Another quiet laugh leaves me. “I did my homework, Bonnie. Wouldn’t be any good at my job if I didn’t.”
“And here I thought it was just because you think I’m cute,” she says, batting her lashes. “If you did your homework, you already know Darcy is my sponsor.”
I switch hands on the wheel again. “Darcy Lozano. Sober for eight years. Lives in Pendleton Heights right down the street from you. Nonbinary—pronouns are they/them. They worked at a bioengineering firm for Big Pharma a few years before deciding to use their talents for the greater good, and now Darcy helps design lightweight and transportable medical equipment being sent into third-world countries to help kids who don’t have access to modern medicine.” I look at Bonnie. “What did I miss?”
“You missed who Darcyactuallyis.”
“And that is…”
“A really fucking awesome person,” she replies.
I shift in my seat. “Now, you’re definitely making me jealous.”
A playful grin spreads wide over her face. “Normally, the very big, bad overprotective shit pisses me off… Though on you…” Her eyes drag over me as she twists that damn drumstick between her fingers again.
I shake my head as her voice trails, my insides squirming at her flirt, unable to keep the same smile off my lips.
“You know, I’m free after coffee,” she says, and there’s a seriousness in her voice I’m not used to during our flirtatious conversations. I shift in my seat and clear my throat. I can’t appear too eager, too excited… Even if I feel like I’m suddenly on fire.
“Bonnie Miller, are you asking me out?” I eventually manage.
“Maybe I’m just telling you that I don’t have plans after coffee,” Bonnie answers in the most sly, yet nonchalant voice I’ve ever heard.
I smile sideways at her, feeling the heat creep up my throat. “What time is coffee?”
“Ah…” She takes out her phone and checks a message. “Darcy wants to meet at four.”
“Do you need me to drive you?” I ask, trying to calculate how long my previously planned outing might take and whether I’ll need to dial back the scheme.
“I would love for you to ride me,” she says.
I give her a look, and she grins.
“Right. You said drive, not ride. I’ll walk. Darcy is meeting me at my apartment. Don’t worry, babygirl. I’ll be safe with them.”
God, this flirting is going to have me running off the road soon.
I force myself to laugh. “Yeah, whatever you say, rockstar.”
Bonnie misses a tap in the rhythm when I say the nickname, then gives me a playful glare that I chuckle at.
“Do you want me to stop teasing you about that?” I ask.
She plays another four-count. “No,” she answers. “As long as I get to tease you about coming in your leggings.”
I grind my teeth, eyes drifting her way. “Flirt.”
For a while, she continues working, occasionally making some frustrated noise or talking aloud about her process, and all I can do is admire her.
It’s another part of her life that I’d never known… now,unlocked, and a lump rises in my throat when she peers my way.
My obsession with her has always been apparent. I’m bewitched by her… tormented… even haunted. I thought getting to know who she is without the mask would feel the same. I knew I wouldn’t last any time before I started actually falling for her. Still, I thought it wouldn’t feel any different, and I prepared myself for that. Though, this… this, I couldn’t have prepared for. It has my stomach twisting in a way that makes me want to reach over and gently touch her, be the reason she’s laughing, lean into her touch when she cups my face…
The realization has me more on edge than I thought it would.
Her phone dings after a bit, and I watch her face as she looks at it.
“Is it your stalker?” I ask.
