Page 14 of Love in Pieces

As I make my way closer to the bar, the line moves up, and I inch my way in her direction, placing both of us belly up at the bar. For her, it’s more like chest up to the bar, her arms raised to rest on the edge. A bartender takes my order quickly but ignores her.

When no one has taken her order by the time my drinks come back, I pipe up. “Hey, she’s been waiting,” I holler over the loud crowd at the same man who took my order.

“Thanks,” she says, after ordering. She’s probably a foot shorter than me. Her dark eye makeup makes the blue of her eyes pop. Her nose ring glints in front of the bright lights overhead.

“No problem. You work at the cafeteria, right?”

She lets out a single breathy laugh. “I did. Yesterday was my last day. So much for that.” She shakes her head. When she finally looks up at me, a hint of pain flashes through those gorgeous light blue eyes. Her lashes are long, not fake, but coated with mascara. It’s a short glance, but enough for me to take a mental picture.

“I can't tell if I should be congratulating you or not.” I twist my brows together but pair it with a soft smile.

“If you ask my boyfriend, it’s a congratulations. I’m happy. So happy.” Sarcasm. Pure sarcasm drips from those round lips. The corner of her mouth ticks up with another small chuckle.

Boyfriend. Damn. I glance behind me, past Logan to the place I saw her standing earlier. A skinny blond-haired guy stands dressed in all black, same as her. His arms are folded tight across his chest. He glares at me, then at her. Found him. That wasn’t hard. The look he gives me screams “back off” but there’s something off about it. The look he gives her is all annoyance, so I turn back around, trying to ignore the eyes that bore holes through the back of my skull.

“That him back there?” I jerk my head back toward the guy I just made eye contact with.

She takes a short glance back before quickly turning back to the bar, her tight braids swinging with the movement. All the amusement she previously wore fades from her face, and I swear she almost turns pale. “Uh, yeah. I should get back.”

She grabs the two drinks from the bar, leaving me watching her as she rushes back to him, her hips swaying in tight black jeans.

Making my way back to our table with the drinks, I watch the two of them carefully. I wish I could have heard the conversation that proceeded between them. Irritation isn’t a good look for him. Her features contort tightly with each of his words. He looks back in my direction, searching for a moment before finding me. I would love nothing more than to smack that smug smile off his face. I can already tell he treats her like shit.

“You know that girl?” I ask, still watching them, and then kick myself, realizing I never got her name.

Logan looks back. His brows bunch together. “By the look on her man’s face, I don’t think I want to. Stay far away from that one, dude.” He shakes his head.

I try to forget the bright blue eyes I just met and focus on my conversation with Logan for the next twenty minutes. Knowing she’s behind me makes it all the more difficult. I’m thankful when Logan asks to leave.

“Yeah, I’m ready. I work tonight anyway. I’ll meet you out there. I’m going to bring these glasses back up to the bar.”

“What a gentleman,” Logan jokes and heads back out to the front.

While I’m leaving the bar, I find myself searching for the long black braids again, frustrated with myself for being so unwittingly fond of a stranger with a boyfriend. Logan's bike is running when I arrive, so I quickly follow suit and start mine.

As I pull my helmet over my head, I spot those two black braids peeking out from under a black helmet with a holographic visor. When the girl pops the visor up, her blue eyes confirm what my heart was hoping for. To her right stands her boyfriend, pulling his helmet over his shoulder-length blonde waves. He takes a seat on the blue bike next to him and I watch the girl, expecting her to take her place behind him. To my surprise, and my heart's delight, she gets on her own bike, what looks to be a Kawasaki Ninja. I can’t tell which one from the distance. The matte black sport bike is just short enough for her to reach the ground on her tiptoes. I’ve never been attracted to someone as they put their gloves on, but with each small movement, I feel my growing desire to know her better.

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