“I thought we had something,” Rico said.
“Bruh!” James damn near choked. “I want to get invited back here.”
“Don’t worry, James. You’re welcome for breakfast anytime.” Teagan laughed. I reached for my coffee again, halfway paying attention to Rico coming on strong to Teagan.
“Can you pass the syrup?” Noa’s sweet voice sailed through the air just above a whisper. I looked up to find Noa looking dead at me, like we were the only two people in the room.
“Of course.” I slid the bottle her way, real slow. Our fingers didn’t touch, but it felt like they did.
“You like it light or drowning?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Somewhere in the middle.”
I didn’t know if her voice was low or if I was imagining it, but she didn’t flinch. She stared at me, sporting that same little smirk from earlier on her lips.She is flirting with me.
I watched her hands as she unscrewed the cap slowly and tipped the bottle forward. The thick, amber stream trickled down, slow and sticky, spilling over the ridges of her waffle. I couldn’t take my eyes off the syrup as it dripped from the bottle. It was golden, smooth, and sweet-looking,just like her.
Shit.I shouldn’t have been thinking the things I was thinking, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know how she’d taste on my lips. Was she sweet like the syrup that was now drowning her waffle? Was her skin just as warm? Would her lips fit perfectly against mine? She looked up at me mid-pour.
“Thanks,” she whispered, and her voice had my dick growing beneath my tool belt. My jaw clenched, and I nodded, quickly attempting to snap myself out of the trance she had me in. I looked away, sure everyone was staring at us, but they were all too busy in their own conversations to see the way Noa had me coming undone.
“I’ll have the temp ramp set up before we leave today,” I said, clearing my throat, feeling the need to say something. “It’s not pretty, but it’ll hold if you need to get out.”
“It’s really no rush. Noa don’t go anywhere unless she’s headed to the hospital or something, and she doesn’t have an appointment for another three weeks.”
My gaze shifted to Noa. She didn’t correct her, just stared down at her plate like she was counting the squares in the waffle.
“You don’t like being outside?” I asked. I was curious. She looked up at me. There was a sadness in her eyes, and I instantly wanted to fix it. Her lips parted, but Teagan cut in before she could speak.
“It’s her lupus,” she said, like she was announcing the weather or something. “She doesn’t like to be seen in her chair.”
Noa groaned and dropped her fork. “No,… that’s not it.” She shot her sister a glare. “The sun makes me flare. I get fatigued, and some days, the pain is so bad I don’t want to lift my head. That’s why I don’t go outside. It has nothing to do with the chair.”
“Could have fooled me,” Teagan mumbled, biting into a piece of toast.
“You do too much, Tea.”
“One of us has to know your worth.” Teagan pointed her fork at her sister. “You letting that chair keep you hid when you should be seen. You deserve to live, Noa. Like actually live. Lupus doesn’t make you less. Your value didn’t drop because of some damn diagnosis.” She glanced around the table and added under her breath, “You’re out here surviving lupus when you should run it. Hell, you should have it scared to show up.”
“You don’t get it, Teagan.” Noa visibly tensed, her shoulders rose just a bit. “This has nothing to do with me not knowing my worth.”
“The Noa that knew her worth wouldn’t still be entertaining the same man who ghosted her when she needed him most.” She whispered that part, but everyone heard it.
“Teagan!” Noa’s eyes bounced around the table, embarrassment and anger flashing in them. “Can we not do this in front of company?”
I didn’t say anything for a second. I didn’t like how freely Teagan was giving away her sister’s business to strangers, even if I low-key appreciated the info. Knowing Noa was entertaining some lame ass nigga who abandoned her when she was diagnosed had me ready to camp outside her house until he returned and put his head under the dirt. She deserved better. She deserved someone who saw her beyond her illness.
“Don’t trip. We all forget our worth sometimes. It ain’t no shame in being knocked off yo’ square… as long as you get back up,” I said slowly so she could hear every word. She blinked, taken aback a little, but that smirk reappeared on her pretty face.
“Oop!” Teagan cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’m gonna like you coming around here.”
“And me too?” Rico asked with a grin on his face. Teagan said something in response, but I wasn’t paying them any attention. My eyes were locked on Noa, and hers on me.
She looked at me, her expression soft. It was filled with everything: a little surprise and a little gratitude. Her lips parted again like she had something to say, but she said nothing. I should’ve left it there. I was already overstepping, but I couldn’t help myself. I stood up slowly, dragging my chair back with a soft scrape.
“Appreciate y’all,” I said, nodding at Teagan, but my eyes stayed on her. “Breakfast was good.” I turned to Noa. “Company was better.”
Noa’s cheeks reddened. I turned. I needed to get out of here before I said or did some wild shit that was going to have my job in jeopardy.
