she said in a mocking tone, deep and sultry. Her playfulness should've been catching, but my legs and feet begged for me to leave, and their urgent message to my brain kept me from smiling along with her.
Because this wasn't a Saturday night when I was allowed my time to be myself, vibe-less Blake. This was the middle of the week and a part of my routine that offered zero opportunity for this. Social pleasantries. Casual conversation. I had to work. I had Jake.
"Nope, not into coffee," I muttered, curling my lips in a curt, dismissive smile before turning my attention back to Mindy and Jake. He was scarfing down a macaron and I raised an eyebrow. "What happened to no cookies in the morning?"
"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse," Mindy replied, smiling fondly at my brother. "It's on me."
"Thank you," I said gratefully.
"Let me just get your tea and I'll ring you up."
"Awesome," I replied, and thanked her again.
I watched as Mindy hurried around the small shop, purposely keeping my gaze from settling on the short, blonde woman beside me. To look at her would've been to grant myself the permission to settle deeper under her spell. I couldn't have any of that. My mind would be liable to think further into signs and the possibility of Fate—fuck you for planting that seed, Dr. Travetti.
But even as I refused to look at her, I still listened. She was buying a cup of their Ocean Breeze green tea, iced, and a variety sampler of other green teas they had to offer. She yammered on about how much she just loved green tea and how she preferred its light flavor over the strength of black teas. The suggestion that she'd maybe enjoy a white tea bit at my tongue, begging to escape, and I was satisfied when Stella took the words right out of my mouth.
"Oh, I've never had a white tea!" Audrey exclaimed enthusiastically.
Mindy glanced over her shoulder as she weighed out the loose tea. "Blake, didn't you really enjoy one of our white teas over the summer?"
I ground my fingernails into my palm, angry that I'd been dragged once again into conversation with this woman. But a smile masked my irritation as I replied, "Oh, yeah, it was the strawberry white. Jake really liked it."
"That's right," Mindy responded with a smile. "Then you drank it all on him. Remember that, Jake?"
"Blake drank all the tea," Jake laughed with more exuberance than necessary. "He said he didn't like it and then he drank all the tea."
He clapped his hands as he laughed, and I laid a hand on his shoulder to settle him down. My eyes shifted toward Audrey, not wanting her to judge or scrutinize, as unholy as that would've been for a good, cross-wearing girl like her. Not that it’d ever stopped Christians from passing unfair judgment before. Yet, when I looked at her, I saw nothing but affection and acceptance in her pale blue eyes. That simple piece of twine I held onto thickened and pulled me in closer, further into her energy and radiating light.
"Who's this good-looking guy?" she asked, addressing Jake with the kindest smile I would never deserve.
I hesitated before saying, "This is my brother, Jake."
"Hi, Jake," she said, extending her delicate hand. He observed her fingers for a moment, unsure of what to do, and I leaned into him.
"Buddy, you shake her hand. Remember?" And solely for demonstration purposes, I took Audrey's hand in mine and shook, unsuccessfully ignoring the sprinkle of electricity that encouraged the hairs along my arm to stand on end. "See? Like this."
Audrey smiled and released my hand to try again with my brother. He accepted this time and shook her arm aggressively. She laughed, a sweet sound, as I gripped Jake's wrist to still his assault.
"Whoa, man. You wanna shake her hand, not dismember her."
"What's your name? I'm Jake," he said, ignoring me and the fact that I’d already told her his name.
"It's very nice to meet you, Jake. My name's Audrey."
Jake nodded, looking from her to me and back to her. He was watching us both intently, staring studiously with that look he got sometimes. The look that told me he knew something and was unable to verbalize it in the way he’d like to, in a way I’d understand. I wanted him to stop. I wanted to shake him and tell him to knock it off, because there was no reason he should be