she was around me. How the nearness of me seemed to scatter her thoughts. “I’ve read it a few times myself, though I
can’t say I enjoyed the narrative shared between Lockwood and the servant Nelly.”
The device was still pressed against her breast, safeguarded, as a flicker of confusion washed over her features.
“Call me a closet nerd, but I can’t fall asleep unless I read.” I leaned closer, filling her space, using my best smoldering smirk. “Besides, I wouldn’t make for a good Ravenclaw if I wasn’t a reader, now would I?”
Her mouth popped open, surprise dancing in her eyes.
“Let me guess,” I continued, reveling in shock value, “you’re a Hufflepuff, aren’t you?”
“How did you—”
I pointed to the yellow pin with a badger on it, one of many fastened to her tote.
Smiling, she ran a finger over it. “Patronus?”
“You’re going to laugh.”
Her smile mirrored mine. “Tell me.”
“A porcupine.”
I was right. She did laugh, and it was the most pleasant sound I’d ever heard. “You?”
“Pine marten. It’s in the fox family.”
I pointed to the chair across from her. Her head dipped with a hesitant nod.
Taking a seat, I noticed a blue bag sticking out from the top of her tote. “Hot Fries?”
“An absolute must.”
“What else do you have in there?” I tipped the bag in my direction. “Dr. Pepper.” I smirked as I pulled it out and set it on the table. “Frozen pizza. Gummy bears. Cap’n Crunch.” I continued stacking items on the table, watching her while she adorably grabbed them and tried to put them back in the bag. She was delectably charming when disarmed. At the bottom was a bar of dark chocolate. “Oh, and we can’t forget the chocolate.”
“It’s a woman’s lifeline,” she said as she put the last of the items back in the bag. With a grin, she added, “Don’t you know it’s impolite to snoop through a stranger’s things?”
Amused, I rested my cheek against my palm. “But you’re not a stranger, Primrose.”
Her mouth parted, a thought hanging off the edge of her lips, but then her name was called. She tucked her Kindle away and then stood. “That’s me.”
“Cheese or pepperoni?”
“Supreme,” she said, still grinning. “You?”
“Plain old cheese does the job.”
The woman behind the counter called her name again.
Prim turned, a flush building at the base of her neck. “I’m here,” she said to the woman before returning her attention to me. “Well, it was nice seeing you again, Grayson.”
I watched her take her order and head for the door, head dipped down. That couldn’t be it. Fate couldn’t have placed us together in the same shop on a day when I wasn’t even supposed to be out, only to tear her away again.
But maybe … maybe it wasn’t solely up to fate.
I glanced at my watch. I still had time before I had to meet Fin. Plenty of time to …
“Grayson,” the clerk behind the counter shouted.
I hurriedly dropped a twenty, grabbed the box of pizza, and then rushed out the door.
“Sir, your change …” The clerk’s voice faded as the door closed behind me.
Prim was already a block away, her feet carrying her with rushed steps. I jogged in her direction. Stopped before crossing the street and then closed the distance between us.
“You’re following me,” she said when I fell in step beside her. Though the words were heavy, there was no bite to them. Only amusement.
“It isn’t safe on the streets at this time of night,” I said. “Besides, I figured I could help carry the load.”
She stopped so abruptly, I nearly collided with her. “This could be considered stalking.”
“I’d beg to differ.”
She pulled the totes closer to her. “Oh, yeah? How so?”
“Would Jonathan have given up on Sara that easily?”
This time, her mouth fell open. “You watched it?”
“I had time,” I said with a shrug. “I do like the idea of handing things over to fate.”
My stomach did a strange flip when the smirk she wore slowly morphed into a fully charged smile. I was mesmerized. Hooked on the deep curves that mimicked the beauty of the ocean. All her wondrous secrets stored deep within.
“Charming, right?”
“I, uh … what?”
“The movie. Did you like it?”
“Oh.” I chuckled. “Surprisingly, yeah, I did.”
Her smile deepened, rattling loose my nerves.
“Well then, here. Fate says you can carry these.” She handed the totes to me, keeping her purse on her arm and her box of pizza close to her.
Happiness flooded my veins in rich waves. I followed her for a bit until we stopped in front of an old brick building identical to the row of buildings lining the block. Typical to this part of town.
“That’s me,” she said, pointing to a window above.
