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27

LIA

I frowned down at my phone just as the call went to voicemail.

Victoria had been trying to reach me. And I had been ignoring her.

I had been ignoring Leo as well, but it wasn’t like I talked to him all that much anyway, so ignoring him was easier than ignoring her.

Which hadn’t been a problem when I told her I’d been busy and declined her invitation to Brody’s Bar two nights before. But she could probably tell I had been ignoring her, considering how many times she tried to call me since and how many times I had been pushing her off.

I hadn’t even thought about Brody since Mael and I had gotten together, and surprisingly, Brody hadn’t called me. Perhaps I hadn’t been the only one to feel that our chemistry was… off.

Or maybe I had gotten off easy and didn’t have to explain anything to him.

I didn’t know, and now wasn’t the time to think about that because I was five minutes away from starting my shift.

I shoved the phone into my pocket and headed out from where I had been hiding in the back to the computer out front and punched in my time.

Then I got to work.

It wasn’t until I was about five hours into my shift that the door opened, and I felt the air shifting. I looked up to see a man I had never met before, yet there was this familiarity to him. And the way he was looking at me made me think I was supposed to know him somehow.

I watched as he walked up to the counter, his pace slow and confident, as if he was used to having others wait for him, watching him, talking about him.

Both Emily and I were operating the counter, and both registers were empty. Emily spoke out her greeting, but he ignored her and went over to me.

The man was even more perfect up close.

He had light-brown hair, flawless fair skin, and blue eyes that reminded me of someone. He was tall, lean, and muscular.

“Hello,” he said, his lips curving into a small, secretive smile.

“Hi. What can I get for you?”

“A black Americano.”

I nodded, entered the order, and wondered if it was nothing more than a coincidence that he ordered the same thing Mael did or if there was just something about him that reminded me of Mael.

“That will be six twenty-five,” I said, watching as he paid and placed a twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar.

“Thanks, Lia.”

I blinked. I was sure I had never told him my name.

He pointed at his chest, then at me. I looked down to see my name tag hanging on the front of my apron.

“Right. You’re welcome.”

“Theo. You can call me Theo.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise. No wonder he looked so familiar to me. “You’re Mael’s brother.”

“The one and only.”

I smiled and held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too. I’m actually meeting him for coffee. I suggested this place because I wanted to see you.”

“Oh? And?”

He looked me up and down, that charming smile firmly in place. “You are exactly as he said. I can see why he’s so obsessed with you.”

“Obsessed,” I repeated. Mael was… sweet. And charming. But obsessed with me? My stalker was obsessed, but Mael…

I shook away the thought. Now wasn’t the time for me to think about that.

Emily came up with Theo’s coffee cup, handing it over to him.

He winked at her. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He turned to me. “We’ll talk soon.”

She blushed and let out a small sigh when he walked away. “That’s not fair. How can two brothers both be so good-looking?”

I let out a small chuckle, absolutely agreeing with her. I didn’t know how I imagined Theo to look, but this was not it. He was pretty. Admittedly, prettier than Mael. He looked like one of the male models who graced the front of a big magazine. But I much preferred Mael’s roughness.

We went back to work after that. It didn’t take Mael long to show up. I waved at him when he saw me, blushing slightly when he shot me that signature smile, feeling a small pinch in my heart.

Was he my stalker?

And how the hell was I supposed to react if that was the case? It didn’t matter that he had never hurt me. There were just some lines you didn’t cross. But I didn’t have any proof, just a small inkling with enough wiggle room for doubt to squeeze in.

And what the hell was I supposed to do if he really wasn’t?

The things I’d done with my stalker?

I looked away, suddenly not feeling too good. I let Emily take Mael's order, making the Americano before he could put it in.

I had the cup set down in front of him as soon as he finished paying.

His fingers touched my hand as he took the cup away from me, causing a slight shock to my skin. It was the same electrifying feeling I got when my stalker touched me. What were the odds that two different men could evoke the same feeling out of me?

I stayed where I was and watched Mael walk over to his brother. Theo said something before looking over at me. Mael did, too, before he shook his head. They were obviously talking about me. I wished I could read lips then. I shifted on my feet before going back to cleaning the counter as my shift was set to end soon. I wondered if Mael was expecting us to hang out with his brother tonight. Not that I had a problem with that, just a little heads-up would have been nice.

