Page 19 of Toxic B!tch
“Really? I thought you were, like, seeing him.” She laughs, a sound that grates on my nerves.
“So what if I was?” I snap, heat creeping up my neck. The idea of anyone thinking Malik could ever be anything less than incredible makes my blood boil.
“You’re too pretty for a guy like him. Don’t you want someone... I don’t know, more in shape?” She rolls her eyes.
My grip tightens around the Budweiser bottle. “First of all, Brenda, you’d be smart to remember I just said he’s my best friend. Second, don’t be mad that he’s into me and not you. You’d be lucky to catch the attention of a man like him.” My voice lowers, dripping with venom. “I don’t care what he looks like as long as he’s a good person, and actually? I think he’s sexy as hell.”
“I think you need your eyes checked,” she mumbles, a smirk dancing across her lips.
“Brenda, you can’t be ugly and mean. So choose, baby,” I snarl, the words spilling from me with a rawness that surprises even myself. “Say another word about him, and I’ll drown you in that fucking bleach-water bucket.”
She rolls her eyes but keeps her mouth shut, sensing the danger in my tone. I storm back to grab what I need from the fridge for bottles, my heart racing as adrenaline courses throughme. This is insane—why do I care so much? But I can’t help it; Malik is different.
After I finish stocking, I wipe down the bar, ensuring it’s clean and ready for the next shift.
“I’m out of here. I’d tell you to have a good night, but you’re a bitch, so try not to get hit by a car on your way home,” I say over my shoulder.
As I clock out, I grab my bag and head outside to find Malik waiting for me in his truck. My pulse quickens when I see him leaning back, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his thick thigh. Damn, he looks good.
I hop into the passenger seat and buckle up, turning to him with a grin. “I was thinking we could go to Beth’s for milkshakes.”
“Sounds good,” he says, pulling out of the parking lot.
On the way there, we chat about my shift, the usual small talk, but my mind keeps drifting to how warm his truck is, how the scent of his cologne—cedar and something sweet—fills the cab, and how badly I want to lean into him, feel those muscles pressed against me.
By the time we pull into Beth’s, I’m buzzing with energy. Malik helps me out of the truck, his large hand wrapped around mine. His touch sends a jolt through me, and I’m already thinking about how those hands would feel elsewhere. I swallow hard and remind myself to calm the hell down.
Inside, we slide into one of the green and white booths, and I find myself staring at him. The way his shoulders fill out that damn shirt, how his dark eyes flicker between the menu and me. He looks good enough to eat.
Beth, the diner’s namesake, comes over with a smile, her teeth stained yellow from years of smoking. “What can I get you two?”
“I’ll have a mint chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and Oreo dust on top,” I say, not missing the way Malik watches my mouth as I speak.
“And for you, handsome?” Beth asks Malik.
“I’ll do a chocolate malt with whipped cream and a cherry.”
Beth smiles, scribbling down the order. “It’ll be just a minute,” she says, before turning to walk away, her heels clicking against the tile floor. As I watch her leave, I can feel Malik's gaze on me, lingering a little longer than necessary, and it makes my heart race in a way I’m not quite ready to admit.
While we wait, we chat about random stuff—music, movies, nothing too serious. But I keep sneaking glances at him. He’s so damn sexy, and he doesn’t even realize it.
“So, Indigo,” Malik starts, leaning back in the booth. “You never told me you had tattoos.”
I raise an eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips. “I like art.”
“They’re pretty,” he says, eyes tracing the ink on my arms.
I point to the tiny heart on my cheekbone. “This is my newest one.”
“It suits you,” he says, his gaze softening. “Do they all have meaning?”
“Some do, some I just thought looked cool.” I shrug.
Malik nods, his eyes lingering on mine. “I’ve only got two.”
“Where?”
He chuckles. “Barbed wire on my left bicep, and deer antlers on my shoulder for my grandpa.”
