I peek out of the corner of my eye, watching as Ryker talks to the younger girl who bats her eyes at him, giggling loudly over everything he says. She takes a lot longer to make his drink, chatting flirtatiously as I grip my mug a little bit tighter than necessary, pretending that I’m not listening because I don’t care who flirts with Ryker King, we’re just friends.
Over ten minutes later and Ryker heads back toward me, a large mug in his hands after the barista waved away his money with a cheery, ‘oh we don’t charge heroes’ and a ripple of girlish laughter that sets my teeth on edge.
Placing the mug on the table, Ryker pulls out the chair across from me, pulling it around until it’s right next to me and taking a seat, his back to the barista as he looks at me.
‘Sorry, the machine was p
