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“What do you do for work?” Bryce sits back in the chair and places his ankle on his knee. He then rests his elbow on the arm of the chair and his head against his hand. He clearly getting comfortable while making me feel the complete opposite.
“I edit manuscripts.” Three words! Three whole words! This is progress.
“What do you edit?” He tilts his head, not understanding what I’m telling him.
“Books,” And now we are back to the one-word answers. My normalcy was short-lived.
As if he can sense my weirdness, he shakes his head and gets up. I can’t tell what he’s thinking or if I completely blew it. Well, I’m sure I blew it; I couldn’t even hold a single conversation with him. Did I even care that I blew it? Some of me did. The rest of me is silently cheering that he’ finally going to go away.
“Well, I need to get back to my shift. Good luck with the book editing, Kat. It was nice meeting you. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” He winks at me before giving me that panty-dropping smile.
“Bye,” That is all I can get out while he walks away. One. Word.
When he’s finally was out of sight, I take a deep breath. I close my eyes and place my head in my hands. Why can I just not talk to people? Why does he even want to talk to me? I’m nothing special. A geek. An introvert. A recluse. That man, that Greek god of a man, couldn’t possibly want anything from me.
I text Vicki to let her know that I hate her and that our friendship is on a timeout. She forced me here today, after all. She gets to go sit in the corner until I say otherwise.
All she sends back are laughing emojis. I roll my eyes. Bitch.
I finally compose myself and shake off the encounter with Bryce. I open up my work, crack my knuckles, and attack it head-on. As I attempt to edit, my mind keeps drifting back to those blue eyes. That hearty laugh. Those kissable lips. That body I could get lost in. I shake my head to get me out of my daydream.
I have a feeling my encounter with him today won’t be my last. He seems like the type of guy who likes to push buttons—and let’s face it, I havea lotof buttons. He’s already picked up on the fact that I don’t feel comfortable with him in my space. Except, I didn’t turn and run. Something caused me to stay rooted. With him, I didn’t have my usual anxiety attack. I didn’t panic. But I still didn’t like it.
I settle back into my work and set a goal for myself on what I want to get done. This is what I’m comfortable with. This is what I can control. Words on paper. Words I don’t have to worry about screwing up if they come out of my mouth. Fantasy lives I can just imagine living vicariously through instead of living in the actual world full of disappointment.
Chapter 4
Bryce
So,it’s possible that cornering her at OneShot Coffee was a mistake. I had wanted to get her talking, to find out more about her, but she seemed closed off. Almost terrified, even. Maybe it’s because I went there in uniform. That could have frightened her. Honestly, I just wanted to talk to her. To try and find a reason I’m so drawn to her. There’s just something about her that I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I need to know more about her, nonetheless.
She’s an enigma. She’s so beautiful yet comes across so innocent. That’s actually refreshing. I can tell it isn’t an act. She truly is virtuous. She doesn’t flaunt her sexy body or flirt with anyone in the room; she just keeps to herself. Her hair falling around her face? It hides her, but I can always see her eyes. They stand out. And then I caught her smiling when she picked up her coffee this morning. It was a gorgeous smile. It stopped me dead in my tracks. So, when I sat down, I wanted her to smile when she talked to me, but she just looked like a deer in headlights.
Something about her invites me to her. I have no clue what it is, but I know it’s a carnal need. My body lit up when I saw her the first time and was on fire when I sat next to her today.
Today, she smelled of lavender. It was the most alluring scent. I had to clench my fists to keep from pulling her into me, needing to keep myself in check. It was so hard to resist grabbing her and running my lips along her neck. To taste her. I dug my nails into the palm of my hands just to keep me grounded and aware of the situation.
Of course, I could always simply show up at her door. It’s not like I don’t know where she lives—though, she has no idea that I know where she lives, of course. The look on her face might just be worth it. She may think I’m a stalker. Though, honestly, with as much as I’ve been hanging around OneShot, maybe that’s a good assumption on her part. If I show up and knock on her door, I might get more than one word out of her if she’s in her own space.
I look out my window and I can see that her car is in the parking lot. Good. She’s home. Don’t do this, Bryce. She’s going to think you’re crazy. Well, I am. So, she wouldn’t be wrong. I should have come up with a reason to be stopping by; just didn’t think that far ahead. What if I just go over there and tell her I know where she lives? Then she will surely think I’m a weirdo stalker. I tap my window before running my hands through my hair. I just need to knock and say hi. Okay, I’ll go with that.
My breath is shaky. Never before have I been this nervous. I wring my hands together as I make my way down to the stairs and stand in front of her door. I reach out to knock, but I hesitate. Should I turn and go? Back out? Ugh. Running my hand over my face, I sigh. This is really going to freak her out. But something in me tells me I need to take the risk.
Usually, I would be way more confidant. Then again, Emma and I had been together for years. She was all I knew. I dated in high school, some in college, but Emma was a huge part of my life for a long time. I never strayed or looked elsewhere, either. This is the first time I’ve taken a risk and pursued someone since Emma.
Here goes nothing.
So, I knock three times on the door and wait. I hear a noise in the apartment and a shuffling by the door. My heart feels like it’s going to leap directly out of my chest. Then, I hear the deadbolt unlock. My heart stops.
Her look of shock doesn’t disappoint me. Once she opens the door, her eyes go wide and her mouth hangs low, forming an “O”. She stands there for a minute, trying to regain her composure. Kat quickly closes her mouth, her lips form a thin line, and her brows furrow.
“Hi, Kat.” I give her a nod. My hands are in my pockets to look less threatening. I mean, Ididjust show up at her apartment. She has the door just cracked enough that her head pops out, but she still hides herself behind it for protection.
“What are you doing here?” She appears surprised that I’m standing in front of her. I don’t know if the look on her face is pleasant or angry. Either way, it sure is surprised.
“Well, actually, it’s quite a funny story. Do you mind if I come in?” I gesture into her apartment. Making sure I stand far back again, I try not to look like I’m crazy or act like I’m intimidating her. I’m hoping it’s enough for her to feel more relaxed.
Kat hesitates for a moment, still not breaking eye contact with me. She looks down at her feet, then back into her apartment. Finally, Kat sighs and meets my hopeful gaze. She steps to the side and opens the door all the way.