Only Yours

09. Nearly Time

Tamina

"Thank you for the drink," I say, taking a small sip.

Brandon smiles and starts his. Out of the corner of my eye, his shades are pinned on me. "What's up?"

"W-what do you mean by that?"

If I'm able to play dumb, the topic involving my co-worker may ease off. I know what Jasmine was up to by the way her demeanour changed. My previous thoughts niggle away at me, only for a mental hand to swipe them away. However, I'm smart enough to know there had been blatant disrespect, but there wasn't anything I could do—

"How was work?" Brandon's voice appears, distracting me from the walls of my mind.

"Busy, to put it in shorter terms," I answer with a tired smile. "How about you?"

Taking another sip, my tongue flicks across my lip to clear a smudge of cream whilst waiting for his response.

After he swallows, he says, "Tell me, I want to hear about it."

The sincerity is clear in his tone as he slows the pace for me to keep up, talk, and drink at a comfortable speed. A funny feeling in the pit of my stomach has me taking another swig of my hot chocolate.

"Well. . . there's a band cutting through town, people have been stocking themselves up with coffee and tea all day"—I blow on the rim of my cup— "I was going to message you in case you were unaware."

What else can I say?

"Oh! If you'd like, shall I meet you at the book shop? That way you don't have to worry about the crowds."

He shakes his head. "Nothing will stop me from picking you up from your door." He sounds confident, leaving me in awe. "Do you prefer it fast, or nice and slow?"

I shrug. "Both. It depends on the shift I guess." Glancing toward him, I ask, "How about you? What's work like?"

I've been curious since yesterday about what he does for work and his free time.

It's Brandon's turn to shrug. "It can be fast paced, but I've become accustomed to it. One day, I can show you."

I've got the sudden urge for him to show me everything he can, and it scares me. I've never desired to be a part of a man's life this much before, yet I'm unable to help but want to let go for the time being.

After commenting on how that would be nice, we drop into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying one another's presence. Not long after, the two of us arrive at my door, and the thought of saying goodbye fills me with dread. Reminding myself it will only be a little over an hour and a half before I see him again, my mind scolds me for being foolish.

"Thank you for the drink, Brandon," I murmur, gazing up from under my lashes.

"No problem, love."

A smile settles into place, even though I'm unsure of what to do other than say to him, "I'll see you soon."

"You will." He takes my hand unexpectedly while brushing his lips faintly over the surface, eyes peering up from behind the shades.

All I do is remain frozen on the spot, speechless, and thinking how hot my face feels right now. Now I'm watching as he turns on his heels with a smile, and slowly vanishes from view.

I want to feel that exhilarating sensation a—

Shaking the intruding though from my mind, my fingers set the lock in place once I've entered. I'm quick to down the rest of my drink as a distraction from my racing heart, bound up the stairs, and get ready.