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I took off my backpack and dropped it on the high stool perched behind the checkout desk, then looked up as the telltale sound of fingers drumming on wood registered. I narrowed my eyes on the man. “I thought you didn't need anything?” Yet again, I continued to fuck up this encounter. Although, my tone didn't seem to dim his exuberant mood.
My stare locked onto his and my heart beat harder. “I don't. I just figured I should properly introduce myself and tell you about an idea I just had.” I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. “I’m Axel, by the way,” he teased, stealing my clumsy line. “You said you didn't have any coffee yet today. Would you like me to go and get you some from the café just across the street?”
Both of my brows rose beneath my bangs.
“It's technically a tea shop but they make fantastic coffee, too,” he said, winking at me. “Plus, it's bleedin’ adorable.” I narrowed my gaze on him, something tickling the back of my mind at his word choice, but he kept speaking as if he didn't notice. “It's called the Little Moth Tea Shop, one of my favorite places when the caffeine craving hits. You know?”
I offered him a non-commital “mhm”.
“Hmm, not one to mince words?” Axel waved his hand, as if shooting away a fly. “Never mind about that. I only wanted to ask if maybe you'd like a coffee or tea? Maybe something else?”
“No, thank you.” I uttered and turned away from him. There, perfectly professional.
“Suit yourself, gorgeous,” he called, heading for the exit.
The lethargy that only got worse since I got out of bed this morning weighed down my movements. “Wait!” I called. “Yes, I… if you wouldn't mind, I'll take a coffee. Please.”
“Not used to friendly conversations, are you?” Axel teased. My face remained blank the non-answer a reply in itself. He chucked deeply. “Regular coffee or do you want a latte or something fancy? How about a muffin or a scone? They're baked goods are delectable.”
The corner of my mouth twitched but I didn’t allow it to bloom into a full-blown smirk. I sighed. “Whatever is their best dark roast coffee with a decent amount of cream and a little bit of sugar. Fair warning, if you make it too sweet, I won't drink it and you'll have wasted your time.”
He hummed again, then bit his lip, “A woman who knows what she wants, just my type.”
My breath caught as he leaned into my personal space, whispering in my ear. “I'll be back, don't miss me too much while I’m gone.”
Rolling my shoulders, I moved over to my backpack, then took out my journal as an idea sparked. I flipped to my last entry before the fresh list I’d started this morning, gnawing on the inside of my cheek. I haven’t written anything since adding the items I needed to buy for the apartment. That can’t be right. My heart clenched as if squeezed by a fist. Shit, I also forgot to take my medication on Friday, otherwise it would be written down here as always. And now it’s Sunday, which means it’s actually been two days since my last dose.
My shoulders fell, relief sweeping through me. No wonder I felt so off. Whenever I didn't take my medication everything seemed a bit surreal, plus it made me extremely tired.
I popped the pills into my mouth, glancing around for my water bottle. My guts knotted as panic jolted through me. I must’ve left it on the counter. Mumbling a curse, I kept my jaws still as to not encourage the pills to dissolve any faster, knowing from experience the flavor of the coating on the tablets didn’t improve with time.
Just as I had resigned to swallowing the bitter things with only saliva, something glinted in my peripheral. My throat convulsed as I choked on a gag, the acrid taste of the medication touching my tastebuds, and watched Axel stroll through the doors, sunlight reflecting off the glass panes separated with tracery, two coffees balanced deftly in one huge hand and a bakery bag in the other. My toe tapped erratically against the foot rail of the stool, mentally urging him to move faster as he met me behind the desk and handed me a to-go cup with an exaggerated bow.
Thank fuck.
I gripped the it with both hands and chugged a large sip, grimacing, as the noxious taste of the dissolving pills mixed with the delicious burst of bold, dark roasted coffee. My eyes watered and I managed to swallow the near boiling liquid.
“Oh, shit,” Axel said, grabbing my cup and setting it down on the desk.
My eyes widened and I stared at him, briefly acknowledging the brilliant, yet icy blue of his irises, as he held eye contact, slowly stroking the back of his fingers down my forearm. He chuckled lightly, but the corner of his eyes crinkled with concern. “Well, it's called hot coffee for a reason. I would've warned you, buuut I didn't expect you to go for it like that.”
“I had pills in my mouth,” I grumbled and took another sip of the beverage, refusing to wince despite the pain radiating down my scorched throat and into my stomach.
Axel nodded. “That'll do it. Nasty taste, I’m sure.”
For a moment we just stared at each other, unexplainable tension strumming between us.
“Are you sure you're, okay? Do you need me to get you some water or something? I hope it didn't burn you too badly.”
My cheeks heated and I rubbed my clavicle. “Uh, no, I’m good. You’ve already done enough and should probably go do that research you mentioned.”
He meandered off, whistling once more as if he couldn’t help but expel his happy energy in some way. I worried my lip, then whisper-shouted after him, “This is a library, Axel. There will be no whistling on the premises.”
A scoff sounded somewhere deeper in the building. “It's just you and me here, Miko, and I don’t think it bothers you one bit.”
I closed my eyes as a flush heated the skin rounding the tops of my breasts. Why did the way he said my name sound like a promise?
Snatching my weekly medication dispenser off the desk, I moved to drop it into my backpack, glimpsing a hint of color from within the pocket. My brow rose as I plucked a miniscule duck from its confines, admiring its bright orange beak despite the fact that its head resembled a skull and the bones painted along it’s body to disguise it as a skeleton.
