Thanks for reading and for the kind feedback sent so far! Hope you enjoy this one :)
***********
"Hm."
Ray was slightly disappointed when Rachel emerged from her workplace. He'd anticipated a strutting, hot model type. The kind to have her tits out in a pricey scrap of shirt that left nothing to imagination, and a skirt so short he could see what she had for breakfast if she bent over.
Despite carefully watching since the young man opened shop, Ray never saw Rachel enter. So there was a back way in. After doing some light product research, he'd called the store to inquire about a fake account and Rachel was summoned as a matter of urgency.
Scrutinizing her, Ray tilted his head. At second glance, she was rather cute. But certainly not the kind of girl to break the heart of an immature socialite. Her features were elegant, and her long, reddish hair
could
be strawberry blonde but it was difficult to tell. Considering her, Ray finally concluded she was fuckable. In a boring, suburban way.
Rachel walked a couple of doors down to the open window of a coffee shop. After ordering self-consciously, she stepped aside to wait. When her order was ready, the barista obviously made a joke as he handed over two coffees. Even from a distance Ray could see Rachel's face burning.
"Blusher," he calmly observed.
Stammering her thanks, Rachel clumsily backed into two people waiting behind her. Spinning to profusely apologise, she stumbled and tripped over own feet. Literally staggering before losing balance, she went down in a shower of coffee to the horror of all onlookers.
Before Ray felt it coming, a laugh ripped out of him. It took him by surprise, and lasted quite a while. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed like that. Still chuckling, he watched the public quickly come to Rachel's aid.
A kind elderly lady helped Rachel to her feet, while others offered napkins. The barista, for flirtation or pity, indicated he would replace the coffees now painted down the front of Rachel's pale-green shirt. It certainly was a rarely undignified moment. Ray wished he'd caught it on camera.
Fanning her chest to cope with the dose of hot liquid, Rachel declined. Ray noticed her wet, sensible shirt revealed she had rather delectable breasts, a fact several other men were also appreciating. Ray suspected she concealed a hot body beneath conservative clothes.
His wide grin faded to something more wary as a silver car pulled to the curb. A tall, good-looking man with dark hair quickly got out, clearly laughing at Rachel as she gestured miserably to the scene she'd caused. Fortunately for her, the blushing flattered her complexion. Rachel's face glowed so red, Ray found himself imagining the heat it would emit against his palm if he cupped her cheek.
The newcomer consolingly gathered Rachel into his arms, not caring about her saturated shirt. The barista eyed them disapprovingly, before stiffly returning to serve customers.
The boyfriend laughingly kissed all over Rachel's flustered face, which was epically mortified as witnesses cheered them on. Then he smilingly guided her to his car as though she were handicapped. Opening the door, his face beamed adoration as she gratefully disappeared from public view.
As the car took off, and Ray waited a short moment before starting his engine to follow. Despite the light-hearted moment, Ray knew Rachel's new boyfriend was not a soft guy. He moved with a unique agility that spoke more than fitness - he was a fighter. Ray wondered what kind of sport he engaged in. It triggered his curiosity. But not half as much as Rachel did.
*******
"I hate lukewarm coffee, but that was fucking lucky. You could have been seriously burned," Ben frowned over the wheel. "Are you sure you're ok?"
Rachel nodded, sitting stiff as a statue.
Noticing her discomfit from the corner of his eye, Ben smiled. "Relax, Rae."
"I'm covered in coffee!" she shrilly replied. "Your car-!"
"I don't care. I only need this thing to get me from point A to B," he said offhandedly.
Looking around the glossy interior, Rachel didn't believe him. Before she could push the point, she fell silent as Ben parked.
"What?" he answered her questioning stare, clicking his belt undone. "They do good coffee here."
"Oh." Rachel cringed, remembering why they had none. "Can...can I wait here?"
"Nope," Ben grinned.
