Page 10 of Broken Pieces
A grin escapes my lips, wondering what the hell I got myself into. This new amused feeling is addicting, and I simply can’t wait to see her again and get a rise out of her. I’ll wear her out eventually. Two can play at this game, but I will always come on top.
For seven days straight, I walk into my favorite coffee shop, and the first thing I spot is Damian Romano's annoyingly handsome face, wearing that wide, shit-eating grin and exuding what he probably thinks is charm but comes off as cocky.
Here's to another day, and as soon as I walk in, my eyes instinctively search for him. It's become second nature at this point. In fact, it would be strange not to see him. This time, he's seated at the back of the coffee shop with his laptop.
The man is so annoyingly persistent; he's even working from the coffee shop now. And every day, without fail, we have the exact same conversation. And every time, I lie to myself and say I don’t enjoy the banter and that smile of his. It’s become a routineat this point, one I find myself looking forward to more than I’d care to admit.
I approach the counter to order my coffee, and the barista, wearing a wide smile, greets me.
“Aria, twice in one day? What a nice treat!”
I glance behind me, toward Damian's table, hoping he didn't hear that. He locks eyes with me, raises an eyebrow, and flashes his cocky, knowing smile.
Fucking busted.
I look away, hoping he didn't catch me blushing. I swiftly place my coffee order, and unsurprisingly, Damian has already paid for it as per usual.
I've been awake since the crack of dawn, so I headed to the coffee shop as soon as it opened. But, I can't deny I was kind of curious to see if he would show up today, hence my second visit. I have nothing to be ashamed of, after all, he's the one taking overmyfavorite coffee shop. With nothing to lose, I walk over to his table.
He appears as his usual, impeccably put-together self. My gaze lingers, and honestly, out of all the suits he's worn, this one takes the cake. It’s a deep maroon suit that makes his green eyes pop with color, paired with an off-white turtleneck sweater that accentuates his broad shoulders, and those damn pants that seemed to have been tailored by the gods, hugging his large toned legs. His dark, shiny hair is as immaculate as always; his face with a light, well-kept beard. No onehas the right to be that gorgeous. It seriously infuriates me.
He glances up from his computer, and then, with his smug grin, leisurely leans back. I pant as his lingering gaze moves up and down my body, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Fancy meeting you here. I hear it’s your second visit of the day. Missing me already, darling?” He tilts his head, amusement lacing his tone.
“Do I have to change coffee shops? Because I really like this place, and I refuse to let you ruin it for me,” I say, gritting my teeth.
He scrubs his beard with a soft, hearty laugh. “Deflecting, I see.” He shrugs. “Go to dinner with me, and the coffee shop is all yours.”
“Never.”
“Never say never.”
“Well, I’m saying never.”
Our gazes lock, having a silent challenge. I tilt my chin up, raising an eyebrow. Challenging him has quickly become one of my favorite hobbies, only God knows why.
He runs his tongue across his teeth and simply smirks.
The asshole smirked.
He's been having way too much fun with our interactions. It’s like a stupid game to him.
You’ve been enjoying them too, so don’t even try to lie to yourself.
Itake a moment to contemplate my options. I could keep saying no, but he's shown resilience, so I don't think he'll be stopping anytime soon. On the other hand, I could say yes, get a free dinner out of him, and turn him down anyway.
I sigh. “Fine,” I say, clenching my teeth.
He rises from his seat with a triumphant smile, picking up his laptop and coffee as if he has all the time in the world. Moving closer to me, he leans down and whispers in his velvety deep voice that makes my body shiver, “Can't wait, darling. I'll pick you up at seven. Wear something nice,” Then, he walks away.
I turn around and ask, “Don’t you need my address?”
He turns and walks backward, winking before replying, “Maybe you can finally reply to one of my many emails with it.”
And with that, he leaves me there standing in the middle of the busy coffee shop.
Fuck.
