Someone Like You (2 page)

him closer. Then he’d tug her top down and play with her nipples, make them harden so

he could suckle on them. Feel her thighs spread open, her wetness coating his fingers.

“Apollo?”

He was brought back to the present by her worried voice. “My name is Nick.”

“Right, of course, sorry. Could you please give him an autograph?” He was

already shaking his head no. “Please.”

For one second, he toyed with the idea of asking her what she’d give him if he

said yes. Would she let him fuck her? At the thought, his cock hardened even more and

he realized he wouldn’t be able to get up anytime soon. “No, he should have behaved.

He didn’t. End of the discussion.”

“Please, Mr Hamilton, I’m sorry if I hurt your girlfriend. I mean, I would have never

done that if I’d known who she was.”

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Leah shook her head at the boy’s comment and watched Nick do the same. “Get

out of here, kid, before you dig yourself another hole.”

“But-”

“I said, go!”

They watched him scamper away, his eyes dark as he joined his friends on the

sidewalk. He stared at them through the window and Leah winced. He wasn’t happy.

This would come back to haunt her, she just knew it. “You should have given it to him,”

she couldn’t help but say.

“I don’t see why.”

She nodded towards the group crossing the street. “He won’t stop. He’s pissed

and angry that you made fun of him in front of his friends. He’ll come back, mark my

words.” She grabbed his cup, now empty, and added, “I’ll go get you a refill.”

He waited until she was back to say, “You can always tell him you’re still my

girlfriend.”

“Very funny.” She looked at him as if he’d really disappointed her before hurrying

away.

He watched her leave and wondered what he’d said.

He hadn’t been joking.

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Nick stepped into the café and stopped short. It was empty and while it couldn’t

boast to have the greatest food in the world, there was always one or two people sitting

in there having coffee. Not today however. He shrugged and went to sit in his usual

booth, wondering where Leah was.

She appeared as if he’d conjured her up. Her steps were slow as she walked

towards him but she was smiling. And just the sight of her smile made him feel better,

as stupid as that was. “Hey, it’s empty in here today.”

“Yup, the air con’s on the fritz,” she said as she stopped beside him.

That’s when he saw how red her face was, droplets of moisture clinging to her

forehead. Her hair had turned frizzy and it gave her an air of innocence that he quite

enjoyed. “I hadn’t even realized.”

She blinked down at him. “Didn’t you notice how hot it is in here? No one’s

managed to stay long enough to eat or drink anything. It’s far too hot, but we can’t do

anything about it until the repair guys get here.”

“I see.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind the heat.”

“No kidding”, she muttered under her breath. The man still managed to look cool

even in this sweltering heat. He was wearing a simple white tee and some board shorts,

brown leather flip-flops on his feet. Such cute feet too. She felt her body topple forward

and grabbed the table to right herself.

“Are you okay?”

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“Sure.” She fanned herself with her notepad. “So what can I get you?” He was

frowning at her, clearly aware she was lying.

“My usual?”

“You want coffee? Seriously?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“It’s more than a hundred degrees in here and you want some hot coffee?”

He grinned. “Sure.”

“Shoot.” Leah shook her head then regretted it almost instantly. She felt lethargic

today, almost as if the heat was sucking life out of her. “Okay, if you really want that.”

“What would you suggest otherwise?”

“Iced tea. Ice cream,” she replied, having been dreaming of those for the past

few hours.

“You choose then. I’ll eat whatever you put in front of me.”

She left without another word, having decided it would be too much trouble to

understand what went through his head. He watched her rummage through the freezer,

listening to her sigh of relief when cold air met her overheated face. She brought him

back a bowl with two scoops of vanilla and passion fruit ice cream, and deposited it in

front of him. “Eat it quickly before it melts. I’ll get your iced tea now.”

“Grab another one for you.”

She started. “What? I can’t drink on the job.”

“Of course you can. And it’s not like there are a lot of customers in here right

now.”

“I don’t-”

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“I’ll pay for it.”

“Ap- Nick, I don’t think it’ll be-”

He cut her off once again, “Come on, Leah, you look ready to drop. You need to

keep your energy up if you want to last your shift.” She shut up when she realized he

was right. She didn’t want to acknowledge she still had four hours to go. Four hours in

this heat, her ankles already swollen. Four hours of waiting for customers and listening

to their moaning when they discovered the air con’s issue. Sighing, she grabbed two tall

glasses and filled them up with tea and ice cubes. She handed one to Nick and kept

hers in her free hand. “Sit down.” He motioned to the bench opposite him but she shook

her head.

“No, thanks. I’m fine standing up.”

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, I won’t bite. And put some sugar in that drink.

You’ll need the kick it’ll give you.”

“Yes, Dad,” she snapped back but he merely smiled, amused by her surprising

show of bravado.

“Better?” he asked minutes later.

She was still standing but at least she’d nearly drunk the whole glass. “Yeah,

thanks. I should go now.”

“Go where?” She gestured towards the kitchen where you could hear the muted

sounds of a daytime soap opera. “Why don’t you sit down and share this ice cream with

me instead?”

She looked up then, eyes wide. “I couldn’t do that!”

Nick frowned. “Why not?”

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“You’re a customer! It’s your food, you paid for it. It’s just…no.”

“But it’s too much for me and you’ve been eyeing it for a while now. Come on,

live a little.” He spooned some melting vanilla ice cream and brought it to her face.

“No, thank you.” Her voice was rough, too rough.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She stepped away from the booth. Her ankles felt as if they were twice

their size, and she swore she could feel sweat running down her back. Hell! She took

one step before the world whirled around her.

“Leah? Leah!”

Hands propped her up, a hard chest a sudden pillow for her heavy head. “Hey.”