Craning my neck, I peered up. “You live on the third floor?”
“It was cheap and it’s closer to the roof, which is where I like to sit at night.” She paused a beat. “I used to study the stars back home. Although I can’t really see them here, it brings me comfort knowing they’re there.”
She balanced the box of pizza on the banister and dug through her purse. Her hair shielded her face as she put her key in the door and turned the lock.
“Here we are,” she said as she pushed the door open. Once inside, she guided me up the stairs and stopped outside her door. She paused before opening it, one hand resting on the knob, the other on the door. With her back to me, she asked, “I can trust you. Can’t I, Grayson?”
I wasn’t sure what it was about those words. I’d heard them before from many different women, but they never sounded as uncertain and fragile as when she said them. Like she was the most expensive piece of porcelain placed in my hands to carry across a rocky ship.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
Something shifted within me in that moment, rearranging right in front of her, and that pretty mind of hers was completely oblivious to it all. Entirely unaware of just how much I meant that singular word. Of how badly I wanted to be the person I saw reflected in her eyes.
“Good.” She pushed the door open and then guided me to the kitchen that was just to the side of the front door. Sparkling lights hung from the ceiling, draping the walls decorated with posters and photos. Everything about the space felt intimate. Personal.
I set the totes on the kitchen counter. “Is that Space Jam?” I asked, walking up to one of the posters.
“It was one of my favorite movies, growing up.”
Beside it, there were posters of Rugrats, Doug, and The Lion King.
“You’re nineties-obsessed.”
Her shoulders lifted a fraction. “I’m a nineties baby. What can I say?”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three. You?”
“Twenty-four.”
She pulled two glasses from a cabinet before turning to the sink. “Sign?”
“Scorpio.”
A hidden smile played across her lips as her fingers tapped against the side of the glass.
“What?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking, it explains your flirtatious side.”
“How about you?” I took the glass of water she’d offered, wanting to know more about her. Anything, if it kept her talking.
“Pisces.” She turned coyly away from me, giving me only glimpses of the side of her face.
I leaned against the bar. “Are they compatible?”
She rolled her eyes, but it was a contradiction against the smile on her face. “Yes. I think so.”
I took a large sip of water and then set the glass on the counter, which put me inches from her. Heat swelled between us. Awareness cast a spell in the air. I couldn’t explain the electricity that happened when I was around her. I was senseless with her. Helpless. Like a sputtering flame, desperate for her to breathe life back into
me.
Her eyes lit up at my nearness, but then she spun from under my arms and headed into the kitchen. “Here,” she said, tossing something my way. “A pack of gummies for your troubles.”
I glanced at it strangely. “I’ve never been paid with gummies before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
She was bent over, placing soda into the fridge, which gave me the perfect view of her rounded ass. She wore jeans like a fitted glove. The subtle heart-shaped curve to her hips made my mouth water. When she turned, I looked away, running a hand through my hair, trying to find something else to focus on.
“That’s, uh … that’s a nice view.”
It was of the building across the street. The backyard was full of garbage. Stacks of metal. Wood. I only had to take a few steps to view the entire apartment. The living room was part of the bedroom. The bathroom just beyond that.
She giggled. “Yeah, if you like staring at brick all day.” Closing the fridge, she moved to the counter. “Listen, I want to thank you for your help. It was very … sweet of you.”
“Don’t mention it.” I moved into kitchen, following her steps as she backed into the counter, hands gripping the edges. “My services are always available to you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She pushed off slab of granite, invading my space. Giving back every ounce of tension I dished out. “Anytime?”
“Always.”
The air pulsed.
She licked her lips.
I moved in for a kiss, but she turned her head away at the last moment, leaving my lips to connect with her cheek. I’d take what I could get.
Gently, I kissed her soft skin.
“Oh, Mr. Pierce,” she said when I pulled back. “You’re going to have to do better than carrying groceries in order to steal a kiss.” Her tone was sure, but I didn’t miss the wobble to her knees.
Something in how she’d said my name had my blood stirring with excitement. What is it with this girl? She turned me inside out with nothing but her words.
“Will I see you again?”
Her hands rose with a tangerine smile to her lips. “If it’s in the cards, I suppose.”
Not a definitive no. I could work with it.
Love in the Headlines: A Star-Crossed Friends-To-Lovers Romance (Love in the Headlines Series Book 1) Page 7