“You were impressed, weren’t you?”
“That’s an understatement,” he scoffs. His expression is a portrait of awe as he stares down at me. “You’re full of surprises, Alara.”
“And you haven’t even seen half of it.”
“Yeah? Tell me more.”
“Ah, you’re putting me on the spot.” I lift my shoulders in a shrug, my pockets warming my hands, but I wish he was still holding me. “I’m kind of a boring woman.”
“And a liar.”
I arch a brow. “How nice of you.”
We move forward, and it’s almost our turn to order. “You know,” he starts, leaning in so that his words caress the shell of my ear. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re the most interesting woman I’ve spoken to in years.”
“Are you saying this to be on my good side? Because you know your future somehow lies in the palm of my hand and—”
He moves to stand in front of me and I can’t do anything except look at the concern etched on his face. “No, I’m being genuine. And I think you’re authentic, fun, and passionate.”
The conviction in his words does something to me that I can’t explain. It’s not that I’m not confident, because I am, but sometimes I feel I’m a little bit too simple for men to notice me. I like my space, my comfort, my routine. I like my life in this small town, and I’m indecisive about my future. But the fact that Diegoseesme makes it harder for me to fix in my brain that he’s not here to stay.
I’m about to reply when the lady managing the stand says, “Next, please.”
Diego pivots and asks for two original hot cocoas.
The girl, a pretty blonde wearing a light pink beanie and a matching fleece jumper, does a double take at Diego. I don’t blame her – he’s gorgeous to look at, standing there under the glow of the city lights, the cold reddening the tip of his nose. “Diego?”
He tilts his head, cataloging the other girl’s face for a beat. He scratches the back of his head, obviously unable to remember her name. She looks vaguely familiar to me. “Kayla, right?”
“Kelsey,” she corrects, offering him a smile. “It’s been a while. You look good. How are you? Are you visiting?”
She slides one cup of hot chocolate across the counter. Diego scoots closer to me, and when Kelsey finally notices me she reluctantly hands me the other one.
“Something like that,” he replies absent-mindedly, taking his wallet out.
Pushing his hand back toward him, she trails her French-tipped nails up his forearm. “On the house. We should grab a drink and catch up before you leave.”
The corner of his mouth curves upward, and, for a long heartbeat, my chest pangs with a jealousy I shouldn’t be feeling.I then realize that his smile isn’t genuine – because I know what it looks like, and, right now, it barely reaches his eyes. He’s just being his charming self, the way he is when fans ask for a picture or women try to get his number. Grabbing the two hot beverages, he takes a step aside. “Thank you for the hot chocolates, but I can’t take you up on that offer. Have a great night.”
He pushes past the crowd as Kelsey frowns. She looks at me and I simply offer her a sympathetic smile, and hurry after Diego. The relief rushing through my veins is a bit alarming. I have no right to be feeling jealous of another woman, and I shouldn’t feel victorious either at the thought of him rejecting her. Again, he probably turned her down because he’s leaving soon and he doesn’t want to start something that might not last.
He’s sitting on a bench in a secluded area behind the stands, one arm draped over the backrest. I’m mesmerized by the way he tenderly looks at me as I approach. Taking a seat next to him, I accept the warm cup he hands me, and notice he’s taken his gloves off.
“Ex-girlfriend?” I ask, gesturing toward the chalets with my head. I already know the answer, because if they’d dated he wouldn’t have forgotten her name. I just want to hear the confirmation.
Diego emits a dry chuckle and blows on his drink. Scooting closer to me, he twirls some strands of my hair between his fingers. “No. We were just in the same history class in high school. Pretty sure she had a crush on me.”
“I mean, who didn’t?”
His smirk widens and I realize my mistake. “What was that?”
“I didn’t say anything.” I take a sip, but it’s still so hot that I scald my tongue.
There’s one secret I’ll take to the grave and it’s the pathetic crush I had on him. No way in hell he’ll ever know about that.I look at him over the rim of my cup, feigning exasperation. “Another day, another heart breaking because the most eligible bachelor in town doesn’t want to take anyone out.”
The sound of his laugh rumbles deeply in a way that etches itself into my memory. “Not my fault if no one catches my interest.”
“Except me?” I joke.
