The Runaway Girl and The Billionaire

Chapter 15: You love him

  "Okay, we don't have any guests. Tell me about it before the lunch rush," Tina pleaded to Lana. She had told her about running into the hot guy from the grocery store, but promised to share more when they had time. Now, knowing that the lunch rush was only a few minutes away, she tried to take advantage of the down time.

"It's not much to tell," Lana blushed, a smile quickly spreading across her face.

The truth was, she hadn't stopped thinking of Xy since the two parted ways after breakfast the previous morning. She'd wanted to share the details with Tina since she got to work, but now that she had the time, she felt a bit embarrassed by her giddiness. For the first time, she felt like a girl again, crushing on a boy.

"Don't get modest now. I want to know everything!" Tina prodded, placing her hands on her hips.

The shop was empty besides one guest sitting near the window, typing away on a laptop while nodding his head to the music blaring through the speakers of his headphones. Lana knew it was the perfect time to share, so she took a deep sigh, forcing her smile to shrink.

"I went to Fitness World really early yesterday," she began, shaking her head as she thought back to that morning. "I don't even know what made me go so early, I just decided on a whim," she recalled.

"It was fate!" Tina blurted out, before even learning what happened.

"I don't know about all that, but I had a really good training session in the boxing ring. It was so much fun, and I felt powerful," she admitted, watching the pride shine on Tina's face as she listened closely.

"Then we finished and I saw him standing near the benches," Lana continued.

"Xy?" Tina asked, needing to confirm her suspicions.

"Yes," Lana smiled, impressed that Tina had remembered his name.

"What else??" she asked eagerly.

"I remembered what you said to me about not letting my past dictate my future. I don't know what got into me, but I just marched over there, sweaty and all, and apologized for being a weirdo at the market."

"No, you didn't!" Tina shrieked, grateful that the only guest couldn't hear her outburst over his music.

"I did!" Lana yelled, and the two women erupted into laughter.

It was so unlike Lana to approach a man, and although they had only recently become friends, Tina knew how out of character this behavior was. It was a clear indication that she was stepping out of her shell and while they were both shocked, Tina was happy for her friend's bold move.

"What did he say?" Tina asked, when she finally regained her composure.

"He was so sweet. I think he thought I was scared of him or something. He sent the flowers to apologize, but he said sorry again and promised not to bother me anymore," Lana repeated Xy's words verbatim, as their interaction was still fresh in her mind.