Page 71 of Lightning Angel
“There’s nothing I can do to be careful if he’s like what youfeellike he is, don’t you think?” Alexa didn’t want to believe any of this, but she couldn’t shake off her sister’s concern either. They just wanted the best for each other. They always had, no matter if their honesty was hard to hear. “But when I think of everything he has done for me, I couldn’t think of it as anything but genuine. And he trusted me with the biggest secret of his life. I saw his honesty reflect in his eyes, Cass. Could he truly be anything like…that?”
Tears wet her eyes and something in her chest tightened, all the bliss from last night suddenly feeling like stress.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything,” Alexa said in a heartbeat, almost automatically.
“Ask him.” Cassie gave her a knowing glance. “Ask him what his intentions are; why he has stalked you everywhere you went and what he wants with you. Tell him everything I just told you, that I refuse to trust him despite being grateful for defending you and saving your life. If you can’t voice your questions as your owninsecurities, voice them as mine, but please do confront him today itself. If he’s not like what I feel he is, he’ll confess it all to you.”
Alexa stared at the road, processing her sister’s words. The thought of learning his intentions filled her with both anticipation and dread. Would he confess at all? If he did, would learning his true intentions change things between them? Would the change be a good one or bad?
At her prolonged silence, Cassie prompted, “Do you promise me?”
Alexa took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah.”
13
Unspoken Intention
“Acappuccino, please.”
Alexa looked up, and her heart jumped as she met with a smiling pair of electric-blue eyes. A grin broke into her face, and it was maddening how elated she felt at the sight of him, contrast to how she had been feeling a mere moment ago—mulling over her conversation with Cassie and dreading seeing him again.
“Tristan, what a surprise?”
Tristan raised an eyebrow. “I promised to come for your famous cappuccino, remember?”
Right, he did. She had forgotten that part, remembering only that he’d pick her up after her shift, which wouldn’t end for another thirty minutes.
She smiled. “To stay or to-go?”
“To stay, of course,” he answered, slightly amused.
She arched a cynical eyebrow at him. “Come to watch me work?”
“And for the cappuccino.”
“Stop flirting with customers and give him what he ordered, Alexa,” her coworker Perry said teasingly next to her. “We have a line behind him.”
Alexa rolled her eyes and got to work. “I’m not flirting. He’s my friend.”
“Andyour favorite customer,” Tristan added, resting an arm on the counter.
“Now,he’sflirting.” Perry widened her eyes as she spared a glance at him midst her work.
Alexa snorted a laugh. “He doesn’t know how to flirt; his words, not mine.”
“I guess he’s modest, then.”
Tristan chuckled. “You two realize I’m standing right here, right?”
“Your presence is hard to ignore, honestly,” Perry said, sending Tristan a flirty smile. “And your face is one hard to forget. I didn’t know Alexa had such ahotfriend.” She emphasized the word and turned to Alexa, leaning over to whisper, “Does your boyfriend know?”
Alexa pursed her lips. Perry was so nosy, she always had been. It was a blessing they didn’t go to the same school or else this would’ve been tomorrow’s gossip item. “We broke up.”
Perry’s face fell apologetically. “Oh. I’m so sorry, Lex.”
“Oh, no need for that. I’m good.” She forced a smile for Perry and handed Tristan his cappuccino, stealing a glance at his face.