A/N

Due to not having time to edit this chapter as a result of life, it is a bit sloppy xD.

❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚

It's her. The woman whose hand I had burned that morning.

And she's half-naked.

Okay, this is a beach. Everyone around us is wearing minimum clothing, including the shirtless six-pack dude standing next to her. But the heat surging to my cheeks like a sunburn makes this a very, very different experience. Especially when her toned body, her abs, the way her sculpted cheekbone twitches as she frowns at me, her blonde hair framing her face perfectly, and the rose/butterflies tattoo on her arm are on full display. To top it off, she's standing so... so tall, with confidence radiating off her like the sun's rays.

Or maybe it's because I just dropped a glass cup and people are staring at me, but either way, the urge to stick my face in the cooler of ice beneath the stand is overwhelming.

"You need some help in cleaning up that mess?" she asks, the corners of her lips lifting. That's when I notice... her ocean blue eyes are actually glinting with amusement. She's... enjoying this...

I shake my head. "No, I... just one second." I'd rather clean up my mess myself, besides, considering I have hurt her earlier that day, she might very well be planning on murdering me out of sight behind the stand.

She places her elbows on top of the counter with a sigh and cradles her chin in her hands. "Well, hurry up. I don't have all day."

Grabbing a handful of paper towels and a hand towel, I quickly soak up all the liquid and wrap the glass in the towel before stuffing everything into the small garbage can. When I stand back up, I almost trip backwards when the woman's face comes into view just inches away from mine.

She smirks. "No wonder why you almost murdered me this morning, fruit tart. You're a mess everywhere."

"Hold on, you're the girl who-?" the guy speaks up, pointing toward the woman's bandaged hand. I cringe unconsciously at the sight of it.

"It was an accident," I quickly interject and turn to her. "And I'm really sorry... again... but I wasn't trying to-"

She waves her good hand dismissively. "Sure you weren't."

"I wasn't!" Why is that so hard to believe?

"Look, I only came here cuz my friend here-" she jerks her head to the man "- dragged me here. And I don't have time to chit chat, so how about you just whip up two of those mango smoothies and we can both go about our day? Chris here will pay for them."

That definitely sounds like a good plan.

"Yeah, coming right up!" I chirp out loud.

Even over the sounds of the freshly peeled mangoes being tortured in the blender, I can hear the woman arguing with the man. None of the words are clear, but I know they're talking about me. Why is she evoking a mess out of me? I'm not usually this clumsy. Yet this woman, this confident, hot woman, has managed to make me burn her hand and break a glass cup, all in one day.

Turning off the blender and taking out the bottle of Ki No Bi, I think back to this morning. Not the... spilling part or when I fell because she flung the cup at me, but what happened before that. The fleeting sense of recognition that the woman looked awfully familiar to the one my brother used to date. One who broke his heart and prompted him to move to Korea on a "healing journey".

With a sigh, I pour the smoothie into two cups with ice at the bottom and leave some space at the top for the alcohol. There's no way my brother would ever date a girl like that. Not in the sense that she's too pretty or walks around like she owns everything and everybody, but she just... I don't know, but she seems the opposite of my brother's type.

"Oh no..." I mutter under my breath when I realize I poured too much gin into one of the smoothies.

Glancing back, the woman is running her hand through her hair before rubbing the back of her neck. She sighs before catching me staring at her. And when that obnoxious smirk returns, I decide that maybe a little more alcohol for her won't hurt.

I grab that smoothie and, with a beaming smile, hand it to her. "Here you go, ma'am!"

"About time," she says, annoyance stemming from her. Just as her fingers curl around the cup, they brush against mine for just a second. I notice the corner of her mouth twitch just a bit at the contact before she raises the rim to her lips. She takes a as my heart beats loudly with anticipated dread that she will not like it when a look of content spreads over her face. "This is not bad, fruit tart. How much?"

"It's on the house." I actually shouldn't be giving it to her for free. It costs fifteen dollars. But if it could possibly appease her...

Instead, she furrows her eyebrows at me. "Is this an attempt to make up for this morning? Because it's going to take a lot more than that."

"Maybe? I mean, I..."

