I round the corner as I check off the last item on my list. With my attention down on the paper instead of in front of me, I bump into something, rather someone, as they let out a loud, “Ow!”
“Oh my God, sorry! Are you okay? I was too busy checking off my list and not paying attention!” I babble on and on, but when I finally look at the person I just smacked my cart into, my mouth falls open.
I’d know those eyes anywhere.
The ones that make my heart pound faster.
The ones that make my blood rush through my ears.
The ones that make me lose all focus.
Brown, soft, and loving.
Ones I no longer deserve.
Ones belonging to the one and only.
Tyler Reed.
“Lo?” Tyler says. He shoves his hands in his pockets, his cart forgotten.
No way this is happening right now.
It’s like I manifested him here.
I didn’t want to see him, hadn’t thought of him since that stupid picture, and now he’s here.
All the feelings come rushing back.
“I... uh… I… I gotta run. Sorry about that.” I don’t wait for a response. I steer my cart around him and hurry to the checkout. With a quick look behind me, I don’t see him and breathe a sigh of relief.
Once again, I run away like a coward. But I’m taken aback, not expecting to ram my cart into him. I can’t even begin to process it all.
I quickly check out and walk to my car.
But something’s wrong.
My car looks lower on one side.
I walk around to the driver’s side, and that’s when my stomach drops. The back tire. Completely flat.
What the hell? It was fine the whole ride over here.
There’s a spare in the trunk, but I barely remember how to change it. Drew showed me only once back when I first started driving.
All right, deep breaths. I’m an adult now. I can handle this, right? I think I still have AAA. Otherwise, I’ll call a tow truck to take me to a shop. But first, I’m going to try it myself.
Taking my keys out, I pop the trunk and unlock the doors. After loading my groceries into the back seat, I look inside the trunk for the spare. There it is, sitting underneath the pad of fabric. There are also tools. All of it looks foreign to me.
“Everything okay?”
His voice runs over me like melted chocolate. Warm and comforting. It irritates the hell out of me, especially right now. I didn’t want him to come out and see me needing help. I got this.
“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.”
“You sure? Seems like you got a flat tire to me.”
“No dip, sherlock. But I got it. I know how to change it.”