Page 10 of The Desert Prince's Jewel
But now? I can’t think of anything when he looks so sincere in his request. On closer inspection, his eyelids droop, ringed in puffy brown bags. He looks haggard, and I gulp with a nod.
“Coming right up,” I say, turning swiftly on my heels.
As I whip up a few coffee orders, Zane grabs the pain au chocolat, a citywide favorite. And it’s my all-time favorite, seeing as I’m addicted to chocolate, even inside a croissant. Zane offers silently to take it to Ranbir, shooting me a sympathetic look.
He seems to be the only one who understands Ranbir and Idon’tget along. But for some strange reason, I take the coffee cup and pastry away from Zane and march back to Ranbir with my chin held high.
“Here you go,” I whisper, not sure why I’m whispering either.
Maybe because he looks so damn tired, as much as I feel inside, and thankful for his order, and I don’t want to raise my voice too loudly when he looks like he’ll keel over if I do. It’s almost cute, giving him a wounded puppy effect, as Ranbir takes slow sips from his coffee, seeming to savor the cup and the flavor for once.
Nearly cute, until I glimpse the killer fangs he retracts after a loud yawn. Yup, he can still rip my throat out even with those puppy… snake eyes?
I walk away, shaken by my reaction and my actions. I should’ve let Zane take care of it, yet I felt compelled to bring hisorder to him. Is this the start of my Stockholm syndrome? Can you get that just by being in someone’s orbit?
“Your boyfriend’s back again?” Daryl asks, as he cleans cups, “Is he alright? He looks tired today. Maybe you should go meet him on the job versus him always coming to you, man.”
I glare at him half-heartedly, making Daryl grin back, eyes flicking to the window occasionally. Yeah, he’s happy to see his boyfriend, or whatever, again. I, on the other hand, am dealing with a very pissy and persistent stalker, not my boyfriend!
But all I say back is, “Ignore that asshole,” and get back to work.
That day zooms by without incident, yet Ranbir stays, ordering all types of things he’s never tried before. He even asks for some cream with his coffee around noon, and I’m almost certain I’ll have to call an ambulance. Whatever he has must be terminal.
But he simply sits and, well, he doesn’t even watch! He’s looking at his phone, a computer I’ve never seen before, and plugging away, only glancing at me every so often. I find myself watching him more than he watches me. A fact Cy keeps ribbing me about with that little bony elbow of his as I growl.
But my friend’s right. I’m the one watching and confused about what has changed in a night. I figured this day would be like all the others. Instead, Ranbir seems disinterested in his new toy,me,and that… That infuriates me because what right does he have to burst through the door, drag me against the bricks, call me a thief, fucking hover around my place of work, and potentially outside of work, only to give me the cold shoulder without a word!?
No explanation, he’s just done, and is largely ignoring me.
“Mateo?” Zane asks, always sounding so oddly regal and formal when he speaks, wiping his hands on his apron dutifully.
He folds his hands in front of his waist. “May I give Ranbir his next order? You look as though you’ll toss it into his face, and that will not be good customer service.”
“No, it’s alright, Zane. I’ll handle it,” I say, pulling the chocolate chip muffin on a plate closer to me so he can’t snatch it away.
As I clean a machine, I grumble to myself about being ignored like some brat. All I wanted was for him to leave me alone when the day started, and now I shake my head as I go out of my way to serve Ranbir again. And again, he doesn’t even look me in the eyes as he mutters thanks.
Is this a new method to get under my skin? Hot and cold? Or am I reading way too much into an exhausted man’s actions?
Why me?
Since I first met him, I keep thinking about that particular question. I’ve never met another naga before him. I can’t help but wonder where he hides those extra arms. Maybe that’s how he’s so efficient at his job, so he can laze around at the cafe during the day. Layla gushes about him, along with Sheena.
I certainly didn’t spend all night, one night, looking up naga anatomyandtheir, erm, mating practices for shits and giggles, to learn more about Ranbir, only for my jaw to drop to the floor. If I had two dicks the size of what I dug up online, maybe I’d have a raging case of the ass like Ranbir, too. Must be, unfortunately, trying to sit…
Wait! Ranbir’s not sitting. Not anymore, anyway.
I approach his abandoned table, and my jaw hits the floor at the two hundred-dollar bills there. He always leaves a big tip, as he should for taking up a seat all damn day, but this is ridiculous, even for him.
I shake my head, not even noticing that the sun is setting until we turn over for the next shift. That’s when Cy slinks up to me,eying the bills I’ve awkwardly stuffed in my apron to give back to Ranbir with a low whistle.
“It’s giving,” Cyril chimes in, cupping his hands, spinning them in a circle close to his chest. “Desperate! Did y’all break up or…”
“Down bad or heartbroken? $200 for a tip is crazy,” Dayrl adds, as he removes his apron.
Zane and Justice nod in agreement, already halfway out the door.
“I don’t know, guys! But sorry, I’m giving it back, so no splitting it. Next time we eat out, it’s on me,” I say, because it doesn’t make any sense, and I don’t want to feel indebted tohim.Plus, I have a catering gig tonight, so I can promise a free meal.