"Well, it's not going to work. Do you even realize the damage you did to me?" She waves her bandaged hand around. "Now I have to hope my hand won't look like Freddy Krueger by the time it heals."

Tears threaten to spill out of me, but I hold them back. This isn't the time or place to cry. I already feel so bad about the incident, and she keeps yapping at me.

"And what about when you flung that cup at me? You threw it at my face."

She scoffs. "Is your face covered in blisters? I don't think so."

Before I can reply with something, she walks away, leaving her essence behind like the leftover remains of a tornado. I don't know what I could have said anyway.

The man turns to me with a chuckle. "Sorry about my friend. Natalie is just having a... hard day today."

I've completely forgotten about his existence until he spoke. Also, wait a minute... her name is... Natalie? I thought it would be Maleficent or something.

"No worries!" I smile and hand him the second smoothie. "Here's your cup."

"Thanks. How much for it?"

"Fifteen dollars."

He hands two twenty dollar bills. "Here's forty, for both. Keep the change."

"Oh, no, I said it's on the -"

"Yeah, but my friend shouldn't have talked to you like that."

I smile and accept the money. "Thank you! I hope we'll see you here again!" Even though I secretly wish I won't.

He winks. "You can count on that." Taking a sip of the smoothie, he walks off in the opposite direction of where the woman, Natalie, has gone. Whom I can still see. Even in the crowd and a good distance away, she stands out like a queen among her peasants.

And yet, even when another customer comes up to the counter, my eyes stay glued to her until she disappears out of sight like fog on a sunny day.

❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚

It's finally 7:30 PM, which is an hour earlier than when we usually close. We, meaning me and my best friend Sadie, who helps me out here most of the time. We started up this small venture together as something fun to do that doesn't involve our parents. We've only opened this summer because I turned twenty-one five months ago. But today has been one of those days where Sadie's stuck doing "personal stuff". And I don't like being out here alone during late hours.

After making sure everything is locked and secured, I make my way through the people still mingling about the beach. The sun is just kissing the ocean, eager to disappear behind the glimmering blue waters. Its warm rays spread over the beach, embracing everything with an ambient light. Pink, orange, and red paint the sky, each color weaving around the setting sun.

I stand outside the parking lot just for a little while. The Santa Monica sunset really is one of the most beautiful sights to see, and no matter how many times I watch it, it's always breathtaking.

Once the sun is halfway behind the horizon, I walk toward my white Jeep and unlock it when I notice a familiar baby blue color out of my periphery. Glancing in that direction, my heart almost stops. It's her. Again. The woman called Natalie.

And she does not look too well.

She's fumbling with her keys, trying to open her car that looks to be an Audi. After several attempts, they clatter to the ground. Grasping the door handle, she supports herself while bending down to retrieve them. Unsuccessfully.

Oh no ... the amount of alcohol that I accidentally poured into the smoothie must have done this, although it was still a small amount and not enough to create this effect. I think... Noo, I feel partially responsible for this. Okay, wait, I am fully responsible for this. Oh my god, first I burned her hand, now I got her drunk. Why am I such a mess today?

Taking a deep breath, I approach her. Once I'm a few feet away, I can hear her mumbling as her hand blindly grasps at the keys on the cement until they finally grab them.

"Hi, uh, Natalie, right? I... don't think you should drive."

She turns around to face me, a look of surprise plastered on her face. "Excuse me?" She squints at me.

"You're obviously drunk, and you can't drive."

She scoffs. "Please, I'll be totally fine. Isn't it past your curfew?"

"No. Look, I'm not letting you drive. I can take you to your place."

"How do I know you're... not going ... to murder me?"

"I guess you'll have to trust me."

"Trust..." she throws her head back and laughs. "That stupid word. Nobody can be trusted, and once you do trust someone, they just burn it to the ground."

I blink confusedly. What is she even talking about?

"Please, Natalie, let me take you home."

She scans my face, her expression softening just a little. Even in her intoxicated state, she doesn't fail to radiate that confidence. And it doesn't help that she towers over me to the point that I have to raise my head all the way up to meet her eyes

"Okay, fine." Taking a step toward me, she stumbles over her own feet and crashes into me. The impact knocks the air out of me when her hands land right on my chest. I barely manage to hold her up by her waist as she uprights herself and looks down at me with a mischievous smile. "Good thing you caught me. I'd hate to be on my knees for a girl like you."

