Page 11 of Magic & Mochas
“You don’t have to drink it,” I commented drily, amused.
She glanced around before pushing the mug away from her.“Now I see why Mr.Chevalier expected my coffee shop to do well.”Her eyes met mine before darting away again.“And why he was so eager to sell the building.”
“Sounds like he’s been having a hard time getting some sucker to take it off his hands.”
“Are you calling me a sucker?”Clove glared at me, crossing her arms over her chest.“And anyways, whose fault do you thinkthatis?!”
I shrugged.Took a sip of my tea.Dumped another two lumps of sugar into it.Took another sip.Nope, still tasted terrible.
“Hopefully the food is better than the drinks,” I muttered, flagging down our waitress.
The nagas, or snake-woman, slithered over to us.“Are you ready to placcce your ordersss?”
“Yes.I would like to try the Dragonfire Dumplings with a side of fries.”If they weren’t overcooked, I would consider myself lucky.
“And I would like the Inferno Noodles,” Clove added.
Once our waitress slithered away, I found myself scanning the diner for the tenth time.Checking for threats, verifying the closest exits, and keeping an ear out for raised voices or sudden whispers.
“Is something wrong?”Clove asked, brow furrowing.
Yes.Me.
You could take me out of the dungeons, but you couldn’t take the dungeon-bred alertness out of me.
“No, everything’s fine.”I cleared my throat.“So, how would you like to go about this?It might be wise to tell me your boundaries, and a little bit about yourself so that we can pull this off convincingly.”
Clove nodded once, twice.“Of course.And thank you again for agreeing to help me with this.”She blushed before continuing.“Public displays of affection are required, but I will be staying with my parents until your three months of free rent are up.As for me, well… I recently left my…boyfriend, Rasmus and quit my finance job in Seattle—in the human side of the city—and have moved back into my childhood room, which I thought I had left behind for good when I went off to college.”
“Understood.”There was clearly more to the story than that, but I decided not to push her on it just yet.“How frequently would you like me to take you on public dates?”
Clove tapped her chin as she thought.“Two or three times a week, depending on how long it takes me to get the shop ready for business.”
I swallowed.Two or three times a week felt like a lot after avoiding going outside the apartment, except for groceries and necessities for the last year.But then I gave myself a mental shake.Here was my chance to finally fill a fraction of the loneliness that had been plaguing me for so long; I was not about to let it pass me by.
“What’s your favorite color?”I asked abruptly.
“Violet—like your eyes.”Clove blushed and looked down, as if she hadn’t meant to add that last part.
I was saved from answering when Nalini, our waitress, set two steaming plates in front of us.“Enjoy.”
I could practically feel the spice radiating from the dumplings.It seemed the rumor that fire drakes liked their food spicy was true, after all.One bite in, and I was already wishing I had ordered some milk.I took a few more bites, watching as Clove did the same.Her turquoise eyes were soon watering.
Before mine could follow suit, I flagged Nalini down again.“We’ll take two chocolate milkshakes, as well.”
She smirked at me.“Coming right up, sssir.”
“How did you know I like chocolate?”Clove was clearly trying not to cough.
“Since you like coffee, and probably mochas, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with another chocolate beverage.”
“Thanks.”Clove gave me a tentative smile, which I returned with a nod.
When our shakes arrived, I think we both ended up sucking down about half of them in one gulp.
“My favorite color is blue, by the way.Though I think I might have a soft spot for turquoise,” I told her quietly.
This time, her blush reached her ears.
