Calliope #2
“Anyway,” I say, ignoring the pickle debacle. “We would drive around to find the best fries in Pennsylvania.”
“How very ambitious.”
“Well,” I swirl a fry through my ketchup. “Those became my favorite childhood memories.”
He pauses, a fry halfway to his lips. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Sharing a piece of yourself with me.”
“Don’t make it a thing.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He pauses. “I once spent an entire month learning all the ways to make potatoes.”
“How very ambitious of you,” I toss back.
“You’re flirting with me.”
I bite my sandwich. “Flirting?” I say around my delicious chicken. “Never.” Food flies out of my mouth.
I don’t care, I can’t be caught flirting with the enemy.
“Did you pick a cupcake?”
I glare at the menu and swallow that first bite. “How am I supposed to choose.”
“That’s what I said.” He sips the lemonade. The only lemonade.
We are sharing a lemonade. Isn’t that a thing couples do? And why does it send a ping of excitement through me.
He sets it between us almost as though it’s a dare.
I grab it. Sip and go back to my sandwich.
Oh my gods, we just shared a lemonade.
Don’t think about it. Don’t do it.
“Why were you at the home goods store?”
“You don’t like small talk, do you,” he states.
“Small talk is for those who don’t see the world as it truly is.” I drag my fry through the ketchup making a little Christmas tree before continuing. “I’m not built that way.”
“Following you.”
“You were following me?” My stomach twists and I can’t tell which direction it’s going with this.
“Yep.” He crosses his arms and leans on the table content to watch me squirm as I try to eat. “All the best stalkers follow. I could be wrong though, I could check my stalker manual.”
“Well for one you aren’t supposed to give yourself away.” Oh no, I’m feeding the delusions.
“True,” he hedges, “but see I didn’t like the guy.”
“No one does,” I mutter under my breath. Soren just raises an interested brow. “Hindsight, I guess. Hadley hated him.”
“Hadley is the best friend, yes?”
“Yes,” I scoff. He’s hanging on my every word and for some fucked up reason it’s making me anxious. No one ever listens that intently to me. Or rather no one has except Hadley. “Calypso hates him now. But she adored him.”
“Ah.”
I jerk my head up. “What does ah mean?”
“It means, ah.” He shrugs.
“Ah.” I mock.
“He’s a narcissist yeah?” he asks somehow reading the situation quicker than I have ever explained it. “That’s how it works with people like him. They look good because that is all they think about. Their character. The appearance. The grand gesture.”
I sit back staring at this man I’ve somehow worked with and hated for years and I’m realizing… he gets me.
I don’t know how I feel about that.
Part of me wants to sabotage it right now. But I already promised myself I can own this moment. Just this one.
“Yeah.” I nod in agreement though I’m more agreeing with the conversation in my head than him. “He fooled Calypso which really got under my skin.”
“Because she is your twin.”
“Terrible twins.” I laugh.
“What makes the bond a terrible twin.”
“Now you are asking to open Pandora’s box.” I take the last bite of my half of the sandwich already full.
I couldn’t even say when I last ate that much in one sitting. Grief will do that to you. Steal your appetite or increase it. I’ve found there is no in-between. The last few years I just… couldn’t eat.
“I love to open things I shouldn’t.” He says it with his whole chest while staring right at me. And damn me to hell but it hits right where it needs to. In that little spot reserved for the right guy.
“Why were you at the store, Marquis,” I ask again just in case he was lying. I’ve never had a stalker before and now I’m interested in having one. Maybe just him.
“Not letting me get out of it.” He nods. “I respect it. I was following you.”
“So you didn’t lie.”
“I try not to lie.”
“Why were you following me?”
“Lazarus.” Again he says it while his whole focus is on me. “Vex noted you left, and we wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“That’s it?” I sip the lemonade again letting his words roll through me. “Just to make sure I’m safe.”
“Glad for it too.” His brows pull low with concern. “Who knows what kind of mental hurdles James would have put you through if I hadn’t shown up.”
I chuckle at that. It’s like he steals the laugh from me. “Yeah, he has the tendency to do that to me.”
“James.”
“Yes James.” I roll my eyes.
“Just making sure it isn’t me. I’d hate for it to be me.” He winks this time.
Oh he is smooth. “So you are a certifiable stalker. So are your friends.” I pause stealing another fry. “How do I keep myself from falling victim to Stockholm syndrome.”
“Well I didn’t know it was an option.” He leans on his palm. “Now I do.”
“And.”
“That’s it. Just, now I know.”
“Holding out on me?”
“Of course, a man needs to have a bit of mystery about him.”
“You do have an air of mystery.” I circle a fry and close one eye. Like I’m tracing with ketchup in the air. “Very mister money in your suit at a food truck. And at work, you’re quiet.”
“You try talking to the woman who is more qualified than you to do your job.”
“Touché.” I squirm again knowing I have definitely not made things easy on him. “This was good.”
“It was good.”
“You barely ate.”
“The food isn’t why this was good.” He says it softly this time.
I swallow and look away. Packing up the leftovers. I do so slower than I normally would because I’m actually enjoying myself.
“So Monday.” Why am I suddenly nervous. “Our first day together.”
“Yes, and we won’t be chatting about lives or fries, but about history.
” He sits up and grips the table as though he’s thinking about saying something and isn’t sure how to.
His head bobs a little before he decides on it.
“I need to clear something with Lazarus, but what are your thoughts on travel.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
“Marquis.”
“Cantemir,” he teases. “I’m serious.”
“I’ve never given it thought.” I frown. “I couldn’t really travel on my previous check.”
“This is on mine.”
“Work or pleasure?” Nerves flicker to life inside me, gentle and urging.
“Can’t it be both?”
I stare at him. I don’t know how to answer his question. I’ve never once looked at Soren as anything other than my rival. My nemesis.
Until tonight.
And I don’t know how to differentiate him from the group I lumped him in.
“Cupcakes?” I stand gathering my trash.
“I bought them all.” He places everything into a bag he had at his side before guiding me to the cupcakes.
The girl hands him a box all smiles until she sees me.
Then she frowns.
Soren though? Doesn’t notice her. Not at all.
“You really bought them all.”
“One of each.” He opens my door for me. “How can you know your favorite flavor if you haven’t tried them all.”
I slide onto the seat, more confused than I was a few hours ago when it comes to Soren Marquis. And as he slams my door shut, places the leftovers carefully in a small box in the backseat, I wonder for the first time if I had him all wrong.
Even worse?
I feel guilty for being mean.