His eyes on me
1213 Words
TESSA
“Don't dig up my personal life. Take me back to the café. We're even now,” I said, avoiding contact with his blue eyes.
He stared at me for a long second before reaching for the handle of his bike.
Surprisingly, he listened.
Kyle started the bike and slipped his helmet on.
I pushed the stupid thoughts clouding my head away and climbed onto the back seat behind him. The moment the bike sped forward, a soft breeze rushed against us, tangling through my hair while my hands instinctively gripped his broad shoulders.
Kyle rode through the night, fast and smooth.
And despite everything spinning inside my head, I hated how safe I felt holding onto him.
A few minutes later, he slowed in front of the café. The engine rumbled beneath us one last time before dying into silence.
I slipped off the bike and headed straight inside before my thoughts could betray me again.
“Tessa, you're here,” Maya rushed over to me.
“Is everything okay?”
I nodded as Kyle walked past me and headed upstairs. The air between us had changed.
Just minutes ago, every glance felt heated, every touch dangerous enough to set my skin on fire. But now there was something else tangled between us, something heavier.
I watched his broad back disappear up the stairs, his slow footsteps echoing through the café while tension coiled tighter in my chest with every second. It felt like an invisible wall had suddenly risen between us.
“Tessa, I have news.”
My gaze shifted back to Maya. “Tell me.”
“Tomorrow is Mr. Miller's daughter's birthday. He's throwing a party at the Green square ground. Everyone will be there since he's the town head. How about we convince him to give us the order for pastries and cookies?”
“This is brilliant!” I grabbed both her shoulders. “If we can pull this off and impress the crowd, the café might finally start doing better.”
The whole night I prepared a long pitch. I had to impress Mr. Miller. Since I had insomnia, staying awake wasn't a problem.
The next day, Maya and I went to the council office to have a word with Mr. Miller. “Think about this… I'm not charging you anything. We're a better option than the rest of the stores. Trust me, please.”
“Tessa,” he sighed. “You know the town people are talking about your involvement with Kyle and the police station. There are so many rumors going around.”
“Kyle is my tenant. I can't do anything about it. They've already signed a lease with my grandpa. But please don't let it come between our business.”
“Give us a chance, Mr. Miller,” Maya requested.
He looked at Maya and then at me, his forehead shrinking. “Fine. I hope you do a good job. My daughter’s very picky with sweets.”
The moment felt like my first victory. Maya and I spent the whole day between pastries and cookies, giving our best. The scent filled up the small café space.
“Let’s just hope everything works out,” Maya murmured as we handed the pastries and cookies over to the caterers.
We waited for customers until midnight.
But no one came.
I finally called Mr. Miller to ask if he’d told the guests the pastries and cookies were from our café. He assured me he had. Apparently, even his daughter couldn’t stop praising them.
And yet… Not a single customer walked through our doors.
“It seems we'll have to close down the café.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue as I put down the shutter.
Coming back home, I sat on the couch, staring hopelessly at my plain ceiling, when a notification popped up on my phone screen. An unwelcomed text from Chloe.
She sent me a bunch of intimate honeymoon photos with Wyatt.
I was about to block her number when another text flashed across my screen. {Wyatt said no one could ever satisfy him the way I did.}
My chest tightened, triggering a sharp pain. I blocked her number without another thought and tossed my phone onto the couch.
She didn't deserve my attention.
The next morning, I dragged myself toward the café, still feeling drained and defeated.
But the moment I looked up, I froze.
A long line stretched outside the café, customers crowding near the entrance while Maya struggled to handle everyone alone.
“Is this my café?”
Cutting through the crowd, I headed inside.
“Gosh! You're finally here!” Maya shouted, going insane, managing the crowd.
“What just happened?”
She quickly pulled me into a corner, barely able to contain her excitement.
“Someone left flyers at every door, promoting our café,” she whispered. “Isn’t that amazing?”
“We’ve been sending out flyers for a week. Nobody responded. What's so special about the new flyers?”
“Ahm…” Maya hesitated.
“What?”
She grabbed a flyer from the countertop and handed it over to me. As I read the bold letters on the top, my stomach twisted.
BUY ONE PASTRY AND GET A BOX OF COOKIES FOR FREE
My heart dropped. “A whole box of cookies? Did you promote this?”
“No, I didn't. Nobody knows who sent out the flyers. Now the customers are asking for the free cookie box.”
When I looked at the long line, my mind went completely blank.
“Look at the good side,” Maya mumbled. “We've got customers now.”
“Miss, are we getting the tree cookie box?” Someone from the line asked.
“Y-Yes, of course!”
I braced myself and attended every customer in the line, packing boxes after boxes. By the end of the day, Maya and I were exhausted.
“Despite the cookie boxes, we made a good sale. Didn't we?” Maya furrowed her brows.
“We did. But whoever did this, they surely had something against us.”
“Get ready. We're going to a club.”
“A club? I can't move…”
“We finally broke the no-customers curse today. That deserves a celebration. Come on!”
Maya practically dragged me to her house before I could protest.
After digging through her closet, I ended up changing into one of her short dresses and a pair of heels before we headed to the club.
It had been a long time since I’d worn something revealing. And somehow, the girl staring back at me in the mirror felt unfamiliar.
The club was crowded, loud music, neon lights dancing against the floor, smell of alcohol in the air, and darkness that I’d embrace.
We danced like crazy. For once, I wanted to forget myself and live the wild life.
Strangely, I felt a burning sensation crawling over my skin as if touching every inch of mine. Dancing, I slowly turned to the sensation… Only to meet with the pair of icy blue eyes.
Kyle was sitting on the dark sofa in the corner with his gang, a red-haired, beautiful girl next to him, yet his eyes fixed on me.
- Writer
