“Okay, this is heaven,” I say after taking the first sip.
She smirks and drags me toward the Halloween section. The shelves are picked over, half-off signs already hanging, but there’s still plenty of glittering costumes and candy displays stacked high.
“Tomorrow,” Alex declares, plucking up a pair of black lace devil horns and plopping them onto my head, “I’m dressing you so slutty men will be crawling across the ground for you.”
I laugh, cheeks heating. “Oh my god, Alex.”
“Don’t ‘oh my god’ me. You’re going to have a blast. We’ll get an Uber, and you can finally get sloppy drunk with me like a normal twenty-something year old. Ooh maybe you’ll find someone dressed like one of your book boyfriends.”
I shake my head, sipping my drink.
I round the corner—and slam into something solid, warm and completely unmoving.
“Oh!” I stumble back, nearly sloshing coffee on my sweater. My gaze shoots up, and my breath stills.
It’s him.
“Excuse me, umm—”
“Kellan,” he says smoothly, his deep voice rolling over me.
“Opal,” I manage, my voice a little too soft. “Nice to formally meet you.”
His mouth curves into a smile, that dimple threatening to undo me. Then my eyes drop to the basket he’s holding—practically overflowing with candy.
He glances down too, sheepishly. “For the neighborhood kids.”
“Oh.”
For a moment we just… look at each other. Too long for strangers. His lips part like he wants to say something.
I swallow, fingers tightening around my cup. “Thank you,” I say softly. “For the other night.”
His expression shifts—his jaw tightens, his shoulders go rigid. The color drains a little from his face.
“Oh,” he says quickly, forcing a nod. “It’s not a problem.”
I clear my throat and step back. “Well… have a good night, Kellan.”
His gaze lingers on me one last second. “You too, Opal. See you around.”
I turn, heart hammering in my chest, and Alex is already smirking like she’s witnessed an entire romance movie in thirty seconds.
“What did you thank him for, a raging orgasm?”
I snort, nearly choking on my drink. “No, oh my god. I forgot to tell you.” I swat her arm, laughing. “You know that creep that always comes into the store asking for like, explicit details on all the filthy books?”
Alex groans. “Ugh yes.”
“Well… he made a move on me the other night. Got kind of…” I lower my voice, shifting uncomfortably. “Aggressive. And Kellan stepped in. Told him to leave me alone.”
Her jaw drops, then she fans herself dramatically. “Oh my god. No fucking way. That is so hot.”
I roll my eyes, but my cheeks burn. “It wasn’t like that. He doesn’t like me like that. I’m definitely not his type.”
Alex stops dead in the aisle, staring at me like I’ve just said something ridiculous. “Babes you’re everyone’s type. He definitely likes you. He was practically cumming in his pants just standing here.”
Heat floods my cheeks again, and I bury my face in my cup before Alex can see my smile.
