Penny For An Italian Thought

Part 22: Treading The Thin Line

Hey readers, thank you for your fabulous comments and votes. This chapter is dedicated to a fellow reader. EshaTheReader26, thank you for your votes!☺

I'm sorry for the late chapter, I have been really busy, so thank you for your patience. Enjoy reading. ☺ Vote and comment if you like the story.

Brianna's POV

     Caffeine Rush was a few minutes walking distance from my apartment. Truth be told, I was relieved at the advantages this new job was going to bestow me with. I was going to save the money and time that usually was utilized on commute and I wouldn't have a certain irresistible billionaire as my boss - who had a gigantic disregard for people's feelings or one who was a great misjudge of people's character . I shook the thought from my mind. Alex's conversation with Felicity rang in my ears all night, giving me some rather explicit nightmares only fit for a cheap and amateur porno movie. Alex's face from the night before screened in front of my eyes. His darkened cheekbone, his intense blue and turquoise eyes, light stubble, unruly hair... Only a small detail about him was enough to get me riled up. I held my head up high, attempting to straighten my posture, but my slumped shoulders refused to sit up with pride.

     I pulled my jacket close to protect myself from the chilly air, but I don't think the cool breeze was the reason why I had shivers. There was a man in the distance that seemed to follow me. He was wearing a hooded jacket and black jeans and had his hands in his pockets. I looked at him through the corner of my eyes and saw him striding on the footpath on the other side of the road. He was walking with a slight limp, so it could have been Brute H, since Alex beat the shit out of him. But there was something about this person that I just couldn't place. I noticed how tall he was, which made me eliminate Brute H from my suspicion radar. I tried to keep my walk as subtle as possible, not giving out a single degree of knowing. Just to test whether I'm well within my sanity levels, I stopped at a florist's, where I pretended to buy flowers just for the sake of checking if the stalker is really a stalker. Because if he was, he would stop when I would stop. I turned to the colourful mountain of flowers, took in a deep breath to  smell a bunch of incredible roses and turned to walk to the Caffeine Rush, which was only a few blocks away from where I was walking. I started walking again and took a glance across the road, just to see him gone. He was nowhere. He must have continued walking when I stopped at the florist's.

Great, now I'm paranoid.

I tried to distance myself from the stalking paranoia and started walking towards the cafe again, less tensed this time around. But even though no one was following me, I involuntarily glanced over my shoulder a few times.

I saw the sign board of the cafe at a distance and felt myself noticeably relax. My shoulders and back felt stiff from all the stress. I pulled my shoulders back in a comfortable position and kept them like that to practice my posture by the time I reached the cafe door. As soon as I reached the door, it flung open making a bell ring. The bell gave me a cozy feeling standing there in New York City. A cozy, homey and country feel that made me warm and fuzzy. From behind the door, came a guy. He was tall, very tall. Blonde and burly, he fit the profile for a male model, but he wasn't dressed like one. His eyes were brown, but not like mine. While mine are just brown, his had hints of gold in them, somehow screaming mischief.

He was handsome, but definitely not as much as Alex. In fact, he was far from Alex, but I guess that sexy, manipulative bastard ruined every guy for me.

Don't make comparisons Brianna. Just focus.

I smiled at him while he just had an amused expression, probably because of my inappropriate staring.
You should have some self control Brianna. Embarrassing yourself like that time and again in front of guys might make you look desperate.