Page 6

“This way, Ms. Mellow. Maybe some coffee will keep those pretty eyes of yours open long enough to learn my favorite color and birthday.” He chuckled, helping me out of his vehicle.

Naturally, our fingers joined as he shut the door. The softness of his skin consumed the signs of wear and tear. He hadn’t lived a rough life. Neither had he built a home brick by brick. Changing tires wasn't exactly in his near future. Hammering nails wasn’t in his past, either.

Sac had lived a good life. A comfortable life at minimum. His arm was free of scarring. He’d spent most of his childhood inside. Possibly getting his schooling. Possibly on a basketball court. Possibly behind a computer learning code.

“Black–” I cleared my throat. “Your favorite color is black and your birthday is in May.”

He stopped in his tracks, turning back. His orbs were on me. The muscles in his face were working overtime. Baffled, he failed to produce words.

“The twenty-eighth. You’re a gemini.”

“Hmph,” he scoffed, pushing out fresh air.

His stomach caved as he did so. It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. His features were painted so perfectly on his frame that he looked unreal. Like art that you kept under your watchful eye but never touched because you’d smear its beauty.

“A medium?”

I shook my head.

“Just a girl, Sac.”

“Doesn’t feel like it, Rome.”

My right shoulder lifted and fell as I shook my head.

“I’m just a girl.”

“A very interesting, very captivating girl.”

“Sa–”

“Do they ever stop?”

“I don’t follow,” I admitted.

“The pleasant surprises. Do they ever stop?”

My nostrils widened shamelessly as my lips spread across my face. The inevitable was happening. The smile. The shake of my head. The rolling of my eyes. The butterflies in my stomach. The thudding of my heart. The yearning of my soul. The secretion of my walls.

“I’m not sure they do.”

“I suppose I’ll have to stick around to find out.”

“I suppose,” I responded, allowing our connection to end.

I headed toward the door of the coffee shop, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Without question, I knew they were on me. So were his eyes.

Sac didn’t spend too much time away. As I reached the entrance, he reached me. His back pressed against the door, disabling me completely. My hand fell by my side, colliding with my thigh.

Seconds elapsed with his eyes on me. My eyes on him. The sunlight filled the space between us. I inhaled deeply, unsure what was happening internally. The gravitational pull summoned me closer to him. However, I stayed grounded, planting my feet on the concrete.

“I don’t take likely to insults, Rome,” he explained, finally speaking after he’d quietly ripped away at my sanity.

“Have I insulted you?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Any time you reach for a door in my presence you’re insulting me. Don’t do that, again, Ms. Mellow. Understood?”

His eyes were bright. So was the smile on his face. Even with his firm, sharp words cutting away at my heartstrings, his reassuring posture sewed them back together, one by one.

“Understood.” I nodded.

Sac leaned forward, taking my hand into his. He pressed the backside up to his lips. They were soft, even softer than his hands. And, moist. And, smooth.

The kiss brought a halt to my bloodflow. Every vital organ in my body shut down completely. But, with the second kiss he planted right on my wrist, I was revived. Brought back to life. He had quickly become a defibrillator, restarting the same heart he’d stopped.

“After you–”

He released me, against my will. Just like my AirPod, I wanted to be his hostage. Disappointedly, I entered the cozy coffee shop accessorized with plants of all kinds. The gardener part of my heart leaped with glee.

A line started at the counter and ended just feet shy of the door we’d just walked in. I prepared for the wait, though I couldn’t recall a time in my life I’ve had to wait for service. It wasn’t in my nature.

My family didn’t allow it. For our safety and the safety of others. However, things were different now. As the idea of taking a place in line settled with me, I was pulled in the other direction.

The wooden floors beneath us remained silent as we trekked through the warm space.

In addition to greenery, bringing life to the space, dark wood accented almost every corner.

Large, beige signs with minimal words served as the menus, decor, and informative art.

The letters were bold and black, adding a modern touch.

Matching cups were nestled between the fingers of patrons. Wooden tables with black legs and chairs were spread throughout. A seating area resembling a conversation pit was the star of the show. A few steps down allowed guests to gain access.

Inside the large rectangle was an oversize, custom sectional that was black in color as well. Low profile coffee tables, blankets, books, and board games covered the middle of the floor where the sectional ended.

