Falling off the cliff, p.19
FALLING OFF THE CLIFF, page 19
A small grin spread across his lips, trying to conceal the slight concern that had washed over his expression. “Yeah, ‘cause you’re supposedly dating me, Thiago Valencia, the most handsome, fun, amazing man you’ve ever—”
She batted his hand away when he tried to grab her burger, making him laugh rather loudly. It sounded like a sweet melody, a soft serenade meant to melt her barriers. “Whatever. I’m not sure people would recognise me, but I’m not taking the risk of being seen with someone else.”
Thiago’s features hardened, and she didn’t know why. Jaw ticking, he averted his gaze towards the sky. Despite having his eyes settled on something else, she perceived a flash of recognition, of affection, when he found what he had been looking for in the dark heavens.
“Do you want to?” he asked, his tone clipped. “To see someone else?”
“No,” she replied without an ounce of hesitation because she didn’t want to see anyone—whether it was real or pretence. “Do you?”
His gaze collided with hers. “No.”
Kamari shrugged. “We never talked further about the rules, so you do you, Thiago. As long as you’re being careful—”
“Will you stop?” He wiped the grease off his fingers, a frustrated huff escaping his mouth. “I’m here with you, aren’t I? I made this deal with you for a reason. I’m not just going to stab you in the back by going and finding someone else. I’m not that man, Kamari.”
Not once had he disconnected his intense regard from hers, causing unwanted shivers to rush down her spine. Ignoring the sped-up rhythm of her heartbeat, she grabbed her water bottle, and lifted her shoulders in a shrug, acting as though his promise hadn’t affected her in the slightest.
“Good.”
Thiago chuckled softly. He draped his arm over the back of the bench then, his fingers almost brushing her shoulder blades. She didn’t move. Sucking in a breath, she waited for his digits to graze her clothed skin, already expecting a trail of sparks to linger beneath his touch. The caress never came, as though he was being careful not to touch her—because they were by themselves, and they didn’t need to put their act on. “Talk to me about your project—the second café.”
She couldn’t contain her bewilderment. “Really?”
The grin plastering his face made him more handsome than ever. His whole attention was on her—nothing else mattered to Thiago. He responded with a nod. “Yeah. Tell me everything about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
📍LONDON, ENGLAND
Thiago sat there, unequivocally mesmerised by the woman talking to him.
There was a rare light in her eyes—something that shone brighter than the stars, that was more enthralling than the galaxy itself. Something he hadn’t seen until now and wished would never fade away. Though he knew this moment was temporary, he focused his attention on her, and only her.
Their food had been left forgotten, still laid between them. With his arm draped over the back of the bench, he was almost touching her—he wanted to touch her. Wanted to twirl his forefinger around that rogue lock that fell out of her bun. Wanted to caress her shoulder in silent encouragement to keep talking.
“I want to open the shop in Soho,” Kamari explained. Hands placed on her lap, she looked graceful and elegant and beautiful, and somehow younger as her features weren’t as cold and tight as he’d been used to seeing. The soft glow of the moon started shining on her face, just as if she was meant to be part of the satellite’s magic.
“Why there?” His voice had turned hoarse, like he hadn’t spoken in hours when it was only minutes. That was Kamari’s powers affecting him; rendering him speechless.
“It’ll be the same concept as Dawn’s: a coffee shop with a bookstore, but I want to add a twist to the new place, which is going to be a bar. I thought Soho was the perfect neighbourhood for it.”
His brows raised with admiration. “A café slash library slash pub? Sorry, but you might never be able to get rid of me. I’ll be living there from now on.”
She pivoted and faced him, making her shoulder bump into his forearm. Neither of them moved. “Yeah, because you read?”
He scoffed, offended, letting his mouth fall agape dramatically. “Because I’m a high-performance athlete means I can’t read? That’s rude.”
She let her stare roam over his face, and its feverishness made heat creep up the back of his neck. “Entertain me, then. What kind of books do you read?”
He grinned, jutting his chin towards her. “The same ones you do.”
Her smile was as radiant as the sun’s rays, and he wished Kamari would show that side of herself more often. She shook her head, and he swore she snorted softly. “You’re so full of shit, Valencia. I know you don’t read.”
Thiago lifted his hands in slight surrender. “Fine, I don’t read as much as I should, but if you give me some recommendations I will totally devour them in my free time.”
“You would?”
“Of course,” he said earnestly. “Did you always want to open your own coffee shop?”
Kamari nodded. “I think so. I studied business in uni. I love coffee, tea, pastries, books—”
“Cocktails?”
A soft chuckle fled past her lips, making him drop his gaze to her full, enticing mouth. “Sure. Cocktails, too. When I moved into the building and the bakery downstairs was closing, I jumped on the opportunity to rent the place myself, then created my business with Kieran’s help.”
He admired this woman, he truly did. She wasn’t aware of her bravery and resilience, he supposed. “So, you’re currently renting Dawn’s?”
Kamari nodded. “Yes. The plan is to buy the place along with my flat above, and the second café—eventually. But financially speaking, it’s sadly out of my reach at the moment.”
“But you won’t give up.”
