Page 3 of Words We Didn't Say

I blinked.

Oh no.

The man crouched in front of me.

Yeah, not just any man.

Theman.

His mouth flattened to the same serious line he always wore at the coffee shop, and his dark brows furrowed like he was examining—judging—every tiny detail about me from behind his black-rimmed glasses. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Not him.Anyonebut him.

Maybe I was delirious. Maybe on death’s doorstep, you hallucinated the suit you’d been seducing with flirty smiles for the last month. I cracked one eye open. No suit today. His workout gear seemed strangely casual after only seeing him in fine tailoring, and his dark hair flopped adorably over his forehead instead of being slicked back, but—

I gulped.

It was him.

The God of Nerds.

This isn’t happening.

Our first official meeting wasn’t supposed to happen when I sat defeated at the bottom of some stairs in Clovelly, drowning in sweat and the bitter memories of childhood. I’d schemed up a plan to be coy for another week or two before sinking my claws in him for one night we’d never forget. You had to be patient with a man like him. He was shy. Every time I’d ducked my head in a calculated, demure smile, his cheeks had burned the sweetest shade of pink. Only sometimes had he been brave enough to smile back.

“I can find help,” he said, his eyes travelling up the stairs. “Or maybe I could wait with you until your friend comes—oh.”

Sneakers pounded down the steps two at a time. Frantic, I shooed Andie away. She rolled her eyes and mimed a phone with her hand.

“Call me,” she mouthed before disappearing.

This wasn’t her first rodeo.

I turned my attention back to my good Samaritan. Oblivious to the commotion, he was back on his feet, his eyes on their new home examining his running shoes.

“I appreciate you stopping to help.” I waited for him to lift his gaze before flashing my cutest smile. “Thanks, um—” I gestured to him to share his name.

He stared at me blankly. A beat of silence. His eyes grew wide. “I’m, um…” He braced his hands on his hips and gulped down a breath. “Yeah, you know, I’m…Zach.”

This man was adorable—awkward,but adorable. “You sure?” I grinned.

He nodded, a cautious smile spreading across his face.

“Well, thank you, Zach. I’m—”

“Eden.”My name whooshed out of him like he couldn’t believe he was saying it out loud. “Long macchiato with an extra dollop.” His brows shot over the top of his glasses. “I—I’m not a weirdo o-or anything. I’ve seen you atBrew HaHa a few times.”

A few, huh? Smooth. “And you noticed me all the way out here?”

“Yeah, I noticed your—” Zach’s guilty eyes darted in the direction of my backside and then everywhere—anywhere—else. “Um—” He coughed into his fist.

“Sir!” I faked a scandalised gasp. “Have you been peeking at my booty?”

His cheeks flushed a brighter pink than my high-tops. “Well…”

Oh, he’d been peeking, alright, and I loved it. “Sir!”

“In my defence”—he bit back a shy smile—“you have a verynicebooty.” He chuckled. My strait-laced companion had probably never said that word before in his life. “Can I help you up?”

---