Page 13 of They Are Mine

His lips part like he might ask me to stay.

But he doesn’t.

Not yet.

He takes a step back, like he’s physically reminding himself to be good.

“Goodnight, Juliet,” he says, voice soft, a little hoarse.

I slide into my car, watching as he shoves his hands into his pockets, glancing up at the sky, smiling to himself.

I made him feel that.

I knew this was real.

I knew he was mine.

This is only the beginning.

Chapter Three

Noah

The bell over the café door jingles, and my head snaps up before I can stop myself.

It’s not her.

I exhale through my nose, shake it off, go back to cleaning the espresso machine. Of course it’s not her. She has my number. If she wanted to see me again, she’d text me.

Wouldn’t she?

I scrape a stubborn coffee stain off the counter, but I’m not really thinking about work. I’m thinking about her.

Juliet.

I can’t get her out of my head.

She’s absolutely perfect. Like she stepped out of a dream, soft, delicate, too sweet to be real. And those eyes.

The way she looked at me last night, like I was something special. Like she saw something in me worth admiring.

It’s been a long time since someone looked at me like that.

And now, I can’t stop wondering, when will I see her again?

I reach for the rag on my apron, and wipe down the counter. I’m working slower than usual. Distracted. I can feel Evan watching me from the register.

“You good, man?” he asks, eyebrow raised.

I force a chuckle. “Yeah, just tired.”

He grins. “That, or you got a girl on your mind.”

I huff a laugh, but I don’t deny it.

Because yeah. I do.

We exchanged numbers last night, but I haven’t texted her yet. I don’t want to rush. She’s the kind of woman who deserves to be courted. Adored.

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