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In my spare moments, I found myself pulling up Delaney’s account and scrolling embarrassingly far down. I’d actually reached the bottom of her socials a few times and I didn’t want to think about what that said about me and my obsession.

Since book club, my crush hadn’t abated or decreased in intensity. It had set up a sweet little home in my chest and had started decorating. Any moment now it was going to start expanding and taking over more real estate.

The shy little crush of my youth had grown to a raging inferno that threatened to consume me. I’d let it, of course.

I considered going to the bookstore again, but that would be too desperate, even for me. Stalking her online was much safer.

I didn’t count on bumping into her completely by accident, but it happened the following Saturday afternoon when I’d gone to the grocery store to grab a few things.

One minute I was comparing avocados for ripeness and the next I was looking into a pair of golden-brown eyes that made my heart completely stop for a second in shock.

“Delaney.” Her name slipped out of my mouth without me making the decision to speak.

My name was an annoyed sigh from her. “James.”

“What are you doing here?”

She raised her eyebrows and selected a few limes, putting them into a crocheted produce bag. Right. Groceries. She was getting groceries. Same as me.

My face flamed with a blush that I knew she caught.

“I’m having a girl’s night,” she announced and then I was the one raising my eyebrows.

“With Larison. And her girlfriend Jo. We rented a cottage by the beach.”

“Sounds nice,” I said, unsure of where the hell this conversation was going. I kept picking up avocados and squeezing them lightly.

“I’m—” she started to say and then pressed her lips together. “Never mind.” Delaney glanced down at her phone. “I need to get going. Larison and Jo are waiting.” So why was she still standing here with me?

“Have a good time?” I said, and it definitely sounded like a question.

“You too,” she said and then winced. “I mean, have a good time doing whatever you’re doing too.”

“I knew what you meant.” Now who was flustered? Fuck, she was cute.

Delaney grabbed another lime and then tossed the produce bag into her cart.

“Have a margarita for me,” I said, nodding at the bottle of mix and tequila.

“Maybe I will,” she said, smirking just a little and if I didn’t know better, I would have said she was almost flirting with me. Almost.

But I was just looking at the world through lesbian lenses and she was absolutely not flirting with me.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” I found myself saying, incapable of not throwing a flirt right in her face.

I had to get myself together. I couldn’t behave when I was around her.

She opened her mouth, probably to make a pointed comment about something I had done to her, but then she closed it again.

A beat of silence passed between us before she seemed to shake herself a little and then gripped the handle of the cart.

“Bye, James,” she mumbled, practically running me over in her hurry to get away.

“Bye Delaney,” I said, but she was already out of there.

Huh.

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