Page 12 of Charmed, I'm Sure
My phone lights up right as my ringtone sounds. The funeral march chimes as the text message from an unknown number lights up my screen.
Fuck. My. Life.
Miles stops mid-step. I can see a smile spreading across his face. I’m so caught. There’s only one person who would text me from an unknown number. As if I’m in a horror movie and the killer just found me, I watch in terror as he turns towards me.
“Trouble,” he says with a purr as he walks towards me.
I pick up the menu and pretend as if none of this had happened. Running my finger down the menu, as if I don’t have the entire thing memorized. It only changes when the owner gets a wild hair and adds something new.
He slides into the booth across from me. The coffee of failure sitting between us.
“I’m assuming this is your responsibility?” he asks as he pushes it a little closer to me.
I continue to stare at the menu. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
I can see his smile in my peripheral vision.
“Sure you don’t.” He picks it up and swirls the liquid around before taking another sip. “The blackberry with the maple tastes amazing. It gives it a witchy, dark edge.” His eyebrow hooks up. “Kinda like someone I know. The lavender was unexpected, but I like the floral, soft chaos of it. But…” He takes a sip of it again. “It’s the hint of cardamom at the end that really threw me off. It adds a nice warm touch to it.”
My eyes keep scanning across the menu. If I don’t give in to this, then he has no way to prove it was me. Also, can we talk about his incredible palette? I mean, this guy could be a literal taste tester for people.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Sure.” he waves his hand towards someone, and I can’t resist turning to see who. Of course it’s Clarissa. She is beaming from the attention.
“Hey Miles, did you not like the coffee?”
“Actually,” he winks at me, “I loved the coffee. But, it’s not a maple cinnamon latte as I originally ordered. Who do I talk to about having this added to the menu? It’s my new favorite drink.”
“What?” She looks between the two of us. “Uh…You can tell me and I’ll pass it on to the owner.”
“Perfect. We are going to call this the Trouble Latte. If you could get me a sheet of paper, I’ll have Bellamy here write down the ingredients.”
She flicks her eyes between us as she bites her lip. “Uh, sure.” Clarissa tears a piece of her receipt paper and lays it down on the table between us. She’s clearly confused as she continues to stare at the coffee in his hands. I have to stifle a chuckle as she clearly doesn’t understand what’s happening. She looks at Miles who smiles at her before looking back at me. I’m back to staring at my nails, acting as if I’m not fully aware of her staring at me now. Anything to avoid giving myself away.
“Thank you, Clarissa. That will be all.”
She disappears from the table and heads back behind the counter. Miles leans back in the booth, his long legs spreading to each side of my own. I don’t need to look under the table to see how close he is to me. Damn wolf shifters and their unnaturally warmer bodies. I can practically feel the heat radiating against my stockings. I went with a short skirt, black spiderweb tights, and ankle boots today. Clearly not enough of a deterrent for wolf boy.
He doesn’t say anything. Just waits. As if he knows that eventually I’m going to crack. Fuck, if he isn’t right, though.
“It was a joke. A magical accident. You weren’t supposed to like it, and it definitely wasn’t supposed to become a menu item. What’s wrong with you?”
Miles only smiles as he picks up the stupid coffee andtakes another sip.
“Stop drinking it.” I throw up my hands.
“Why,” he says with a chuckle.
Grr. “You know why. It’s supposed to be gross.”
“Is it?”
“Why are you so infuriating?”
He smiles as he sets the cup back down. Sliding forward in the booth, leaning across the table between us, his smile spreads, showing off his beautifully straight, white teeth. Of course, he has a beautiful smile. Everything about him is beautiful.
“So you’re admitting to hexing my coffee?”