Chapter 2
“Hey, Zoe! You want your usual?” TJ Nguyen greeted her from behind the counter of Pop Boba.
She could barely hear him over the V-pop blasting in her favorite bubble tea shop. Waving at her friend, she scooted around
the packed tables of high schoolers. As one of the few non-chain shops near her, Pop Boba wasn’t known for its ambience but
was highly photogenic for social media. If Pearl River Mart and the floral section of Michaels craft store had a baby, it
would look exactly like this.
Thanks to the shop’s music tastes and the plastic ivy climbing the bamboo slats lining the walls, the place was a magnet for
teenagers, who found the cheesy decor funny-cool. A couple of them were posing for selfies under a neon sign that read suck my balls .
“Bobarista, I’m in the mood—”
“Call me that one more time and you’ll have to start paying for your drinks,” TJ threatened, then rolled his eyes. “They make
me wear this shirt because we’re supposed to push the merch.”
Zoe smirked at his bluff. TJ gave away freebies as a way to stick it to his boss. And flirt with customers.
“It looks good on you.”
He’d knotted the bobarista shirt to turn it into a crop top and paired it with white skinny jeans and white slip-on sneakers. A daring choice for a job that was prone to spills, but he had the confidence to pull it off. And Zoe had to admit that the white looked good against his tan complexion.
“Thanks, babe.” He curtseyed. “Now, what shall I whip up for you?”
“I’m in the mood for something new,” Zoe continued. She’d never given the menu above the counter more than a cursory glance
before now. She rarely deviated from her usual drink.
“Oooh, someone’s feeling frisky today.” TJ’s eyes narrowed as he cocked his hip. “Is something wrong?”
“Why would something have to be wrong for me to switch my order?”
“For the six months I’ve worked here, you’ve always ordered a large Viet coffee, full sweet with tapioca and extra ice. Even
in the dead of winter.” TJ drew out his last sentence dramatically and shuddered.
“I always crave icy drinks when there’s snow on the ground. Or when temps hit below freezing.” She’d been disappointed by
the lack of snow this past winter.
“Weirdo. I hate snow with a passion. It’s hard to look cute when you’re stuffed under five layers and a giant coat. But you
do you.” He shrugged.
“Let’s try a mango slush with lychee jelly. Full sweet, of course.”
“You sure?” TJ asked.
“Yes. I’m allowed to try—”
“I’ll make it and your usual. Just in case.” He winked as he grabbed the ingredients to mix her drinks. “Don’t tell my boss,
okay?”
Zoe mimed zipping her lips. She’d discovered Pop Boba and TJ when a sudden thunderstorm made it impossible to see farther
than a few yards in front of her. The shop’s sign was a glowing beacon so she turned into its parking lot. She and TJ hit
it off as she waited out the storm.
“Also, we didn’t even get enough snow this winter for the plows to run. I don’t know what you’re complaining about,” she reminded him over the whir of the blender.
“I can’t wait until I move somewhere warmer.”
“Wait, does that mean you’re leaving the DMV soon?” Zoe asked, using the locals’ abbreviation for DC and the two states surrounding
it.
“Not yet, but as soon as I have enough saved, I’m moving to Vegas. Audition for somewhere I can dance all night. Is there
a drag version of Thunder from Down Under?” TJ dreamed of doing drag full time and not as a side hustle.
“Maybe I’ll go with you.”
“And leave your gorgeous shop behind?” He gasped.
For half a second she imagined being surrounded by sequins and feathers as showgirls (or boys) ran around backstage as the
stage manager yelled instructions. Her stomach clenched at the idea and she frowned.
“You’re right. Vegas sounds stressful. I love my shop and I love being my own boss even more.”
“Speaking of showgirls, thanks for the tickets to Lysistrata last weekend. Your costumes were fire.”
“You’re welcome. Technically they’re not mine. My team and I only constructed them.” Zoe was thrilled that Prestige Rep had
outsourced their work to her. Not only did it pay well, it was a refreshing change to work with rhinestones, tulle, and spandex.
They weren’t the easiest fabrics to sew, but she’d worked with them in college.
“Don’t sell yourself short. I saw the designer’s sketches—if you can call washes of color and vague lines sketches.”
“They were pretty.”
“With plenty of room for interpretation. It takes talent to turn them into three-dimensional works of art.”
Zoe stood taller. She was proud of her team. They’d put in overtime to get the garments ready for tech week. She’d even done a few all-nighters of her own. That hadn’t been so different from the late nights in her college costume shop. A couple of super-strong coffee bobas had given her the caffeine kick she’d needed.
She remembered how much she enjoyed making over-the-top costumes. Lingerie wasn’t boring, but her clients preferred the same
silhouettes. Every season was the same basic pattern with minor tweaks made in different colors or different fabric combinations.
The few times she’d tried to introduce an innovative design, it didn’t sell well.
“I’ve always been good at draping and patterning. Helps to be good at math.”
TJ nodded as he slipped the cups into the machine to apply the film on tops of the drinks.
“I appreciate your feedback on the linings and undergarments,” she added.
“Anytime, babe. Thanks for letting me borrow your machine to work on my drag brunch outfits. Lady Sriracha-cha has never looked
so good.” He held out the finished drinks and shimmied.
Zoe chuckled absentmindedly at TJ as she reconsidered her idea of a fashion line that included items that weren’t undergarments
or relegated to the bedroom. Maybe that was the answer to this restlessness inside her. The same one that made her order the
mango slush.
TJ handed Zoe her new order. She shook it hard to distribute the lychee jelly before stabbing the plastic film with her neon
green plastic straw.
“O-M-G!” TJ exclaimed. “Don’t turn around, but there’s a tasty snack standing outside.”