A line drew itself between her brows. “Of course not. Have you seen me? I fight until the end.”
“Yeah,” he breathed. “I see you, Kamari.”
Time stood still as green and silver collided into a tangle of secret pining, wordless exchanges that only their eyes could reflect.
“Enough about me,” she said then, breaking that heavy silence that only coerced him to gravitate more and more towards the moonbeam she was. “What about you? What do you think you would’ve done if you weren’t a racing driver?”
“That’s a good question.” He frowned, letting his stare slip away for a fragment of a second, only to catch a glimpse of a group of teenagers sitting a few metres away from them, busy recording and taking pictures of the pair. “Shit. I’m sorry, Kam.”
“What?” She followed the route of his perusal. “Oh.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I didn’t think anyone would spot us.”
Thiago was aware Kamari wasn’t comfortable with the whole situation. She didn’t like being the centre of attention, didn’t like having cameras pointed at her. Still, she had been doing an outstanding job at keeping cool the times she had to walk by his side whilst numerous cameras were directed at them.
“It’s fine,” she said, her voice somehow strangled in her throat. He wanted to believe that she, too, was disappointed that their bubble of solace had been burst open by reality. “You can go over and take pictures with them if you want to.”
He frowned slightly. “Are you sure?”
The corner of her lips was curled into a small smile. “Positive.”
Standing up, he grabbed Kamari’s hand and planted a soft kiss on the back of it, never letting his gaze falter from her face, from the slight annoyance blended with surprise flashing in her eyes. “Don’t miss me too much. I’ll be back very soon.”
As he strode towards the group of fans, he heard Kamari muster, “Idiot”, and his grin only widened.
When he came back to the bench, he noticed their food was gone.
“Were you that hungry?” he asked, bemused.
Kamari looked up from her phone and scowled. “Yes,” she deadpanned, “I was famished. No, actually I went and gave the leftovers to that homeless man sitting by the tree down there.”
He followed her gaze, slipping his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Some kind of foreign warmth started to bloom inside his chest at the sight of the man thoroughly enjoying his meal, and when he looked back at Kamari, she was already looking at him with a flicker of tenderness he hadn’t seen before.
“That’s sweet of you,” he said gruffly.
She shrugged. “I have my moments.”
Thiago bit the inside of his cheek—to stop himself from blurting out what had been going through his mind for the past hour.
Do you want to grab an ice cream?
Do you want to hang out?
What would you like to do? I’ll take you anywhere.
“Come on,” he said at last. “Let’s get you back home.”
If Kamari was disappointed, she didn’t show it, but she grabbed her bag with slight hesitation and stood up. “Sure. Time’s up anyway.”
Thiago picked up their helmets and his extra jumper, following her down the hill. She was oddly silent, and he thought he had messed up somewhere along the line.
“Wait, Kam.” He caught her elbow, forcing her to spin around. Her addictive fragrance started corrupting his senses, nearly bringing him to his knees when her wide, green eyes found his gaze. “I didn’t bring you out there to be seen by people, to have a picture of us going around the internet in the morning. I meant it when I said I wanted to get to know you, and I’ll spend all my free time running after you. Tonight was not a PR stunt. You know that, right?”
Kamari tipped her lips into a smirk—all vicious and condescending. “You’re going to run after me? What happened to self-preservation, Thiago?”
He huffed, handing her a helmet. “Looks like I have none when you’re around.”
Her small hands were holding his hips, and he wondered if she could feel the way his skin blazed under his clothes.
He glanced at her in the mirror, seeing her eyes wandering around the starry sky whilst they waited for the light to turn green. He was intrigued, drawn to this woman he knew so little of. He could stare at her for a lifetime if he could, trying to read past her cold façade.
Thiago revved the throttle, making the engine roar. He felt Kamari push herself closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her hands were laid flat against his abdomen, and clothes were preventing their skins from touching. Even then, chills had made their appearance on every inch of his flesh and, if she trailed her hands upwards, she would be able to feel the hammer of his heart.
“Valencia,” she murmured.
The thrum of his heartbeat was rapid and loud. Unsteady. Uncontrollable. “Yes?”
“You managed to make my birthday decent for once. Thank you.”
Silver found green through the mirror and, even though she couldn’t see his smile because of his helmet, he knew she could glimpse at the stars in his pupils.
His hand found her knee, brushing then squeezing delicately. “Anything for you, Kam.”
And he meant it; he’d get down on his knees just to see more of this side of Kamari.
His chest rose and fell as he watched Kamari let her nearly black hair loose. She looked like an enchantress ready to put a spell on him, and he was completely at her mercy. Her cheekbones were tinted with a faint coat of blush, her eyes wide and full of life.
God, she was breathtaking.
They were standing in front of Dawn’s Café. The lights were all switched off, but she stood under the streetlamp that shone upon her like a ray of sunlight pushing through dark clouds.
“Thank you again,” she said, handing him the helmet she had worn.
He nodded. Swallowed. When he spoke, his tone was hoarse. “No problem.”
He couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he nearly jolted at the feeling of his warm skin, like he had been set on fire.
Invite me in, Kam.
Tell me to stay.
