He looks down between us, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. Is he nervous? He doesn’t have to be with me. A strand of hair falls in his face, and without a second thought, I stroke it from his eyes, and his body tenses.
“Sorry. I don’t know why I did that,” I say, trying to steady my voice. “Guess I was too wrapped up in thinking how hard it would be for you to enjoy that pop tart with hair in your eyes.”
“I see,” he says, breath hitching. He lowers his arm beside mine, skin rubbing skin, and his eyes shine with recognition. He feels it too, doesn’t he? The electricity sparking between us?
“So.” He clears his throat, averting his gaze from me and securing his hair behind his ear. “Do you go to Lotus bakery a lot?”
I shrug. “Yeah, whenever I’m in the area, and I try to be as much as possible.”
“Family nearby?”
“My grandma. Her health hasn’t been so great lately, so I’ve been trying to spend as much time with her as I can.” There is no grandma. I grew up in foster homes and never met my biological family. He doesn’t need to know that, though.
“That’s sweet,” he says, shuffling beside me, his hip bumping mine. “I’m sure she appreciates those visits.”
“You have any family in the area? I know this is one of your favorite places to film in, and I’ve seen you around a lot lately.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. Just at coffee shops here and there, and I think maybe an arcade.” And from outside the window of your first-floor apartment.
He laughs. “Oh, yeah. I like to take my nephew there. It’s his favorite place to go and not too many fans know about it.”
“So, the answer to my question is yes, then.”
He fumbles with his plate and nods. “My sister and her husband moved out here a couple of years ago. I got an apartment nearby last year to be closer to them. They’re the only family I’ve got.” Oh, I’m well aware. It’s when I moved here too.
“That’s cool. I’ve got a place out here too. A lake house. It was actually my dad’s, and he left it to me in his will after he died of cancer.” Another lie. I hate telling him so many, but he wouldn’t understand the truth yet.
“I’m sorry.” His eyes are sincere.
“Eh, don’t be. He was abusive. We hadn’t spoken in years. I was actually surprised he thought of me when he made his will.” The closest thing I had to a dad was my last foster father, Pat, and he drank himself to death, leaving me and the other two teens he cared for with his money-hungry wife who only kept us for the monthly check. Then she started coming into my room, unwanted, and my foster brother Vincent did what I couldn’t. He set her on fire with her own lighter. That’s the day I knew I was much better being the one who watched.
My hands shook too much every time I tried to raise a knife to her, but my eyes glittered when someone else put an end to her life. She screamed, skin burning and melting away as I stood there wishing I could save that moment forever somehow.
“I think . . .” He takes a breath. “This is probably the first real conversation I’ve had with someone in weeks.”
“Me too.”
“It’s nice,” he adds, picking up one of his pop tarts. “I mean, not about what your dad did, but I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” I assure him, rubbing a hand over his. “And you’re right. It is nice. My grandma isn’t much of a conversationalist, and I work too much to have time for any friends. They all got busy after college and we lost touch.”
“Yeah. That happens to me with a lot of people too.”
His eyes go to our joined hands, and his lips rub together as he brings his food closer to them. “You know you didn’t have to bring me so many.” His tone lightens and I laugh.
“I figured you could save one for a light nighttime snack or breakfast tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” He still doesn’t move his hand as he goes back to taking a bite of the yellow pastry. His fingers wiggle under mine, and my heart beats faster.
We eat in silence, and I’m the first to pull my hand away when I lift my wrist to look at the time on my watch. “Man, time goes by fast when you eat with other people, huh?
“What time is it?” He dabs at his face with a napkin, clutching the edge of his plate with his other hand.
“Ten minutes until you need to be out there. I should get going now so that I have some time to set everything up.”
“Oh, right, and I uh . . . I should finish getting dressed. Thanks again for breakfast.”