Liquid Courage by Stephanie Shea

Author:Stephanie Shea [Shea, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: NineStar Press, LGBTQIA+, Contemporary, new-adult, Coming Out, College, dark, Friends to Lovers, Soulmates, slow burn/UST
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2020-12-14T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

marocchino

Alex didn’t say yes to Frankie’s coffee invite, though maybe, somewhere deep inside, she wanted to. It was Frankie after all, and Alex didn’t want to admit it, but Frankie had always affected her in ways that made her feel more out of control than anyone she’d ever known. There were plenty of things Frankie made her feel. So, she’d stared at the message and she let the words set in, and when Dani reentered her room, questioning whatever she’d seen on Alex’s face, Alex hit delete and told her girlfriend everything was fine.

Everything was fine.

It didn’t matter that sometimes Alex caught herself wondering why Frankie had even been at the banquet that night or how long she’d been home—if she was only back for a while, or forever.

“Marocchino.” Brendan grinned, having completely butchered the pronunciation, but looking like he’d never been prouder all the same.

Alex accepted the cup and mumbled a quick thank you as she grabbed a few napkins from the nearby rack and started for the door.

Brave hadn’t changed much. Still warm, comfy. The coffee and strudels were still great. Yet, something about hanging out in her favorite corner booth didn’t feel quite the same. It was even kind of distracting now. No matter what, she’d find herself glancing up only to be disappointed by the fact that Dani wouldn’t be working the floor, or counter, or even coming in for a shift anytime soon. She had a script to work on anyway.

With her free hand, she pulled up the collars of her jacket and braced herself for the recent drop in temperature. Fall. A precursor to the torture of a New York winter. Twenty-one years and she still wasn’t used to the cold. Though it was her favorite time of year, she’d never acquired the taste for a white Christmas, never found it as romantic as people liked to think. The slick and smell of the snow, gathering all the grime and scum in the city only to leave it in the air for weeks.

She pushed the door open before briefly dropping her gaze as she dug into her pocket for her key fob. A hand wrapped around her forearm and pulled her back. Her head snapped up and she tightened her grip on the coffee cup. It was a bit delayed—it should’ve reacted to Alex being grabbed out of nowhere—but her heart didn’t stop until her eyes locked with a pair of bluish-green. She blinked, swallowing. If this was fate, she hated the concept even more.

Frankie released her arm and took a step back. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but you were about five seconds from crashing into a mini-suit and getting drenched in three different juice blends.”

“Thanks.” Alex scanned Frankie from her long, blonde hair to the pink dusk hoody, white shorts and sneakers she was wearing. Another blast from the past Alex didn’t need. Frankie dressed for soccer practice, and Alex trying to keep the drool off her chin when she stared.

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