Kamari studied his face, softly, slowly, carefully—as if trying to ingrain this exact moment in the back of her mind. She then released a tremulous breath, a small line appearing between her brows as though she had just realised something she didn’t quite enjoy.
“I’ll see you later,” she finally murmured, turning on her heel and creating an immense distance between them.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
The word never came out, stuck inside his throat, clinging to his chest like a lethal, poisonous vine.
“I’ll text you,” he said. Because he had to say something. Had to make this moment last. He didn’t care if he kept making a fool out of himself.
She peered at him from her shoulder as she retrieved her key from her purse. “Don’t.”
He smiled. “I will.”
“I won’t answer.”
“You will.”
She disappeared, and Thiago was left alone in the empty street, standing under the glow of the streetlamp that seemed meaningless if Kamari Monroe wasn’t beneath it.
He made a beeline for his motorcycle, knowing all too well he’d make a mistake if he stayed there, waiting for her to open the door and tell him to come in.
There was a very thin thread between staying professional and crossing the line, and Thiago knew he couldn’t break that string, even if he wanted to.
“Kamari,” he echoed in a whisper that evaporated into the night sky, the souvenir of green eyes and the smile of a devastating angel ingrained like an everlasting memory in the back of his mind.
Kamari.
Kamari.
Kamari.
She was a burning star shooting in the night sky. She was a shimmer of starlight on a moonlit sea. She was an entire galaxy, most beautiful in darkness, and she didn’t know it. He wanted to embrace her like the night wrapped its arms around the moon, but she was the embodiment of the very moon—unattainable, untouchable, unbreakable. Therefore, he could never have her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
📍LONDON, ENGLAND
The smell of creamy butter whiffed in the air as Kamari took freshly baked, golden croissants out of the oven. Kieran’s voice blended with the music blasting from the stereo as he arranged the bookshelves, a watering can in one hand whilst the door of Dawn’s Café was wide open, allowing the fresh and cool breeze to swivel inside the place. The Monroe siblings were setting up the coffee shop, waiting for the first customer to show up and order his usual latte macchiato with a pain au chocolat.
“You never told me what you went to do with your boyfriend on Tuesday night,” Kieran said out of the blue, his back still turned to her.
She ignored the way her heartbeat picked up at the mention of Thiago, who wasn’t even her boyfriend, let alone a friend. She wasn’t sure where they stood, but she knew she had crossed the line of hatred with him. Still, that didn’t mean his existence didn’t annoy her to the point of feeling irritation flare inside her chest whenever she thought of him.
“We went to grab a bite in Primrose Hill,” she told her brother, taking her oven mitts off.
Kieran turned, his brows raised in slight puzzlement. “Really? You rarely go out on your birthday.”
Kamari shrugged. “I know.”
Something gleamed around her brother’s pupils—an emotion she couldn’t place a word upon, but still managed to make her chest warm. She’d been so used to seeing Kieran pity her after her breakup with James, and even though her brother never said it out loud, she knew he was devastated for her. Perhaps he was happy to see Kamari get out of her shell. What he didn’t know, though, was that she refused to let her walls down.
The relationship she had built with Thiago was just a publicity stunt, and nothing more. She didn’t want attachment, didn’t want friendship, didn’t want heartbreak.
He put the watering can down by a bookcase, huffing when he noticed two books weren’t perfectly aligned. Then, he shook his head, and said, “I still can’t believe you’re dating my idol.”
Kamari rolled her eyes. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. You’d be capable of leaving Tillie for Thiago.”
“True.” He didn’t even deny it. “Have you seen him? Anyone would leave their significant other for that bloke.”
She tried not to think about pearly, silvery eyes. About a devastating smile. Dimples. Dark locks that looked so smooth that she wondered how they’d feel beneath her fingertips. “I’m telling Tillie you said that.”
She didn’t hear Kieran’s complaint because of the sound of her phone ringing.
She frowned; she was slightly dazed and confused. Who would call her on an early Friday morning?
Alex Myers’ name flashed on her screen, along with a selfie he had taken in Primavera Racing’s garage at Spa-Francorchamps.
“Hello?” She pressed the phone between her ear and shoulder as she grabbed a cup to brew herself some coffee, grabbing the portafilter in the other hand.
“Hey, Kam,” Alex said. She stilled at the hesitancy lacing his tone, rapidly glancing at Kieran only to see him still busy rearranging the bookshelf. “So sorry for calling this early. Am I interrupting something?”
She frowned. Sounds of chatter lingered on the other side of the line. “No, you’re fine. Is everything okay?”
Kamari put the portafilter down, and took hold of her phone, leaning her hip against the counter.
There was a pause, an oddly long one at that. “Yeah,” Alex replied gruffly. “I mean, ah, this is weird.”
“You’re being weird.”
“Yeah, sorry.” He cleared his throat, and she imagined him scratching his moustache. “What are you doing today?”
“Why?” she asked coldly. “You’re not trying to steal me from your best friend, are you?”
“I’d never break bro code,” he retorted.
She lifted her brows, slight annoyance starting to bloom, but she found herself being concerned, albeit against her will. “Just get to the point, please.”
