Immigrant girl

Chapter 32. Anya.

Three days had passed since I last saw Alex. Three days alone with my internal emptiness. Three days during which I tried to get back to life but failed miserably.

In the morning, once again, I went to buy myself coffee. While waiting for the barista at the cash register, my eyes fell on the rack of newspapers and magazines. On the cover of one of them, I saw a photo of Alex and Sam in a close-up shot, taken at one of the elite cinemas. The headline read, "One of the Country's Most Beautiful Couples Makes Their First Public Appearance Together!" I felt dizzy. My gaze was fixed on the photo on the cover. Alex looked impeccable as always – a black turtleneck tightly hugging his sculpted figure, dark blue tapered trousers, and a matching dark blue jacket. He embraced Sam and kissed her on the top of her head. His eyes were closed. I imagined him inhaling the scent of her hair. The hairs on the back of my neck stirred.

"Do you want to buy the magazine, miss?" the barista's voice snapped me out of my stupor.

"Oh, no, thank you," I pulled out my wallet. "Just lost in thought."

"They look incredibly good together. Such a harmonious couple," the girl smiled sweetly.

"Yeah," I barely managed to utter. As I was about to hand over my card for payment, my hand was gently intercepted from behind, and a deep, calm voice with a British accent said, "I'll take care of it. And please, another black coffee without sugar and cream." The cashier nodded coquettishly and hurried to fulfill the order. Slowly turning around, I met the emerald eyes of Mark Davis, the FBI special agent.

"Have I unwittingly gotten into something again?" I mumbled wearily.

"Absolutely not. I just like the local coffee," Mark smiled and tilted his head. "You look tired. Something happened?" Oh, agent, many things happened, but you're better off not knowing.

"Just tough days, you know? Fire, and Caleb getting injured," I lowered my eyes to the floor.

"And that's it?" He looked at me inquisitively.

"What else could there be?" I didn't take my eyes off him.

"I don't know. Love life problems?" I noticed how he briefly glanced at the magazine cover. Is he a damn mind reader? I can't let him know that Alex and I were close.

"I don't have a love life, Agent Davis," I smirked for added credibility. "Relationships are not in my plans yet."

"You deliberately don't want to call me by my name?" He took a step toward me and leaned toward my ear. "You don't like how my name sounds?" His warm breath touched my neck, and shivers ran down my spine. I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. To be honest, I really liked his name, which is why I tried not to say it.

"Ahem, excuse me," the barista's thin voice interrupted our somewhat intimate scene. I quickly stepped back, feeling my cheeks flush. "Your order is ready, here you go please." She handed us two cups of coffee.

"Shall we take a walk together? Or, if you were going home, may I escort you?" He looked at me hopefully. Oh God, Mark, not now. I'm really not in the mood for flirting. Where did you all come from? Alex, Caleb, and now you.

"Sure," I whispered resignedly. "I was planning to go to the park, just across the street, to sit outside for a while."

"Excellent idea," Mark pointed to the door, letting me go first. I'm not entirely sure it's an excellent idea, Agent.

Exiting the cafe, I purposefully strode towards the square. I felt extremely strange. Having no idea what to talk about with Agent Davis, I remained silent, staring straight ahead.

"I heard they've already repaired the club, and it will open soon," Mark broke our tense silence.

"Yeah, Caleb said it should be tomorrow or the day after when everything is finally in order," I replied, heading towards the nearest bench.