Chapter 66: Chapter Five

Alyssa

I closed the door to the store and leaned against it. There wasn't much to clean up, considering we hadn't been very busy. After my counseling appointment, I came back to the store to work.

Dad and Mom both decided to go home and have some dinner. But I wasn't hungry; besides, someone had to stay and lock up.

I went to the counter and put away the free samples. We had just made a new flavor. It was salted caramel popcorn. I had wanted to try it, but the smell kept me away.

Grimacing, I threw it in the trash and gathered up the tossed wrappers. Within a few minutes the back counter was cleared. The sun was beginning to set.

What the heck was Demetri doing back at work?

I knew his schedule. Okay, so I hated myself that I knew his schedule. But he only worked until four every day. It was already past six.

I was still trying to decide how pathetic it was that, after only a few days, I knew exactly when the guy arrived and left work. Clearly, I needed to find a hobby or something.

Like a peeping tom, I drew the blinds farthest from the door then peeked between them. Demetri's car was parked by the taffy store, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I squinted and opened the blinds wider.

Weird. Did he go inside?

I was just getting ready to open the door and step outside when a hand hit the window in front of me.

With a curse, I fell back to the ground taking an entire row of taffy with me.

Lucky for me, the blinds to the door weren't closed, meaning Demetri, the bastard, saw everything.

Though to be fair, he did look a bit shocked as he ran into the store and helped me to my feet.

“Trying to kill me?” I brushed his hands away, but he kept prodding at me as if I was some sort of science experiment gone bad, so I shoved him. It just seemed like it was the right thing to do.

And honestly, it felt good to hit him. Maybe I was packing a lot of rage for the rock star. But nobody should have it as easy as he did. Good looking? Rich?

All he had to do was smile, and he had the world at his feet.

“I'm so sorry.” Demetri dropped to the floor and began putting the taffy back into the buckets.

“You're sorry you scared me? Sorry you nearly gave me a heart attack? Or sorry you caused me to bruise my butt?”

Demetri looked up into my eyes with his smug smile. “Your butt, huh? Want me to take a look? Wouldn't want any permanent damage.”

“No thanks.” I rolled my eyes and knelt down next to him. “You can go. I've got this.”

“This…” He pointed to the mess at our knees. “Is all my fault. Honestly, I was just trying to scare you, not kill you or destroy your taffy. Hey, what flavor is this?”

“ADD much?” I snatched the taffy from his hand.

“ADD? Hey, that's like our band name, AD2…” He grabbed another piece of taffy from the floor. “How about this one? What's this flavor?”

“Oh my gosh! Just leave!” I snatched the taffy from his hand.

He shrugged. “I have nowhere to go, and this is going to take you at least another hour.

I felt myself flush as I looked away. “Eighteen. I'm eighteen.”

“Me too.”

“Congratulations, you've found common ground. Now we can get married.”

“Ah, the other one.” He snapped his fingers in the air and grinned.

“Huh?”

He unwrapped a piece of taffy. “The other sarcastic client Mrs. Murray had today. Thanks for that, by the way. By the time I got to her, she had already had her fill of sarcasm for the day.

“An entire bowl?” I divided the taffy into piles, so I could put them in the right buckets. “And you're still hungry?” I pointed to the taffy he was unwrapping.

“Oh this.” He put the trash in his pocket and popped the taffy into his mouth. “I told my friend, Nat, that I'd stay clean, right?”

I nodded.

“So, I have this thing. Every day I stay clean, I try at least three new taffy flavors. Gives me something to look forward to and all that.”

“That's depressing.”

He laughed. “If you only knew.” His eyes sparkled just a bit before he scratched his forehead and swallowed the taffy. “So what flavor did I just eat?”

“I don't know, give me the wrapper.”

He pulled it out of his pocket and placed it in my hand. I purposefully ignored the fact that his touch lingered longer than necessary and lifted the wrapper to my nose. “Blueberry pancakes.”

“Whoa. Taffy superpowers. Nice.”

I laughed. “To be fair, you have the taffy jingle superpowers, so we're kind of even.”

He smiled back at me. My heart nearly stopped. His deep-set dimples brought attention to his mouth, and when I looked at his mouth, I felt things I hadn't felt since Brady.

Demetri sighed. “Right, so I'll just help you sort all this.”

We worked in silence. Demetri ate two more pieces of taffy, each time asking me to please sniff the wrapper, because it was the most exciting thing he'd seen in weeks.

It was hard not to laugh around him.

“That it?” He picked up the last bucket and shoved it onto the rack.

“Yup.” I looked around the store.

“Can I ask you something?” Demetri looked at me then down at his feet. Was he nervous?

Amused, I crossed my arms. “You may ask me something, yes.”

“Promise not to laugh?”

“No.”

“Promise not to feel sorry for me.”

At that I did laugh. “Easy. I'd never feel sorry for a celebrity who owned a car more expensive than my house, but since it seems to piss you off more, yeah, I feel real sorry for you.”

His shoulders seemed to sag a bit. “Fine, at least promise you won't blog about what I ask you.”

“That, I can promise,” I agreed. “That is, if you promise to leave.”

He rolled his eyes and ignored my jab. “What's it like to have friends? Actual friends.

That was not what I was expecting him to ask. Stunned, I could only stare at him as I told my mouth to work and form words.

He cursed. “Forget it.”

“No, wait.” I grabbed him before he could leave. My hand was on his thickly muscled forearm. I swallowed the dryness in my throat as I looked into his eyes.

Deep-rooted pain.

I knew that look.

It was the same look I saw in the mirror every single day. And I knew because of that look, now I felt bad that I promised him, because in that moment I did pity him.

I pitied anyone who had that look in their eyes, because I knew what it meant. I knew what it held. I knew what its future was, and it was a very, very lonely future.

“Honestly?” I pulled back my hand. “I used to know what it was like. It was nice. But I don't really have friends anymore.”

“Why?” His eyebrows drew together in confusion.

I wanted to tell him everything, tell him how they'd abandoned me after the accident. That I was considered broken, and after a while my friends couldn't handle being around me.

“They moved away,” I lied and gave him a weak smile. “Besides, I have a career.” I nodded to all the taffy and offered him another smile.

He smiled with me. “Yes, I can see that.”

“Good.” I nudged him. “Anyway, thanks for helping me.”

“Well, it was my fault to begin with, but you're welcome…” I knew he was searching for my name.

I bit my lip and sighed. “Alyssa, my name is Alyssa.”

Did he just blush? Demetri looked down at the floor, then bit his lip. I wondered if he had the same nervous habit. “I like it.”

“Me too.”

“Don't you want to know my name?” he teased.

“I know your name.”

His face turned serious. “Can I tell you anyway?”

“Sure.”

“Demetri.” He held out his hand. I took it. His hand engulfed mine. It was like shaking hands with a giant. A very hot giant.

“Nice to meet you, Demetri.” His name felt good on my lips. I wasn't sure if I should kick him for it or just pretend like I didn't care that he had such a crazy effect on me.

He released my hand and pushed the door open, then turned around. “So I'll see you around then?”

“I'll be here.”

“And I'll be over there.” He nodded toward the corner. “Singing.”

“Don't forget your bucket,” I teased.

He roared with laughter. “Goodnight, Alyssa.”

“Goodnight.”

Holy crap. I was in some deep, deep trouble.