Page 11 of Charmed, I'm Sure
“Were you in a dream of a frat house?”
He shakes his fox head. “Dream date, actually. I’ll give it to him. He tried his best. Little too much alcohol to calm his nerves. Didin’t quite work out how he thought it would.”
“Ah, poor guy for sure.”
“Do I want to know why there’s two chickens screaming in circles?” He tosses his head towards them.
I shrug my shoulders. “Two of the crows were talking about me when I walked up on them. Serves them right for being nosey.”
He walks with me back to the house. “Fair enough. What else are we going to do for today since we are awake soearly?”
“Try to figure out if faking my death or coming down with the black plague are viable options for getting out of this Samhain committee stuff.”
Chapter Five
A Latte Bad Intentions
Bellamy
The next morning I’m heading down the sidewalk to Curios & Curses when I pass by the window of Hex & Harken. Something catches my eye, causing me to come to a stop mid-step. There at the counter, with all his bright, sunny personality, is none other than Miles.
He’s smiling and laughing with the barista. She is falling for his charm; I can literally see it from all the way out here. The slow blinks, the slight pink hint on the apple of her cheeks, and she’s even twirling a curl around her finger. Gross.
I can’t resist the urge to rain on their sunshine parade. Pulling the door open, I slide in behind a display of bat-shaped shortbread cookies. Close enough to hear what they are saying, but far enough away not to be seen.Hopefully.
The barista, Clarissa, giggles as she asks, “So, what can I get you today, Miles?” She drags out the syllables of his name, and it sounds like nails dragging across a chalkboard. Why do people flirt like this? It isn’t cute.
“I would love a hot maple cinnamon latte,” Miles says with a lilt to his tone.
Perfect. Clarissa turns to the espresso bean grinder to push the button. This is my chance.
Whispering a flavor charm, I intend to make it somethinghe won’t like. Adding in a dash of blackberry, lavender, and cardamom. To everyone else the coffee will look unaltered, giving me the perfect chance to watch this play out. An evil smile spreads across my face. That will completely disrupt his palette when he takes that first sip.
The air next to me shimmers as Nyx appears. It smells of burnt marshmallows and stale beer. “What did he do now?”
“He ordered essentially the fall equivalent of a hug in a mug. Does he have to be so freaking predictable? He’s probably one of those people who hug with their full body and pat your back as they’re doing it.Gross.”
Clarissa doesn’t even seem to smell the difference in her coffee she’s making. She is humming a tune as she continues the brewing part of his order. Oblivious to the fact that it’s not his order anymore.
“You’re hexing a man for a comfort drink. You need therapy.”
I cut my eyes at him, and he just picks up his paw and licks it. Grooming himself as if we aren’t on a covert mission to sabotage someone’s morning like he did mine.
She pours his drink into a to-go cup and pops it inside a holder before handing it over to him. She even wrote her number on the cup, just in case. Eww.
He picks up the cup, gives her a wink, before turning to head in the direction I’m hiding by the front. Ducking down, I hope he doesn’t see me. Thankfully, he’s staring at his screen, typing something instead of looking around when he walks right past me.
He shoulders the door open, coming to a stop right outside of the shop. As if in slow motion, he brings the cup to his lips.Yessss. Here comes the disgust. But…
Instead of spitting it out or even grimacing, he smacks his lips and takes another sip. What is happening? He sips it again. Pauses. A smile spreads across his face.
I look at Nyx, and we both stare at each other before I look back to Miles. He’s turning around, sipping the coffee he should find gross.
“Oh no,” I mutter. “No, no, no.He likes it?”
Nyx snickers.
Miles walks back inside, and I do everything I can to blend into the wallpaper as I slide into a booth, hoping he doesn’t see me. He finishes what he was doing on his phone and pockets it as he walks back towards Clarissa.