I blink at him, shocked by his sharp words and expression.
“Think about what?”
“Kyra. That’s what,” he hisses, gesturing in the direction she is sitting just beyond the door. “She’s my best customer.”
“And?” I ask incredulously.
“I don’t want you flirting with her.”
“You flirt with her,” I protest. “So, how is that fair?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes,” I state firmly, “you do. I watched it go down.”
His stony expression softens, and he rolls his eyes.
“All right, fine, I do, but that’s different.”
“How is that different?”
“It just is, all right?”
I arch a brow. He must really be into her because it’s not like him to tell me who I can or cannot flirt with. I’m about to speak, but Tara’s voice draws our attention.
“Uh, guys?” she calls through the door, and our heads both snap toward her. “The lunch crowd is here. We’re starting to get a line.”
I dart a glance at Aris, wordlessly promising to discuss this more later, and we head back to the front to take care of our customers.
My eyes sweep back to Kyra’s table to find her staring directly at me. A pink bloom spreads across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose the moment her gaze meets mine, and she quickly looks back down at her computer. I’m fairly certain she’s attracted to me, but… her face reddened when she talked to Aris earlier too. Maybe she’s just shy.
I look back at Aris, working on heating another batch of pastries. We met in college and have been friends for the past five years. Owning and operating a café has always been our dream, and now that we finally have it, we’re already at a crossroads concerning a customer.
Correction—the woman of my dreams.
With a heavy sigh, I force myself to focus. After a while, the line begins to die down as the lunch hour ends. So far, it’s been a great day for business, but as I dart a glance first at Kyra and then to my friend… a terrible day for our friendship.
I mix up another drink for Kyra and take it to her table. It’s almost like I can feel Aris’s eyes on my back as I make my way toward her. Despite my resolve not to be nosy, I can’t help but glance at her screen again as I approach.
My brows go up when I read the steamy snippet from her display, and I wonder if she’s the kind of writer who writes what she likes or what she thinks the readers will. Or perhaps she pulls from real-life experience like I’ve heard many do. If she agrees to go out with me, and things progress, I’m definitely all in for worshipping her like a goddess, like the hero is doing to the heroine in her story right now.
Kyra lifts her gaze to mine and gives me a stunning smile as I present her next drink to her.
She tips the mug toward her with a thoughtful expression. “What’s this one?”
I arch a teasing brow. “How about you try it and tell me what you think?”
She laughs as her eyes dance with mirth. “All right.”
She brings the cup to her lips and takes a dainty sip, staring up at me from over the rim of the mug. I sit down beside her, petting the cat while she considers my new creation.
The cat stands up and crawls into my lap, purring loudly as I stroke her chin. She’s really affectionate. I’m already getting attached, but I don’t think Lynx would like her.
Come to think of it, I’m not even sure if a fox and a cat would make good companions to one another. Lynx is definitely not a normal fox, but still...
It’s probably for the best that Kyra keeps her. My familiar is so dramatic. I’m sure I’d never hear the end of it from Lynx if I came home with a new companion.
As if sensing my thoughts, the cat opens her green eyes and looks up at me. My fingertips warm as I run them over her fur. I glance down and notice the slight tinge of a blue glow following in their wake. My mouth drifts open. I blink, and it disappears, stunning me even more.
This is no ordinary cat. She’s a familiar, like Lynx. She has to be.
I shake my head as if to clear my thoughts and then look to Kyra. Maybe I’m just tired, and it’s causing me to see things. After all, I was a bit concerned about my first day here. This is a joint venture between Aris and me, and there is nothing I want more than for it to be a success.
But then again… maybe there’s a reason I feel about her the way that I do. What if Kyra is like me? Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to her.
Kyra’s eyes light up as she tastes my new creation. She lifts a thoughtful gaze to the ceiling. “Dark chocolate, caramel, and a hint of almond.” Her blue eyes search mine. “Am I right?”
This girl is special. I just know it. I feel it deep in my soul. “What do you think? Is it a keeper?”
“Definitely. You should add this one to the regular menu,” she adds as she lifts her cup. “I think customers would love it.”
“Then, we’ll be sure to do that.” I wink, already thinking about what else I would like to make for her.
Now, I just need to build up my courage and ask her out.
When she’s finished with her drink, she holds her cup out to me. As I take it, my fingers accidentally brush against hers, and a strange warmth moves through me from the contact of her skin. An image flashes in my mind.
I still as I realize it’s from my recurring dream—the nightmare that wakes me up in a cold sweat almost every night.
I’m holding a woman. I stare down at her ashen face, her eyelids fluttering open and closed as she fights the death that will claim her.
Tears sting my eyes as I cup her cheek, horrified when I realize too late that my hand is covered in blood as it smears across her face. “Forgive me,” I barely manage.
She reaches for me. “It was not you,” she whispers. “I know it was not you.” Her eyes close, and she goes completely still.
Pain and sadness move through me, consuming everything in their path, leaving behind nothing but devastation in their wake. I roar my anguish to the sky as I hold her against me.
I draw in a shaking breath as the terrible images slowly retreat from my mind.
Kyra blinks up at me as if stunned. “Did you—” she starts to ask, but her wristband chirps, startling us both. She glances down at the display and then looks back to me. “I—I have to get this. It’s my friend, Claire.”
Still slightly in shock, I somehow manage to nod. I take her cup and move back behind the counter. My heart taps a frantic beat as I think on what just happened. Numbly, I go to the sink to rinse out the cup. How can this be? Why did her touch make me see the images from my nightmare?
Aris elbows my side, ripping me from my thoughts.
“What’s wrong with you?” he smirks. “Tired from a hard day’s work already?”
I turn to him with a sober look. “My nightmare, Aris… the same one you have, too. Something just happened.”
His expression falls as he scans my face. He knows exactly what I’m talking about. We share this terrible recurring dream but we don’t understand why.
“What happened?”
“When I touched her,”—I jerk my chin toward Kyra—“it triggered a… a flash of it for some reason.” I meet his eyes evenly. “Has that ever happened to you? With her?”