Patrons parted, sure to clear our path. Our journey was uninterrupted. I observed the courtesy Sac was given without as much as a request for it leaving his lips.

People knew him. People loved him. People adored him. People were happy to be in his presence. People wanted their encounter to be a seamless one. People didn’t want to be remembered by him, they wanted to remember him. And, this moment.

At a brown table near the back of the building, we ended our stride. Sac’s long, sun-kissed arm extended to pull out my chair. I took the opportunity to sit. A yawn tore my mouth apart. I used my right hand to shield my face as my eyes watered and saliva pooled underneath my tongue.

“As much as I’d like to get you home to get some rest, I can’t fathom letting you out of my sight right now. Admittedly, I’m being selfish. However, if you insist, then I will get you to where you need to be.”

Right here is where I need to be, Sac .

I shook my head, placing my hand on my lap.

“I’ll be fine.”

“What are you having? Maybe coffee will help.”

“Matcha.”

“Not surprising.” He chuckled. “Any specifics?”

“Iced. Iced matcha caramel macchiato. Oat milk.”

“Iced matcha caramel macchiato made with oat milk?”

“Um hm.” I nodded.

“Say less.”

Without taking his seat, he disappeared through the onlookers, watching his every move.

He’s no ordinary guy , I concluded.

As the thought escaped me, my phone vibrated against my body.

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved the device.

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt .

Royce’s name darted across the screen. A smile rested on my face, making itself at home. The decision to answer the call was instant.

I removed an AirPod from the case and pushed it into my ear. The call connected immediately.

“Royce–”

“Ro.”

And, then there was nothing. Snickering from her end of the line widened my smile.

“Good morning, baby,” she made out.

“Is it your destiny to worry me, Ro?”

She was Ro. I was Ro. We were Ro. To each other, but not many others.

“It is, my love.”

My spirit settled. I rounded my shoulders as I exhaled. Everything felt fine, but Royce had a way of making me believe nothing was, even if only for a second. She worried me, something awful. It was a gift and a curse.

“How has your morning been?” I asked, sighing.

“It would be better if you agreed to have coffee this morning. I could use a pick me up.”

Pausing, I took a look in the direction Sac had disappeared in. He was still missing.

“Ro?”

“Yes. I’m here.”

“Did you hear me?”

“Yes, Royce. I heard you. Do you hear that?”

“The chatter in your background? Where are you?”

“No. My heart,” I questioned, placing a hand on my chest. “It’s beating? It’s wild. It’s untamable. It’s driving me mad.”

Another pause silenced the line.

“Royce–” I called out. “Say something.”

The ruffling in the background let me know that she was altering her position.

Her spine was straight. Her ears hardened.

Her brows crinkled, making their way to the center of her forehead.

Her head leaned in, hoping to hear better.

I didn’t need to see her to know these things.

I knew her. I felt her. Everything about her.

Hesitantly, she began again. “You met someone.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Just as well as I knew her, she knew me.

“Not just anyone, Ro.”

“You met him,” she corrected.

Nodding dramatically as if she could see me.

“Yessss,” I breathed out. “Yes, Royce. Him . He’s not a figment of my imagination, baby.”

Emotions swelled in my chest.

“He’s real,” I choked out, feeling the weight lift from my chest.

Chasing a dream since a young girl that seemed to be intangible hurt.

However, chasing a love so profound it followed you in every lifetime, yet it seemed utterly intangible was a different kind of pain.

A never ending pain. An inexplicable pain.

A pain that reminded you of its presence almost every time you closed your eyes.

A pain that reminded you of its presence almost every time you encountered the male species because in the back of your mind, in the back of your heart, you knew it wasn’t the man who could cure you of the aches. But, after all the years and all the pain, he was here.

“In this lifetime,” she swooned.

“And in all the others.”

“So, how did this happen? How di– God, I have so many questions.”

I was prepared to tell her all of my business until the business startled me.

“Iced matcha caramel macchiato with oat milk.”

The rasp of Sac’s voice hardened my nipples. I squared my shoulders and straightened my spine. The vulnerability I expressed in his absence because my sister provided the space was quickly shoved deep down into the soles of my shoes.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Royce screamed on the line.

The contortion of my features worried Sac. His head reared back before tilting.

“You good?”

I nodded, tapping the AirPod to end the call. I accepted the cup he was handing me.

“Yes. I’m fine.”