Page 134 of Make Me Swoon

“Ok. You open the shop in a couple hours, right?” I confirm.

“Yeah.” She says as she makes her way back to her room.

“Goodnight, Bryson.” She whispers.

“Goodnight, Bianca.”

CHAPTER 3

Bianca

I wakethe next morning and go through my usual routine. Shower, pull on jeans and my coffee shop shirt, brush my hair and teeth before shoving my feet in my sneakers. I’m dragging a little today after having stayed out late at Adeline’s engagement party. I head for the door and see Bryson sitting up on the couch already dressed. He’s been sleeping in the guest room but he’s always awake before I am in the morning.

“Morning.” He says when I walk into the living room.

“Morning. Did you eat?” I ask as Naia jogs out of the bedroom with me.

“No, just some coffee.”

“I’ll make us some eggs after I take Naia out.” I say, already heading for the door.

“I’ll come with you.” He says, bolting up from the couch.

Sometimes I forget that the only reason that Bryson is here is because of Brad. We walk to the elevator and ride it to the ground floor, walking outside for Naia to go to the bathroom. We circle the block twice before we head back to the apartment. I let us in and then head to the kitchen to make us something to eat.

Bryson sits at the counter and watches me as I make us eggs with bacon and some toast. I put on a new pot of coffee as I flip the eggs. Bryson gets up and sets two places at the counter as the toast pops and I butter them, tossing them on the plates as he holds them out for me. He carries the plates over to the counter as I pour us each a cup of coffee, adding milk to his and sugar to mine. I join him at the counter, handing his cup to him as he slides my plate in front of my chair.

“We’re getting good at this.” I say as we dig in.

I love how we move like a team already, knowing where the other will be before they’re there. We eat in silence; Bryson isn’t much of a talker and it’s too early for me to try to carry a conversation with him. We finish breakfast and he walks me to work like he does every day.

I open the coffee shop and watch as he helps me take the chairs down off the tables and sits in his usual spot in the corner. I asked him once why he chose that spot when there are other more comfortable chairs and he said that it was the best spot tactically. Apparently sitting with his back to the wall meant no one could sneak up on him and he had clear sight lines to the front entrance and the employee entrance. He could keep an eye on me and all of the entrances at once.

Bryson spends my shift watching me and working on his laptop. I bring him some coffee and a pastry when the crowd dies down and I’ve taken to spending my breaks with him instead of sitting outside alone. I try to talk to him, flirt with him a little but he is always so stoic. It’s hard to see past that but I’ve caught him checking me out on several occasions. Staring at my ass or legs as I walk by or my tits when he thinks that I’m not looking. I know he must be interested in me but he hasn’t tried to make a move. It’s sad, but I think trying to get him to drop that blank mask he wears and watch me with lust clearly written all over his face has been the most fun I’ve had with a man in a long time.

I clock out at the end of my shift and Bryson meets me at the door with his backpack already slung over his shoulder. We say goodbye to Aspen and he walks me home as I talk about some of my customers today and a funny story that Aspen told me about her first night with her puppy, Mowgli. He listens to me silently as I chatter on. It used to bother me that he never talked to me much but then I saw him around Lincoln, Flynn and Roman and realized that he just doesn’t talk much period.

I walk closer to him as we reach my block, letting the back of my hand graze against his. I watch out of the corner of my eye as he tenses for a beat before continuing on like nothing happened. I’ve been doing this the last week as we walk home. Just light teasing touches to see how he would react. It’s always been the same, just a brief pause before he continues walking. Just once I want him to reach for my hand, to feel his calloused one wrapped around mine.

We’re almost to the door when my phone starts to ring. I fish it out of my back pocket along with my keys as Bryson holds the door open for me. I check my phone and see that it’s my mother calling. My body tenses. I really don’t want to answer but I know if I don’t, she’ll just keep calling me. I take a deep breath before I slide my finger across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Bianca, it’s your mother.”

I don’t know why, but she always answers the phone that way. It’s like she doesn’t know that everyone has caller id nowadays.

“I know, mom. How are you?”

She sighs deeply before she answers.

“Well, your father and I would be better if our only daughter would quit these childish games and stop embarrassing the family name. Honestly Bianca, a coffee shop?” She says with a shudder in her voice. “It’s time that you grew up and stopped acting like such a brat. We showed your picture to a family friend who has a son a couple of years older than you and we think that he would be an excellent match. I’m calling to tell you that they’re coming over for dinner on Friday and they’re excited to meet you.”

“I’m not meeting any of your friends’ sons, Mother. I want to pick my own husband and I can promise that it won’t be anyone you try to set me up with.”

“We will see you on Friday, Bianca. 6 pm.”

With that, she hangs up the phone and I want to scream. I follow Bryson into the elevator and I can see him watching me but I’m too upset right now to say anything. Why do they keep doing this? I’ve told them over and over again that I don’t want the life they seem determined to force on me but they just keep pushing. Maybe if they called me for more than just to order me around, then I wouldn’t be so against a dinner or two. Sadly, the only time I hear from them is when they have a new friend who would be perfect for me. Someone suitable with the right pedigree and bank account.

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