“You’re dizzy. Have you eaten anything today?”

“Sure.” One tomato and one apple. She was sticking to her diet, the incessant

jabs having taken their toll. She’d always sworn she’d never diet because of what

people thought and look at her: two months in Florida and she was already cracking

under the pressure.

“Drunk a lot?”

“Sure.” Water. It was refreshing and nourishing, well only if you didn’t eat

anything with it. Water could fill you up, yes it could.

“Can you open your eyes?”

“Oh.” She blinked, not having realized she’d closed them in the first place.

“Thanks. I’m fine now.”

Nick stared at her then swore under his breath. “No, you’re not. Stay here.”

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She watched as he slid behind the counter and knocked on the kitchen door.

Hushed voices were the only thing she could hear, but a few minutes later he was back

and he had her purse in one hand. “What?”

“You’re coming with me. Come on, babe, let’s get out of here.”

She let him push her out of the door, his arm suddenly wrapped around her

waist. “Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“You are?” Wow, she was out of it all right. This looked more and more like a

great dream. “To do what?”

Nick stilled beside her. “You’re in no shape to work. I thought you’d feel better at

home. Am I wrong?” She shrugged, the movement sending her forward. Nick’s hold on

her broke her fall but it was good they were already at his car. “Get in. I’ll drive you.”

“Okay.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say so she let him boost her up and

settled into the passenger seat.

“Where do you live?”

“Uhm?” She blinked her eyes open. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Maybe. Are you sure you’re okay, Leah? Maybe you should go see a doctor.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just fine.” She brushed her eyes with her hands. “I don’t live far.

It’s down one block then to the right.”

“Okay, let me know where I can park.”

She nodded and looked out the window. She hadn’t driven that route in forever,

not since she’d arrived from the airport that first day. She had no money to spend on

taxis or a car, and instead used public transportation as much as she could. Or she

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walked: to and from college, to and from work. Back and forth to the grocery shop, the

video store, etc. She walked and yet…she wasn’t losing weight. Sighing, she bumped

her forehead against the window, and tried to forget about everything but the way the

car’s air conditioning was cooling down her body temperature. “You can park there, next

to that blue Honda.”

“Okay.”

Two minutes later and they were on the sidewalk in front of her apartment

building. “Thanks, Nick.” She waved as she walked up the first step, only for him to

follow her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not leaving until I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I’m fine. See, I’m walking on my own two feet.”

“And you’re also swaying like you’ve been downing shots all day long. Come on,

Leah, let’s get you inside.”

“I’m not swaying!”

Nick only chuckled, his arm once more finding its place around her waist. She

couldn’t help but stiffen when he drew her closer to him. “Which floor?”

“Second. Left door.” He stayed with her as they climbed up another flight of

stairs, stayed with her while she searched for her keys in her purse, stayed with her as

she opened the door and stepped inside. That’s when she turned around and blocked

his way. “I’m here now, thanks for getting me home in one piece.”

“Move, Leah, I’m coming in.” And just like that, he was inside her apartment.

It wasn’t much, just a tiny bedroom and the kitchen and living space crammed

together but she’d taken great pains in decorating it with pages cut off from magazines,

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chipped earthware and even cheaper flowers from the market. The walls were painted a

bright yellow and she’d made cushions out of saris. All in all, she was damn proud of

her home.

Nick stood in the middle of the living-room, feeling like a giant in the tiny space.

“It’s…nice.”

“It’s small but I like it.” She shrugged as she dropped her purse onto the love seat

she’d rescued. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thanks. It’s hot in here, why don’t you turn the A/C on?”

“I don’t have air-conditioning in here. Too expensive.”

He froze. “So why did I bring you back here?”

“I don’t know.” She looked at him weirdly. “It was your choice.”

“Amazing.” He racked a hand through his hair, making it stand up. “I wanted you

to cool down a little, relax, but it’s as hot in here as it was in the café!”

“I thought you didn’t feel the heat?”

“Oh, come on!” He bit back a retort. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to my place instead.”

She felt her eyes widen. He wanted to take her to his home? “I’m fine here, don’t

worry. I’ll just take a cold bath or something.”

“Okay, go do that.” He slowly lowered himself until he was half-reclining on the

floor pillows then crossed his arms over his chest.

She looked at him as if he’d gone mad. “I’m not going to take a bath with you

here. Are you crazy?”

He grinned. “Why not?”

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“I don’t know you!” His left eyebrow rose. “I know of you, I don’t know you.

There’s a difference!”

“Not really. You know damn well that if I do anything, you could run to the nearest

tabloid and tell on me. So why don’t you get undressed and pour that cold bath? I’ll be

waiting.”

She gulped. “Nick, I don’t…”

“I won’t leave until I know you’re all right,” he added, his voice soft. “Trust me,

Leah.”

“I don’t know you.” She tried again, but he didn’t even acknowledge her latest

comment.

He simply watched her, his eyes doing a slow tour of her body as if he could see

what she looked like underneath her uniform. She grimaced, imagining how she must

look like. Sweaty, frizzy and red-faced, just perfect!

“So, are you gonna take those clothes off or what?”

“I don’t-”

His gaze locking on hers, he said, “Hurry before I do it myself. If I don’t hear

water splashing in five minutes, I’ll come see what you’re doing.”

She hurried towards the bathroom, his laughter trailing behind her. She didn’t

know what was happening or why he was here. It felt like a dream and yet, she was

painfully aware she was awake. Her nipples were taut just at the thought of him

undressing her. He was her fantasy after all, and he was right here in her apartment.

He’d even talked of taking her clothes off! Reality came crashing down when she

imagined his face as he saw her naked.

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She hiccupped at the thought and felt her world dim. He was just being polite,