His lips trail feather-light kisses down the side of my neck, sending shivers all over.
"I love looking at you," he breathes, brushing the hair off my shoulders. "Will you let me look at you?"
My heart hammers, a wild thing seeking his. "Yes."
So he...
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—————————— espérer hope ——————————
N O A H
The bell over the café door chimes, a quaint sound lost to the conversation inside. Fox sweeps in ahead of me, all smiles to the baristas he knows by name.
Hallowed Grounds is a small place, cozy, with the scent of coffee so strong I can taste it on my tongue. Bitter, harsh, awakening.
Jed's at the corner table wearing a yellow Hawaiian shirt, his legs folded under him on the bench seat, eyes closed, likely humming though I'm too far away to hear it. His poofy dark afro shifts slightly under the AC above his head.
I slip into the booth across from him, unnoticed, and set my forehead to the cool glass window, closing my eyes.
There are three moments of bliss before a hand slaps down on the table. My eyes open and Jed's startled back to Earth.
"We've got a mission, gentlemen," Fox announces as he sits beside Jed, shoving him against the window.
"Don't touch me," Jed hisses, wiping his skin. Fox does it again, pushing his shoulder. Jed does it back, cursing.
My attention drifts to the fading light outside. A mother with a stroller, a few kids with ice cream in bundled up in sweaters, trying to hang onto a summer long gone. This time of day, everything is softer.
"I'll hex you!" Jed bursts and Fox scoffs, settling into his seat.
"A girl's coming over on Thursday, Jed. No hexing."
"A girl," Jed deadpans.
"You know Maddison from lab? It's her friend, Cam. She's going to help me win Maddie over."
Jed leans back, crossing his arms over his chest, his black skin a stark contrast to the loud yellow of his shirt. "Great. I don't care."
"Cam is striking," Fox says. "A little scary, but cool. You'll like her."
"I like men," Jed reminds us.
"Yes, you're all about cock," Fox says with an eye roll, oblivious to the lady walking by with a horrified expression, "but I mean as a friend, Jed."
"I'm bad at friends," Jed says.
Fox points to me with his coffee. "What if I told you Cam made this one smile?"
A lie. Or at least an exaggeration.
Jed's dark eyes slide to me. "That one never smiles."
I rub the condensation from the window with the sleeve of my hoodie.
"Cam made him fucking smile, Jed. Imagine what she can do for my chances with Maddie."
Jed glances between Fox and me, calculating the odds of the plan succeeding. "If she's coming over, I need to cleanse the space. Can't have negative energy."