She reflexively turned her head, but TJ grabbed her arm.
“Didn’t I say don’t look?” He tsked. “Let’s play Your Team or Mine.”
Zoe smiled indulgently at the mention of his favorite game to play whenever she stopped in the shop. When things were slow, they checked out cute guys together and made up life stories for them. TJ also recounted his many sexcapades—all of which ended after the third date because he couldn’t possibly ask someone to commit if he was planning to leave for Las Vegas if the audition of a lifetime presented itself. She had yet to meet someone she wanted to date, but enjoyed living vicariously through his stories.
“Okay, he’s tall, maybe five-nine or five-ten. Looks Vietnamese, though clueless about good boba if he decides to come in
here.”
“Hey! I like the drinks here.”
“That’s because you get my secret recipe. He’s got longish hair that looks like it’s been cut recently. Round glasses with
thin frames give him a cute nerdy look. He’s wearing all black, even though it’s almost a hundred degrees out.”
Zoe huffed. Nothing TJ had described gave any indication of the person’s orientation.
“Give me details on his clothes. Do they look stylish or just thrown together?”
“Hmm, it’s hard to tell.” TJ craned his neck for a better view.
Zoe growled in frustration. She spun around so she could play their game using her own eyes.
Hot damn.
If she were the type to be attracted to someone merely based on looks, this man hit all the marks. Mystery Man was looking
at his phone, but she could still make out the high cheekbones where his wire-rimmed glasses rested and a strong, angular
jaw. Even his lips were perfect. His sateen cotton button-down shirt was neatly tucked into his jeans, which could come off
as uptight. But a pair of black Chucks kept his vibe stylish yet casual.
“Close your mouth,” TJ teased. “Or don’t—wait until he looks back up so you can see his entire face. Beautiful.”
Maybe she’d stared too hard through the glass, because Mystery Man looked up from his phone and straight into Pop Boba.
Zoe froze. It couldn’t be. Her entire body broke out in a cold sweat. He was supposed to be in New York doing his directing
thing. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize her. Her foot twitched and she turned quickly around to face TJ instead of the door.
“That’s Derek, my best friend from college,” she whispered to TJ, even though Derek couldn’t hear them from ten feet away
and through glass doors. “Oh God, I can’t believe I just lusted over my friend.”
“Wait, you’ve known this guy for years and never dated? Spill the tea.”
Zoe’s cheeks burned as she covered her eyes with her hand. They’d made a pact freshman year that they’d keep things platonic.
Yet here she stood, lusting over her best friend—technically, ex–best friend. It felt so wrong and weird, even though she
hadn’t realized it was Derek at the time.
“We made a promise to never date each other. I haven’t talked to him in six years because, well, because.” Zoe waved her hand
dismissively. She wasn’t in the mood to rehash their drama from undergrad. “Do you think he recognized me?”
“Whatever happened between you two must be bad if you’re avoiding a guy who looks like that.” TJ smacked his lips in appreciation.
“You’re safe. He’s looking at his phone again.”
She sighed in relief and sipped her drink to cool down. Her body wasn’t flushed from the heat because Pop Boba’s air conditioning
was on full blast. Bright, sweet flavors danced on her tongue. Had TJ put fresh mango in it? She hadn’t paid attention to
how he had made it. The lychee jelly wasn’t overly chewy, though she missed the texture of the tapioca pearls. Maybe it’d
grow on her after a few more sips.
“Oh shit, he’s coming into the café!”
“What? No!” She searched for an open seat to escape to. The teens had taken every single space.
Zoe scooted from the ordering side of the counter to the pick-up area even though they were barely a foot apart. She hunched
over her drink to shrink herself as much as possible. Except Derek would need to be completely oblivious if he missed a size
twenty-two woman standing right in front of the order counter. It was too late for anything else, so she had to commit. She’d
only call more attention to herself if she ran out of the café.
“What are you doing?” TJ asked.
“Trying to hide! We stopped talking after a big fight and—”
“Girl, you can’t hide in front of the counter. Come back here and pretend you’re working.”
He tossed an apron at her as she ran behind the counter. She placed it over her head and tried to tie it behind her back but
the straps weren’t long enough. Of course they weren’t. This world was made for skinny people and she only lived in it.
“How do I look?” She ran her hands through her hair and tried to smooth out her clothes.
“Seriously? You’re avoiding the guy but want to look good?” TJ chuckled but gave her a thumbs-up. “But maybe put this on,
too.”
If she had to wear a dumb bobarista cap to avoid talking to Derek, then so be it. At least she’d already taken a selfie earlier to document her good hair day.
“I’m a complicated person, okay?” she tossed back a bit too harshly. “Sorry.”
Even if Derek didn’t recognize her, she had to look put together. Or maybe he’d check her out, too. What the hell was she
even thinking? They had been platonic friends. Panic had forced all common sense out of her.
“Stand over there and pretend you’re, um, tasting new boba flavors or something.” TJ pointed to a spot behind him near the blenders.
She nodded and did as he instructed. They fell silent as the door opened. Derek’s footsteps grew louder as he made his way
through the shop. Zoe’s heart pounded harder with each step.
“What’s happening?” she whispered as she moved some cups around on the counter.
“He’s looking around the shop and has a WTF expression.”
“At me?”
“No. Everyone has that expression when they walk in here. Chill, okay? He didn’t see you.”
She took a larger sip of her drink both to hide her face and to force herself to calm down. Chewing the lychee gave her nervousness
an outlet.
“Excuse me,” said a deep voice she’d hadn’t heard in more than six years.
She snuck a glance at the man standing at the counter while he was focused on TJ. Zoe swallowed hard.
Her nerdy best friend from college had become more handsome since she’d ghosted him years ago.