The door chimed once more, and I looked up, feeling my heart drop at the sight of Victoria standing there. She found me right away, a frown already in place.

“I need to take a five-minute break,” I called out to Emily, who looked at me, then to Victoria, and back at me again, nodding.

I moved around the counter and over to the front door, holding it open for Victoria. She came out without a word, and I followed her.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she said.

I looked off to the side. I didn’t have anything to say about that because it was true, and she knew it.

“I’m working right now. Can we do this later?” I asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “When?”

I didn’t have an answer for her. I didn’t know when I would be ready to face her again, not when I knew she was with Leo. And I didn’t know for how long, but from what I saw, it seemed to have been going on for a while. But Victoria had been out picking up men. Was she cheating on Leo? Or was she picking up men as nothing more than a show she put on for me?

“I don’t know yet,” I replied.

“No, we can’t pick this up later. You’re avoiding me, and I want to know why.”

She was starting to get loud, and the last thing I needed was for her to lose her temper here.

I mimicked her and crossed my arms over my chest too. “Okay. When did you start seeing Leo?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “How did you…”

“I saw you going into his house. And don’t try to lie by telling me it was nothing. I saw you kissing him.”

“So? We’re both adults. Since when do I need your permission to see someone?”

Her face was getting red, and I knew she was just moments away from exploding.

“Why are you getting mad? I didn’t say you needed my permission to see anyone, but you didn’t tell me about you and Leo. Why not? And how long has that been going on?”

“I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your business,” she said.

I let out a small sigh. “Do you really think it’s not my business that my best friend is dating my uncle?”

I didn’t even know why she was getting so defensive.

“He’s not really your uncle.”

“Victoria.”

Behind me, I could hear the front door opening. I didn’t pay attention to anyone else but my friend, who didn't look like my friend right now.

“Is this what it’s about? You’re jealous? Have you not gotten over your silly little crush on the man?”

I frowned at her. She knew my silly crush on Leo happened when I was a teenager. And it had been brief. I was over that, so I didn’t know why she was bringing it up now.

“You were always a jealous little bitch who couldn’t do anything for herself. That’s why you chose to live vicariously through me.”

“What the fuck? Where is this coming from?” I asked.

“That's enough.” A dark voice came out from behind me. I turned around to see Mael standing there, Theo not far behind him. Mael came up and wrapped his arms around me protectively. Victoria watched as it happened.

“You and this man?” Her voice was filled with disbelief as if it was such an improbable thing for Mael to be interested in someone like me.

“I suppose he likes mousy things.”

I had almost forgotten that Victoria had hit on Mael at the coffee shop, but he rejected her. And that had happened not too long ago. Was it before she and Leo had gotten together, then?

“What the fuck?” Mael asked, the anger unmistakable in his voice. His body was tense against me, and I knew he was close to losing it. “You want to say that again? You think insulting her is going to get you anywhere?”

He made a move to walk up to Victoria, but I pulled him back, watching as her expression paled. Mael planted himself in front of me as if he thought she might try to attack me.

I turned to her, hoping to diffuse the situation. “Why are you being like this all of a sudden?”

It wasn’t like I had come out and insulted her for being with Leo. She was right. She and Leo were both consenting adults, but it still had been a shock to see them together. I hadn’t expected such a big blowout to happen simply because I confronted her about it.

She scoffed. “We’re done.”

“What?”

“We’re done. I can’t be like this with you anymore. Do you know all the shit I had to go through to keep up with this friendship?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Have fun with this,” she called out to Mael before walking away, and I could do nothing more than watch her retreating back, wondering what the hell just happened to make her react like this.

Mael turned and wrapped his arms around me. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I don’t understand what just happened.”

“I do.” This came from Theo. I had forgotten he was here until he spoke up. He stepped up to my side. “Your friend’s a bitch.”

“You heard her,” I said, still reeling. “She doesn’t want to be my friend anymore.”

Years of friendship down the drain, and I didn’t even know what the hell happened.

My heart hurt.

I turned to Mael. He looked like he wanted to kill something.

I shot him a small smile I didn’t exactly feel.

“Thank you for protecting me.”

“You don’t ever have to thank me for protecting you,” he said, his voice gruff. “After all, it is what I was put on this earth to do.”

I didn’t say anything. Just looked at him and felt my heart stalling from his words. “What?” he asked.

I shook my head and gave a small smile. “Nothing.