Cheesy on the Eyes by Teagan Hunter Page 0,2

the entrance to Slice.

Jaden, my ex, stands in the doorway with the girlfriend I’ve heard whispers about. The tanned, long-legged beauty grins up at him, and he looks at her like she hung the moon.

He used to look at me like that.

My hands begin to shake, and I wish they wouldn’t.

Logically, I know I shouldn’t be affected by him anymore. We’ve been broken up for some time, and he’s usually off galivanting around the world so I don’t have to see him. Even so, it’s a small town, and everyone is aware I haven’t seriously dated anyone since him—just like they know he’s managed to snag some social media influencer as his latest victim and is just here for the summer to show her off.

I’ve managed to avoid a face-to-face confrontation with him since they started dating, but it appears my luck is about to run out.

My eyes scan the crowded restaurant, hoping to find someone nearby I can use as a dummy date so I don’t look so damn pitiful still sitting by myself.

Like a gift sent from above, a guy sitting two booths down rises. He looks vaguely familiar and I’ve likely seen him around town before, but I can’t place where I’d know him from.

I say a quick prayer that he’ll take pity on a desperate woman and wave my arms like a crazy person, thankful Jaden’s girlfriend has them distracted as she fawns over some girl’s purse.

The guy quirks his brow, looking over his shoulder to check and see if it’s him I’m waving at or not.

When he looks back at me, he points to himself, and I nod vigorously, beckoning him closer.

“Yes?”

“Shh!” I hiss. “Lower your voice!”

“Oh, you’re right. My bad. Silly me.” He smirks, and I want to smack it off his lips. “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes.” I point at the bench opposite me. “Sit.”

He glances at the papers spread out across the table, then at the empty seat, and then back to me.

“Uhhh…is this, uh, a game or something?”

“What?” I shake my head, shoving the papers back into my folders haphazardly, clearing them off the table and tossing them onto the seat next to me. “No, it’s not a game. I need your help. I—”

“Are you in trouble?” He cuts me off, leaning closer, his voice now a hushed whisper. “Are you hurt? Is someone following you?”

“What? Oh my god, why are you asking so many questions? Just freakin’ sit before he thinks I’m insane!”

His eyes bounce between the couple at the door and me.

To my surprise—and relief—he sits.

His legs brush against mine as he slides into the spot directly across from me. He stretches his hand out, palm open.

I scowl down at his outstretched hand. “What do you want? Money?”

“Oh my god, why are you asking so many questions? Just freakin’ give me your hand before he thinks you’re insane!”

Holy shit. He’s mocking me.

This stranger is mocking me.

I narrow my eyes at him, and he grins, gesturing for me to follow his instructions.

To my surprise, I do.

I place my hand in his, not missing how rough and calloused his touch feels. He flips my hand over and, with his index finger, starts tracing lines over my palm.

Now my hands are shaking for a whole new reason.

His fingertip glides over me gently, so softly I almost wonder if I’m imagining the contact.

I study him as he studies my hand.

Though his hair is mostly tucked beneath a baseball cap he has spun backward, a few light brown curls peek out around his ears. He’s wearing a distressed, army green shirt I’m sure has seen better days, yet it still molds to his athletic build perfectly. Dark blue eyes that look bright against his sun-kissed skin follow whatever it is he’s doing with his fingers, his thick lips parted as he watches his movements.

“And this line,” the stranger says, his smooth, deep voice drawing me in like a fly to a trap, “means when I grow some balls and finally ask for your hand in marriage, you’ll say yes before I can even get the full sentence out. Fate is that sure of us, baby.”

Hold the phone…marriage? What the—

“Thea.”

My attention snaps to Jaden, who’s now standing at the end of the table with his new girlfriend. His eyes dart between mine and my hand, which the stranger is still caressing.

“This is an…interesting surprise.”

The disdain in his voice is hard to miss.

Funny considering I’m the one who should be pissed off. He’s the one