for, liar

Chapter 31

Three and a half hours in and we are completely drowning. The store has only gotten busier following the news of Catherine's success. I'm trying my best to help Tiffany make all of the drinks while Lana takes time to interact with the customers. I'm exceedingly frustrated that I don't even notice Miles coming in and ordering.

"Are you making mine with love?" He asks from behind the espresso machine.

I look up and shake my head. "Definitely not." I tease and smirk at him.

He watches me intensely as I make all of the drinks ahead of him and get the customers out.

"You're fairly good at this." He tells me and leans against the counter to watch.

I can feel his eyes on every move I make. "Well it is my job!" I yell back and Tiffany chuckles.

Might as well put on a show while he's here.

"What time do you get off?"

I don't even know what time it is, I just know I've been making drinks forever. I look over at Lana to see if she could tell me the time but she's too busy mocking an illiterate man.

"I think in like an hour." I answer and hand his drink to him when I'm finished.

He always orders a hazelnut cappuccino with whipped cream. I tried it one time just to see what it tasted like and it wasn't horrible, but I still prefer just plain black coffee.

"I can find something to do until then."

It's a good sign that he wants to see me after work. That means I didn't make things too awkward last night.

"Sounds great, but I really need to get back to work. I'll see you then." I tell him and hand out the next drink.

He blows me a kiss and exits the building. I watch him go for a few seconds before continuing the line of drinks I have.

I spend the rest of my shift thinking about him nonstop. I couldn't focus on a thing so Lana moved me to register for my last half hour. By the time I leave, Miles is waiting in his car next to mine. I walk straight to it and climb in the front seat. I know I probably reek of coffee and syrup.

"So I have a proposition for you." He begins, buckling his seatbelt.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I ask and yawn.

It just hit me how exhausted I am.

"My mother invited me down to her beach house next weekend in Myrtle. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

"Your mother? Is she going to be there?"

I'm actually really surprised by all of this. What could it mean?

"Well yeah, she lives there."

So he's inviting me to the beach to meet his mom? Oh God, I thought we agreed to wait on parent introductions until we decided the seriousness of this relationship! Unless that's what he's implying. In that case, I have no idea if I'm actually ready for that. It's only been three months.

"You want me to meet her?" I ask softly, hoping he'll catch I'm a little uncomfortable by the whole situation and take it back.

He purses his lips and glances over at me. Damn, so that is what he's implying! My anxiety is about to boost any second now. It's hard to calm myself down when I'm in the car with him.

"Is that okay with you? It doesn't have to mean anything. I don't even have to say you're my girlfriend."

That might be worse. I don't want to deny our relationship, especially in front of his mother. That is numerous red flags.

"That would be weird if we are spending the night together."

"Yeah...you're right. We don't have to sleep in the same bed."

I want to sleep in the same bed. I want to go to the beach with him and kiss on the sand. I want him to hold me while we're in the saltwater so I can wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him there too. I want to drink wine by the ocean and get out to watch the sunrise in the morning. I want all of that with someone I care a lot about. The only thing is, I risk making things even worse if I leave a bad impression with his mother. I'll also probably never feel the same way about the beach again if it all goes up in flames.

"No, we don't have to lie or hide anything. I would love to go."

He doesn't even try to smile subtly. His face lights up and he lets out a deep breath. I'm sure that was stressful for him to ask me. It was stressful for me too but he doesn't need to know that.

We end up going for ice cream. I'm not big on dairy so I take a few bites of his instead of getting my own. We sit out by the fountain downtown enjoying the beautiful weather and just being by each other's side. The way he makes me feel is just so unreal and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"You got a little-" he begins and reaches over towards my face.

"What?"

He quickly jabs his thumb in the side of the ice cream cup and swipes it across my nose. 

I squeal and back up. "Miles!"

He laughs and almost falls back into the fountain. 

I take my napkin from my pocket and wipe off the sticky residue. "You're an ass."

He shrugs and grins before taking another bite. If we weren't in public surrounded by other people, I'd totally push him into the water. He doesn't even have clothes to change into so I'd feel bad as soon as I do it.

We decided to take a walk for a couple more hours and grab an early dinner at the taco place near Scream Beans. Mexican cuisine never gets old. I was in the mood for chips and salsa, which I started eating as soon as we sat down and were given a basket.

"Did you want to see a movie this weekend?" He asks me as I shove a handful of chips into my mouth.

I waited until I didn't have a mouthful to answer him. "What movie?"

"Anything you want. Take a look at the times and let me know your preference."

I take a sip of my water and glance at my phone. "I...was supposed to have plans with Maddy this weekend. If that's even still on." I mumble and sigh.

I doubt our argument would change her mind about hanging out with me. We've been through this numerous times and she always comes around. Besides, it's different now that we live together. She can't hide from me forever.

"That's fine. Just ask her and let me know what the plan is. We could always go later."

"Will do." I tell him and flash a smile.

The server brings our food out and it doesn't even last twenty minutes before it's completely devoured. Miles drives me back to my car around seven. I kiss him real passionately and climb out the seat. I'm walking across the lot when Miles calls out to me.

"Hey, Bree!"

I look back at him, eager to know what he wants to say.

"I...hope you have a good night."

I chuckle and press my lips together. "You too."

Revised;