Jonah: Name it
Ryann: I’m stuck here until close, so probably midnight, and it is SLOW. Could you bring me my psych book?
Jonah: Midnight?
Ryann: Yes. We close at eleven, but it takes an hour to clean up sometimes.
Jonah: I’ll head there now.
Great. I’d have a book to occupy the boring parts of this shift and could get some studying done while making money. It was a win-win for sure. A group of girls walked into the café in comfy clothes, all wearing glasses and large backpacks. The sight of them made me smile.
“Hey, we all need caffeine or what?”
They laughed. “Yes, just put it in my veins please,” the shortest one said. “We’re here all night for a group assignment. It’s only the second week of school. Why do we have projects already?”
“I hear you. I have a ten page essay due Tuesday. What the hell?” I said, taking their orders and preparing ten different versions of coffee. Some wanted ice, black, sweet, topped with whipped cream, and one wanted tea. They all left a dollar tip which was great, and they took off toward the library. It was open twenty-four hours.
When I scanned the café to see if anyone needed a refill, I found Jonah sitting at a table watching me. My face heated at his gaze, and I raised my brows in greeting.
He had my book on the table, but also his laptop.
“Are you… staying here?” I asked, not making any moves to leave this side of the counter. There was something about him that made my brain forget my rules. It could be his soft brown hair or the long lashes, or the fact that I received a rare smile from him. Either way, the sight made my chest tighten and my fingers twitch to touch him.
“I have to study and figured here was as good as home.” He ran a hand over his jaw, not breaking eye contact with me. “You said midnight, right?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want you walking home alone with cash.”
It thrilled me more than it should to hear him get protective over me. My chest got tight and warm as he said it, but I willed the giddiness away. He nodded toward the tip jar, and his brown eyes hardened. “Do you work this late often?”
“Not usually. It depends on what helps Hannah. The only times I can’t work are when I have classes, so I fill in during the times she needs me most.” I traced my finger over the countertop, giving me something to do to get rid of this nervous energy. “Thanks for bringing me my book. You don’t… have to stay here, you know?”
“I understand.” He shifted in the chair and seemed to bunker down, like he really wanted me to know he was staying. A professor-type guy approached the counter, and I quickly got him an iced tea and cookie before daring to leave the register. Jonah was the only patron in the café besides me.
We were alone.
I swallowed hard as I neared his table, and he stopped whatever he was doing and sucked in a breath when I sat across from him. His gaze dropped to my lips for a beat before he sat up straighter.
Why was our chemistry so strong? I shouldn’t be thinking about kissing him again while at work. What was wrong with me?
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice deep. Concern swirled in his eyes. “I-I don’t know what happened at the house. It won’t happen again though.”
I sighed and pressed my lips together, holding the psych book against my chest. “We have to be careful.”
“I know, I just…Patrick put me in an awkward position with that girl, and I was so worried about it upsetting you since we just…you know,” he said, blushing so red he matched the apples on the counter. “I hate going to parties because of that stuff. The small talk, the flirting because I play hockey. Talking to you is so much different.”
My entire body warmed at his compliment. “Jonah, I’m not upset about you having a conversation to another person. Girl or not, we’re not…” I stopped, trying to think of the best term for it. I got his worry though. I had no plans to flirt or date or show interest in another guy while we continued to succumb to our chemistry. “We’ll be honest with each other. If someone does come along, we tell the other and stop this.”
“That won’t happen with me,” he blurted, his voice getting louder. “I guarantee it.”
His insistence and confidence made me nervous because of how much I liked it.
“Even so, it’ll make us both feel better if we agree.”
“Agreed then.” He narrowed his eyes and scratched his chest with a free hand. “So, flipping me off was for fun? You’re not actually mad at me?”
I snorted. “Correct. Not sure if you saw Patrick’s reaction to it, but he laughed. It worked, or at least cast suspicions away for a bit.”
