Page 32 of Hey Girl
“Oh you sweet Angel from the heavens, is that what I think it is?” She pulls the frothy, light brown coffee drink from its holder and holds it out to me.
“I figured you’d wake up feeling pretty rough after going so long without caffeine,” she raises a shoulder as she sits on the coffee table across from where my useless body is strewn across her couch. “There’s a coffee shop a couple blocks up, and closer than the grocery store. Otherwise, I would’ve gotten you a BLAST,” she explains as I’m just about to tip the Frappuccino to my lips and it makes me pause.
“So you walked into a cafe and gave them your order and mine?” I ask.
She nods, taking a sip of her own coffee and her cheek bones blush pink for a second.
“So you went and did your daily challenge - twofold, I might add, - already? For me?”
She lowers her cup nodding some more before letting out a sigh that relaxes her shoulders. “It actually, wasn’t so hard when I thought about how getting it would make you feel better.”
I’m going to cry.
I have a loving weird family, and super-duper friends but I don’t think anyone has done anything this kind for me before. At least not without a heavy eye-roll attached. But Rebecca bravedone of her greatest discomforts so that I could avoid one of mine. She gave her social anxiety the middle finger so that I wouldn’t have to suffer withdrawal!
“I don’t know what to say,” I squeak out and quickly try to cover my embarrassment by tipping the cup back and chugging.
Ahhh…caffeine…sugar… bring me to life!
Rebecca watches me in amusement until I swallow the last sprinkle of my ridiculous coffee drink, and I let my upper body spring upwards like Dracula in his coffin.
“Hey girl,” I wink, trying to shake off the emotion coursing through me that I’m not quite sure yet what to do with. “I’m back.”
Rebecca’s cheeks glow to life again as she ducks her face into her hand with a sheepish giggle.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she shakes her head, setting her coffee down and pulling her hair up off her neck to pile it on her head with a hair tie.
Sproingg!
Morning, Captain.
“You just reminded me of those memes that are all over the internet. They all start with Hey girl. They’re so cute and I just love them,” she blinks with a shrug. “And it kind of reminds me of the first time you talked to me. All flirty,” she ducks her head again.
She’s smiling, and I did that. Someone who is afraid of people likes to be with me. I’m in her living room. She ordered coffee for me. I slept at her house. I fucking fell asleep as we merely enjoyed each other’s presence! Oh em gee, what am I feeling in this moment?
I’m not sure what it is, but words are swirling around my head. They’re mostly Hey girl, but they’re dancing through my head to music. I have to fight the urge to tap out a beat on myleg. I need to get out of here, but not in a bad way. I can feel something happening and there’s only one person I can seek out to help me with it.
“Hey girl,” I snicker at her again and try to give her a sincere smile again. “I have to get going.”
Though she smiles reassuringly at me, she also looks a little relieved. She’s probably ready to have her space back to herself for a little while. “It’s okay,” she tells me as I lean in without a thought and take hold of the side of her face with one hand.
“Gimme a kiss,” I tell her more as a warning than a request and lean in and press my lips to hers. I let them linger so she has time to process that I’m doing it with feeling, and she doesn’t pull away, scream, or whip out a taser, so, progress, right? In fact, there’s a warm, dreamy smile on her face when I pull away.
“I gotta shower and take care of some things, but I’ll call you later!” I point a finger at her on my way out the door, and I swear she points back at me before I close the door.
“Hi Chris!”Mayzie greets me at the door of Casa Krasinski. She’s decked out in a yoga getup and a cheerful smile. A coffee cup in her left hand completes her outfit and I wonder if there’s any more somewhere in this domicile.
“Mayzie m’love,” I incline my head in greeting. “I don’t suppose you have any more of that, do you?” I tilt my chin at her cup.
“Of course!” She whirls around and struts away toward the kitchen as I follow her inside, closing the door behind me. Unlike we rockstars, Mayzie is a morning person. At this ungodly hour, she’s infinity times more chipper and bushy-tailed than herhusband. Speaking of, where is that sumbitch? I called about ten minutes ago to let him know I was barging in.
Mayzie tilts her watch to note the time before reaching up in her cupboard for another mug. “Nine o’ seven. This is pretty early for you, Bam-bam. Everything okay?” She glances over her shoulder.
“Perfectly fine, tiny dancer,” I assure her as I swagger into her kitchen and shove my hands in the pockets of yesterday’s jeans to keep from fidgeting. “There’s been an interesting new development for which I need your husband’s expertise.” I bounce on the balls of my feet just as the rock legend himself saunters into the kitchen.
Jack looks like his half-lidded glare could incinerate me. His dark, shaggy hair is sticking up in the back, and I don’t know if he’s trying to intimidate me with his absence of a shirt and his tattoos on display, all over his lean and sculpted torso but it’s only working a little.