6. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
SHYLOH
Was I stalking Becca?
No, absolutely not.
Was I somehow showing up at the same places as her… at the same time?
Yes, I absolutely was.
All I wanted was to get her attention and convince her to go out with me, but the woman was set on avoiding me. And I understood that—I was a respectful guy, I honored boundaries—but I knew deep down she had a thing for me. Call it a superpower— actually no, it might be because her best friend told me that she likes me. So, I was hanging onto that thread of hope .
“Oh my God. Why?” I heard down the aisle of the grocery store. Most of the time if I needed a meal or to pick up some groceries, I’d run to the local downtown store before returning to my apartment. For the first time ever, I didn’t plan to run into her here… but how serendipitous was this?
“Why do you keep following me, Becca? It’s so… stalkerish,” I teased, looking over the different brands of protein and hearing the light tap of her shoes over the tile.
She sighed. “Shy, could you stop being so obsessed with me and following me around? It’s getting ridiculous.”
I tilted my head over my shoulder, smirking. “That’s a little presumptuous thinking that I, of all people, would be obsessed with you. C’mon, Becca, you’re just a little… average. Under par, some might say.”
Her mouth dropped open as she stepped in between me and the shelving. “You’re a prick, you know that?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Your reaction tells me that you care what I think about you, and I’m pleased to tell you that—”
Becca pressed her finger into my chest, cutting me off. “Shyloh Mendoza, you are driving me fucking insane. You are everywhere in this city, and I’m not even talking about just in person—your face is literally on the side of a building. The whole building. I have to walk past it every day, do you know what that does to me?”
I raised my brow. “Turns you on”
“Yes. Wait no,” she blurted out, shaking her head. “You confused me. ”
I stood silently, knowing I was winning this little standoff between us, which—in my own humble opinion—I always win.
“I hate to stop you, but I need to finish my grocery shopping and you’re interrupting it.” Walking away from Becca, I tried to keep the shit-eating grin off my face, but I couldn’t help it. I knew she’d come after me, which was exactly what I wanted in three, two, one—
“Shy! Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
I kept walking.
“Shyloh!”
I waited till the end of the aisle to stop, knowing that there were people around watching and what I was going to do would bring me great joy.
“Stop following me. No, I will not sleep with you,” I announced loudly, causing some people to turn and gape at us.
Becca’s face beamed red, and part of me felt like a complete and utter asshole, but the other part felt victorious that I had finally made her speechless.
I winked, turned to the self-check-out to get my bag of groceries, and walked out of the store without taking a look to see if she was still there.
I almost made it home. One block away from my apartment, I felt a tug on the back of my shirt. When I tried to turn around, someone yanked me into the alleyway and shoved me against the brick.
A very pissed off Becca stood in front of me with her eyes setting me on fire in her mind .
“What the fuck was that?” she yelled, appalled that I was mean to her at the store.
“What do you mean—that?”
“I mean, why were you such a dick at the store? You embarrassed me.”
I held my hand to my chest, mildly offended. “Oh, I’m so sorry you think I was being mean to you; I only learn from the best.”
Her eyes narrowed as she released the grip on my shirt, taking a deep breath. “I am not mean to you.”
I dipped my head down to be eye level with her. “Becca, you are always mean to me. I only ever want to have nice conversations with you, and you push me away and say not nice things… it actually hurts my feelings.”
She stepped back. “You’re a big boy. I highly doubt I hurt your feelings.”
I pouted out a lip. “I am a big boy, but words hurt, Becks.”
“Don’t call me Becks.” A sadness washed over her, and I pushed off the wall to step closer to her.
“I’m sor—”
Becca backed away quickly and shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m gonna go. I’ll see you later.”
What the fuck just happened?