Sweet as a Strawberry

14 ~ Sour as a Cranberry

A/N: I hope you like it! Also, I hope you've warmed up to Lottie's character because I love her, lol.  Dedicated to Fabasian because she's wonderful and made me a beautiful cover!!

Chapter 14: Sour as a Cranberry

Lottie's doe-eyed gaze was fixed on me, a fond smile on her face. I stared at her. I could still feel the warmth of her breath fanning against my back, the way her laugh vibrated against my shirt. Thankfully, I was good at not showing how affected I was by the simplest of gestures.

"Charlotte Carter!" that brunette from the bakery screeched, and Lottie turned, a panicked look on her face.

"Bye, Ben!" she cried to me, tossing me a smile before she turned on her heel and pelted away from her friend.

The brunette whose name I'd forgotten stopped in front of me and made a face. "I knew she was behind you," she said.

I raised an eyebrow. "So why didn't you say anything?"

"Because all she did was touch you and you got all hot and bothered," she said smugly. "And it was fucking hilarious."

My fists clenched up and I glared at her. "I did not!" I protested angrily. Lie.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Your face went from normal to white to red in two seconds flat."

"Not."

"It actually did."

I pointed in the opposite direction Lottie had taken off to. "You know what? Why don't you stop fucking talking to me and go find her?"

The girl flipped me the bird and said, "Denial isn't healthy, you know," and sprinted off in the direction I pointed to. I smirked; she didn't even suspect a thing. That was what she got for being an annoying little pest.

"Boo!"

Without turning around, I rolled my eyes. "You're not scary, Lottie."

She trotted over into my line of sight and pouted. "I thought I'd got you this time."

"Maybe if you were more frightening," I suggested. "But you're about as frightening as a little baby."

She giggled. "Except in the mornings," she joked. "You never want to see me before I've had my chocolate milk."

Christ. Chocolate milk? I thought she was going to say coffee. "I actually never want to see you anyways," I said. Lottie's face fell slightly and I immediately felt guilty. I was so used to saying the rudest thing I could, that I'd forgotten how much it bothered her. My eyebrows furrowed and I stretched out my hands before quickly dropping them. "I was just kidding," I said. 

She peeked at me with her wide green eyes, and she perked up. I felt a little better when I saw her smile. "You are so weird," she said, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I'm weird?" I said, affronted. "What about you?"

She giggled into her hand and glanced over my shoulder. "Good afternoon!" she called, waving energetically at a girl who was making her way past us.

When Lottie smiled at the girl, I felt my heart stutter when I realised that it was a different smile than the one she gave me. I frowned, thinking about it. When she smiled at the girl, it was sweet and welcoming, polite, if anything. But when she smiled at me, no. Stop it. I internally shook my head.