Page 8 of From Me to You

“Holler, if you need anything else,” Fiona said, returning to tend to the rest of the customers.

I took my glass of chocolate milkshake— it was topped with swirls of whipped cream and a cherry.

“Try it. I want to see you take your first sip. Although I warn you, after this, you can never go back to having regular milkshakes.” Katy grinned.

I reached for my glass and took in a good sip. I moaned, tasting the velvety smooth chocolatey goodness that actually tasted like real chocolate and not like those fake syrups. Combined with the sweetness of the cream, it was perfect. It was nothing compared to the watery version you got in the city malls.

“Oh, God, this is so good!” I agreed.

“I told you. It is the best milkshake in the world.” Katy clapped excitedly.

Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted us as the diner doors dashed open.

The guys strutted inside, waving to everyone like they had done this a thousand times before.Oh, God, no one told me they were going to be here, that HE was going to be here.

I needed to act as if his presence didn’t affect me. He could never know I had a crush on him. It would be so embarrassing. But it doesn’t hurt to look, right? My eyes naturally found Jay, who was trailing behind—he was still in his all-black attire, looking more gorgeous than ever as he made his way to our table.

Lan slid in next to Katy, immediately putting his arms around her and stealing her milkshake. Which I assumed was a grave mistake because Katy started to bash him so hard that he returned her milkshake and promised to get her a new one like always. It was so adorable to watch them.

Mike took the seat next to Lan, and Matt, who had a pair of drumsticks in his hands, pulled a chair from the other table. I assumed they all had their designated seats.

I forgot all about my musing when a pair of muscular arms grabbed my bag and slid it under the table.

I felt his heat as he slid in next to me. His thighs brushed mine as he snaked his arm around the seat behind me.

My heart hammered in my chest begging to jump out.

Yes, he was definitely trying to kill me at this point. He smelled of wood and clean soap with a hint of sea salt and sweat. Delicious.

I was so nervous to even look up at him. I swirled the straw around my milkshake, deciding that would make me appear nonchalant about his proximity to me. I started to think about how amazing life could be if we only had chocolate milkshakes todrink all day, no water. I sighed. Then that would mean no coffee which I couldn’t live without.

“Still not going to drink itself,” he whispered, his lips barely kissing my ears.

I shook as shivers ran down my spine. If I leaned even a little closer his lips would be on my ears. God.

“Ugh,” I said, turning toward him.

It was a big mistake though. I did not expect him to be this close to me. Jay was so close that we were just a whisper away. His eyes looked so blue this closely, framed with thick black lashes and a bright cobalt blue color. Specks of azure lined the outside of his iris, gleaming in the bright neon nights from the diner.

“You seem to have a habit of staring at your food, not really eating it.” Jay nodded toward my milkshake.

I totally forgot for a second what he was talking about until I noticed my hands were still around the glass, wet with precipitation from the cold glass.

Right, my milkshake—I was supposed to drink it, not stare and dream at it. So much for being nonchalant. I took a large sip to escape his gaze, but I already missed peering into his eyes.

I set the glass aside while the guys ordered more milkshakes and food.

They asked me if I needed anything. I shook my head—I already had my meal prepped at home. And I wanted to have dinner with Aunty M before she left for her shift.

Everyone started bantering while they ate, with Mike being the loudest, trying to annoy the hell out of Lily.

“You have chocolate on your lips,” Jay whispered again. And before I could do anything about it, he ran his thumb on the corner of my mouth, near my lips. His finger was rough, but his touch felt so soft against my skin.

I could hear my heart beating so loud.

He swiped his fingers and showed me the bit of chocolate stuck on his thumb. Then he slipped his thumb into his mouth, and his tongue darted out, licking the chocolate.

My eyes widened like saucers as I looked at him in disbelief, I can’t believe he did that. I definitely died at that point. I was pretty sure I was so red. I was thankful that no one noticed it—at least I hoped they didn’t.