When they reached the shop entrance, Ben reached around her to open the door and usher her in before she could retreat. Rachel kept her head down as Ben led her to a free table. He laughed at her dejected expression, and bent to kiss her cheek.
"Cheer up, baby bunny."
"Everyone's looking at me," she complained wretchedly.
"Because you're acting weird. Come on, Rae, don't make me look like a bad guy."
"Huh?" she peeked up at his exasperated face.
"Give me a smile!" he insisted, sighing with exaggerated relief when she tremulously complied. "That's better. I'm going to order. If you run, I'll be forced to embarrass us both."
Given Rachel tried to evade him twice, and once succeeded, Ben felt compelled to add a warning statement whenever they separated.
Rachel kept her head down, discreetly fixing her eyes on the table surface as Ben walked off. A few minutes later, she lifted her gaze to clash with the direct stare of a man standing outside the store. Of course her paranoia was playing up again, because after blinking once, he was clearly reading a poster pinned across one of the windows.
Tall and broad-shouldered like Ben, he reminded Rachel of those friendly neighbourhood men always halting traffic for unruly children chasing soccer balls, or rushing to help old ladies with shopping. His hair was a light ash-brown, his features mildly attractive. Ben was much better looking, she decided.
"And I hoped you only had eyes for me," Ben wryly interrupted her musing, taking the seat beside her.
"Oh! I didn't..!" Rachel exclaimed, blushing guiltily. "I mean, it wasn't..." When her eyes nervously returned to the window, the man was gone. Ben sighed theatrically.
"I
suppose
I can tolerate you perving on other men, so long as you don't touch," he said lightly, though his dark eyes narrowed ominously at her.
"T-Thank you," Rachel said, looking appalled as Ben's eyebrows indignantly lifted. "I meant for the coffee!"
"Well, that's a relief," he replied, his fingers extending around his cup to brush hers. "So what happened at work?"
"Oh, I don't know." Remembering Steve and Meredith's confusion, Rachel's brow contracted at the unsolved mystery. "Steve said they got a call-"
"Ben? What a small world!"
Ben and Rachel looked up to the blonde woman paused by their table. Confronted by a conquest he couldn't recollect, Ben wished the world was bigger.
The girl was exceptionally girlish, with glittering gold chains bunched about her neck, and too many silver bracelets to be practical. It was almost unbelievable they didn't hear her jangling approach.
"Hi...?" Ben smiled politely, and questioningly raised his eyebrows.
"Monica," the girl laughed convincingly, and few would be able to tell it was forced. "It's been a while. I lost your number." She looked Rachel up and down, and her smile became fixed. "Is this your sister?"
What a bitch
. Ben's arm tightened around Rachel. She was squirming, and Ben knew she'd excuse herself first chance she got. But she wasn't getting that chance. Ben also knew there was no way in hell he would have given a girl like Monica his number.
"This is Rachel, my girlfriend."
"Oh, how embarrassing. I'm so sorry," Monica gushed without remorse. Her eyes mockingly lingered on the unpalatable brown stains coating Rachel's shirt. "I didn't realise. Anyway, Ben, I recall you're in the editing sphere? I might have-"
"I have to stop you there, Monica." Ben was still smiling, but Rachel was slightly unnerved by the cold edge to his voice. "I'm not taking work at the moment."
Monica's face fell but she took the rejection with good grace, and searched her handbag. "Can't blame a girl for trying, after the time we had. If you change your mind..."
Monica carelessly dropped a business card to the table with a winning smile, which soured as she looked to Rachel, her eyes again settled on her ruined shirt. "Nice to meet you, Rochelle."
"Christ, I dodged a bullet there," Ben muttered, encircling Rachel in his arms and burying his face in her neck. Not caring they were in public, he sensually kissed up her jaw and tried to capture her mouth, but Rachel quickly dodged him.
"People are looking!" she protested in a scandalized whisper, hoping this wasn't going to become one of many occurrences whilst dating Ben. Her day seemed to be descending into one nightmare social incident after another.