Page 182 of Tall, Royal Hater
No you’re not hahaha
Esmeralda:
You love it!!!!
Mariyah:
Bitch whos side are u on????
Chapter 44
Mariyah
The next morning as I exited my apartment building to head to the bus stop, I came face to face with Shehryar again.
Same position against the same black car—likely a rental—same coat, different trousers—dark blue jeans this time—and in his hand was a takeaway coffee cup and brown paper bag.
I clenched my teeth and spurned him with a roll of my eyes, but his stupid-arse humongous body blocked my way on the pavement.
“Morning,” he said and held up the cup and bag. “I brought you breakfast.”
“I don’t want it.”
Undeterred, he added, “It’s a hazelnut cappuccino with a swirl of cream, and a carrot cake muffin and chocolate twist.”
Fucking Neves. My favourites. Everything. He knew it exactly.
My mouth watered greedily as I glared between the items in his hands and his stupidly patient expression. My stubborn pride demanded I tell him to shove it up his arsehole, but my caffeine-addicted body was weak, and the smell of freshly baked goods…fuck…
“Take them, Mariyah,” he said softly. “I’m not going to assume you’ve forgiven me just because you do. And they’ll go to waste if you don’t.”
I blamed my parents who’d taught me not to be wasteful as I took them from him. Plus, I was soon to be unemployed and needed to save money, so I’d accept a breakfast I hadn’t had to pay for.
He smiled. “Thank you.” He nodded to the car. “Let me drop you to work.”
“Yeah, no.” I stepped back, drawing a literal line between us.
“I—”
“No, Shehryar,” I said sternly. “Now move. Before you make me late for work.”
His eyes sparked with argument, and his mouth set firm, but he reluctantly moved.
“I’ll pick you up at the end of the day,” he said as I walked past him.
“Don’t bother.”
He did bother.
I exited my workplace at five-fifteen that evening and he was parked right in front of the building. In the rush hour as everyone tried to get home, his six-foot-five frame stood out like a sore thumb.
Shehryar came off his car when he saw me, but wasps hissed and buzzed through my blood as my eyes followed the women and men passing by who gawked at him open-mouthed. Their objectification of him was sickening, and there was no point of their ogling because he wasn’t even looking at them.
I only headed right for him to dismiss him. It had nothing to do with the fact I wanted everyone to know that he was there forme. Nothing at all. I’d deny it with a gun held to my head.
And I wasn’t glad he eagerly met me halfway either. Nope. Never.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled.
