Page 36 of Racing Hearts
“I don’t need to know that. I don’t even like Evan?—”
She waves at me, interrupting my denial. “Fix it, now!”
Fuck.
I glance back at the garage then at her retreating form. He’s at work? I suppose he can’t avoid me there. We can sort this out once and for all because Alice is right. If this carries on, I’m going to end up killing someone or being arrested for stalking.
I need to eat dinner, or that’s what I tell myself.
It doesn’t matter if his work is in the other direction or a thirty-minute walk or that I don’t have the time to go there. I’m just hungry. That’s all.
I just so happen to sit in his section as well. It’s purely coincidental.
When he heads my way, scribbling in a notebook, not even seeing me, my heart pounds. He’s wearing those stupid fucking frills that he looks ridiculously good in, his hair is partially clipped back, and there is glitter across his cheeks and eyelids. He looks hot, and I hate that, hate that I’m covered in grease with bags under my eyes from overthinking everything while he looks this fucking good.
His head comes up as he starts to speak when he reaches my table, a practiced speech spilling out. “Hello, welcome to—” He stops, a deep sigh filling him as his expression turns from friendly to angry. “Fuck, I seriously can’t get rid of you, can I?”
That means he missed me, right?
“I need dinner.” I shrug. “That’s all.”
“Uh-huh, and the forty or fifty restaurants and take-out places near your work aren’t enough? You had to come to the one place I work at? The one place you complained about not wanting to ever come to?” He calls me out on my shit, and I actually feel my cheeks heat. “Why the fuck are you here, Anders?”
I pick up the menu and randomly point. “For that, it sounds good.”
His eyebrow arches as he looks at it. “The princess dessert?”
Motherfucker.
Either I admit I came to see him or say I want the dessert. He waits as I debate which is the lesser evil, his smirk growing as time ticks on, and I know I can’t back down. “Yes, the princess dessert. Is that a problem?”
“No problem at all.” He grins mischievously. “Coming right up, princess.”
He wanders away, and I know I fucked up. I just don’t know how. Ten minutes later, I realize why.
He comes out with a plate that requires two hands and puts it down before me with a flourish, and I just gawk. There are flowers everywhere, pink glitter on everything, and a tiara on the side of the plate.
Picking up the silver and pink tiara, he happily plops it on my head. “Such a pretty princess,” he coos. “Do you want your picture like everyone else?” Before I can stop him, he pulls his phone out and snaps one of me. Pink dessert, tiara, and flaming cheeks.
Thrusting back from the table, I stand, clenching my fists. He doesn’t step back. “Problem, princess?”
Grinding my teeth, I tug off the tiara and drop it to the table, deciding I can’t get any more embarrassed, so what the hell? “Why are you ignoring me?”
His cheeks heat as he looks around. “I’m at work.”
“I noticed, but you won’t talk to me any other way. Why are you ignoring me?” I grumble.
“Why do you care?” he retorts.
“I just do,” I admit. “You didn’t reply.”
“To your one-word answer? Or the fact that you kissed me again and then tried to ignore me?” My cheeks are so hot they are burning. “Honestly, Anders, what is there to say? We are better off staying away from one another. We are like a volcano and a tornado. We don’t go together. You wanted me to leave you alone, so I am.” He goes to walk away, but I grab his arm, stopping him.
“I don’t want that.” I force the words out, knowing if I don’t, I’ll lose him forever, and if there is one thing I have realized this week, even if I don’t want to, it’s that I want Evan Shaw in my life.
“You don’t know what you want,” he says, looking at me, “and I don’t have time to wait for you to figure it out, not when it comes with the brunt of your anger. I can’t do that, Anders.”
Releasing his arm, I sit back and think. I don’t know how to fix this. I’m not good at words, and it’s clear something is broken between us. It’s my fault.