Huh? On her knees? For a girl like me?

"Yeah, that would be bad. I know that knee replacements cost like... thousands of dollars," I stammer.

"What?" she breathed.

"What?" I repeat.

With a sigh, she shakes her head. "Where's your car?"

I point to my white Jeep standing just fifty or sixty feet away. "Shouldn't you hold on to me?"

"Right, like you could handle me."

"I can too," I retort. "Just because I'm skinny and not all muscular-ly like you doesn't mean I can't support your weight until the car."

She smirks. "Oh, you've been checking me out, fruit tart?"

My face burns even hotter than before. "Just lean onto me."

"Fine," she sighs as she slings her arm across my shoulder. Trying not to think about how much she smells like roses and lemon, I sturdy myself at the heavy pressure of her body weight. "If you drop me though and break my neck..."

"I won't."

It isn't a confident promise at all, but she seems to accept those words as she leans onto me. Half-dragging a woman twice my size and who keeps looking at me while playing with my hair is not something I had in mind of doing today. Especially a woman who thinks I was attempting to murder her.

We finally reach the car, but as soon as I open the backdoor, she crashes backward and lands with a plop on the leather cushions. Her long legs dangle out a little, so I manage to tuck them in before closing.

Once I climb into the front and turn on the engine, I glance in the rearview mirror and ask, "Okay, so where do you live?"

Not receiving a reply or the usual scoff, I turn to find her asleep on the backseat. Oh man, I knew this was a bad idea. Now what I'm supposed to do? Although... I guess I could bring her to my condo. After all, I still live there while searching for a roommate as per my parents' requirements if I want to live on my own.

I can't tell if this is a good or bad idea, or neither, but I only hope that nothing will go wrong.

❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚

With sweat sliding down my face from the LA heat and physical work, I finally reach the front door to my condo with Natalie holding onto me like her life depends on it. My whole body aches as I open the door and close it behind us. Good thing the complex has an elevator.

Natalie groans and covers her eyes when I turn on the lights. "Why is it so bright?" she asks, her words still slurring together before looking around. Her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, this is a nice... place you got ."

"Let's get you to the bedroom," I grunt as she leans more heavily on me.

She grins. "Well, someone is eager."

Yes, I'm certainly very eager to get her weight off my shoulders and back. Perhaps I could have brought her to the couch, but I couldn't do that to her. She might roll over and fall face first onto the floor.

But maybe I should have thought it through.

Because as soon as we reach the foot of the bed, she crashes onto the pink covers and drags me down with her. And with her arm wrapped around my shoulder blades, I find my face squashed against the pillows.At least my head didn't bang against the headboard.

As soon as I manage to gasp a breath of fresh air and turn to face Natalie, I try to wriggle out of her grasp but her strength pins me down. The corners of her lips twitch upward, and the glint of amusement in her ocean blue eyes tells me that she is enjoying this.

"You're... crushing me," I breathe.

With a smirk, she loosens her grip, allowing me to turn over on my back. But when I try to sit up, her warm hand wraps around my arm.

"Where are you hurrying off to?" she asks.

"To uh... to get to bed," I stammer, avoiding to glance at her since she's still in just a bra underneath an unbuttoned shirt.

"But you're already... in... bed..." She pulls me back. "I'm just going to let you know that I'm not in the mood tonight."

That causes me to look at her in bewilderment. "What do you mean? What mood?"

"You know what," she states before settling back into the mattress and closing her eyes.

Why is she always speaking in riddles?

"I... uh... I don't know--"

"Just stay with me tonight, okay? Please? I don't want to be alone."

Did she actually say "please"? Huh, alcohol definitely does have the power to bring out unexpected sides from some people.

That's when it clicked... She must have meant the s word... Heat floods my sweat-stricken face as the realization hits. Even though I'm not into girls and have never--

"Mira?" she interrupts my thoughts.

Glancing at her, she not only looks beautiful, but everything is in place. Even her loose hair strands still dance around her face perfectly. And the warmth from her hand still sears into my skin like the sun.

"Okay."

She nods before slowly releasing her hold on me.

And even though I'm free to leave, I stay.