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CHAPTER TWO
Harlow
Pushing through the glass door of The Grind, I see Fleur smirking at me from behind the counter against the far wall.
“I need to get laid,” I grumble when I’ve joined her behind the counter, and she laughs.
“To stop you perving over Sawyer? The guy from last night no good?” It was Fleur, my other best friend, who I’d been out with last night. We met at this job when we both started as soon as it opened. We’d just turned eighteen, and she was the perfect partner to work, gossip, and party with. She still is.
“No good at all,” I confirm as I head through to the back to put my stuff in a locker. I pop my apron over my head and tie the back as I rejoin her. “How’s it been?” I ask. It’s not busy right now, which is unusual for midmorning.
“Pretty quiet, honestly. We’ll see how lunch is.”
“Where’s Nico?” I know he’s on the split shift today, covering the first and last four hours, so he should be here for me to take over.
“He left a little early. Had an errand to run before class.” I mock myself internally for the disappointment I feel.He’ll be back this afternoon when Fleur leaves. Don’t be so ridiculous, Harlow.The bell rings then, and as karma for the relaxed morning, the lunch rush is mayhem. That’ll teach us for using theqword so freely. It’s a curse to say “quiet” in hospitality, and Fleur should have known better.
Before I even get to have a cup of coffee myself, Nico is walking back through the doors, his tall, lean frame squeezing around chairs and between customers. The time has flown by, so I’m not expecting him, and I nearly scald myself when I get distracted from the white hot chocolate I’m pouring as I attempt to watch him make his way over to us. I see him around four out of seven days a week, and it’s still not enough to get used to him. His hair is a cool dark brown with a slight wave. It could probably be tied back in a few weeks, but for now, it’s permanently being pushed back from his face and curls around his ears, just meeting the short beard he keeps. Every time it falls into his face, I want to stretch up on my tiptoes and run my hands through it. It looks so soft. God, he’s gorgeous, and I crush on him so hard.
I wrench my attention back to the customer and hand over their drink. Fleur gives my arm a squeeze a few minutes later as she leaves, and Nico picks up where she left off. My body is always aware of where he is as he flits around, making different drinks and bites to eat as I take orders. It finally calms down about an hour later, and I clear some tables while he sorts out the catastrophe that is the coffee machine. I load the dishwasher out the back and bring a clean rack of cups out with me, which he takes as I come through. It takes a decent amount of effort to not get distracted by the flex of his biceps as he maneuvers the rack onto the side. Nico isn’t as built as Sawyer, but every peek I get suggests he’s not shy of definition.
“Thank you. And hi,” I say with a sigh, happy for it to ease up a bit for now, although we sometimes get a rush before closing as people finish work.
“Hi,” he replies with a shy smile that makes my knees weak. “How have you been?” We haven’t crossed paths in a couple of days, and it feels like ages since I’ve seen him.
“Not bad, you?”
“All good. Busy.” Nico is studying criminology in between his shifts here, and he’s brilliant. He’s also teaching me everything there is to know about the previous Games tasks, although he doesn’t explicitly know that. I wasn’t the most academically gifted at school—even though I’m reasonably intelligent in general—and yet he’s managed to explain everything I’ve asked of him well enough that I understand and can relay it to Sawyer. He’s the most attractive geek I’ve ever met—a perfect mix of insane intelligence and shy hotness. I’m such a fangirl, it’s embarrassing. Unfortunately for me, Nico is out of bounds because we work together, and he doesn’t seem interested anyway. So, of course, I’m obsessed.
It’s a sick joke. I have no trouble whatsoever finding guys to take home thanks to the “Barbie” resemblance, but the two guys I actually like want nothing to do with me. Maybe that says something about my personality? Or maybe it’s a case of me wanting what I can’t have. Throughout this depressing inner monologue, I realize I’m staring at him, so I clear my throat and look away.
“Are we still okay for tonight?” I ask. I do feel bad for taking more of his time when I know how busy he is, but the sessions are invaluable, and honestly, I can’t make myself stop having that extra time with him with no distractions.
“Of course,” he says. “Here?”
I nod as a customer comes through, and we’re steadily busy for the remaining time we’re open, cleaning up around the final patrons so we can finish as quickly after we close as possible. This place isn’t exactly my dream job, but it’s flexible and I work with great people, so it’s perfect for now. Plus... free coffee.
I flop down into my seat with a groan and place my head on my forearms just for a second, closing my eyes.
“Late night?” Nico asks. Colin flashes through my mind, and I cringe at the idea of Nico finding out how little I settle for in my hookups.
“Yeah. That’ll teach me for going out on a school night,” I joke as I lift my head. He’s sitting in the chair perpendicular to me, as always, and I get a look at him up close. Did I mention that Nico is gorgeous? His eyes are dark like his hair, and he has long sooty lashes that frame them perfectly. He’s got his glasses on now, which would probably convince me to complete these study sessions even if I no longer needed them. I swear I go into a trance sometimes and don’t realize I’m staring for an embarrassingly long time, but this time, he’s staring back. He tucks some stray hair behind my ear, and I stop breathing, but he gives me a concerned look and drops his hand as soon as the hair is secure. Is that friendly? Flirty? I second-guess everything with him. How am I so secure and confident with everyone except him? And Sawyer, when it comes to my crush.
“You sure you’re okay for this?” he asks.
“Why? Wanna blow it off and go get huge burgers instead?” His eyes widen slightly, and I realize that it must seem like I’m asking him out. Before I can freak out and trip over myself to explain, he’s looking back down at the work.
“If you can power through, we can get through this session as quickly as possible. It’s not a meaty one.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out straight away. Did he just shut me down and say he wants this over as quickly as possible all in one?Ouch.
“Of course,” I get out eventually. I think about offering to just end them, but honestly, I don’t want to. Even if I make myself look like a fool more often than not, he’s such a great teacher, and I need to know this at a minimum. He teaches me so much more than I’ve been able to find out for myself. Also, I’m selfish. I love the time we spend together, even if he doesn’t.
An hour flies past, and I manage to swallow my dented pride and focus, forgetting it altogether as soon as Nico starts explaining the lesson. It’s super interesting, and I already can’t wait to relay it all to Sawyer. You can find some details of previous Games online, but what happens behind closed doors mainly stays behind closed doors. Nico’s course seems to go into a lot more detail, which is lucky considering the information isn’t broadcast anywhere. Information about The Games has been kept under lock and key since its conception.
It’s a quarter past seven by the time we’re finishing up. Nico stretches and his shirt lifts, showing a stretch of skin and a hint of abs. Before I can do anything ridiculous like lick them, I force my eyes away and stand to wash and put away our mugs.
“What are your plans for the rest of the evening?” Nico asks behind me.
