FALLEN: A New Adult Romance (First of the FALLEN Trilogy)

Envy, Jealousy & Other Sins

"Yes. For sure." I tell her and kneel down the counter to pick up aprons and clean utensils. "It's so special with Ash. It's like, have you ever felt like bursting into flames only by the look somebody gives you?"

"Oh yeah..." She moans, and I frown at her from the floor. What was that?!

"I wasn't ready for such enthusiasm..." I tease her, counting the number of knives I take into my hand, but her stare ahead weirds me out. "What are you looking at?"

"The god that makes my sex burst into flames." She lets out as Veronica turns on her charms and heads to the client with a menu to greet him to the restaurant. "Hi, welcome to Nando's. Is it your first time here?"

"It is." I can barely hear the man say.

"You seem strangely familiar. Have I seen you before?" I hear her being cosy with the client, which isn't the first time, but it feels weird, making me frown again.

"No, it's my first time in Manchester."

"So, will someone be joining you, or will you be dining alone?"

"It will be only me, but I was actually looking for someone. Maybe you can help me."

"Anything for you, I mean, yeah, I can help you."

I stand back up with the forks to go with the knives I counted to dress up the empty tables and laugh at Ronnie's clumsiness. Never a man makes her feel something else than confidence, so this man must be something. I look up and see only his broad shoulders and the smitten face of my best friend. I find myself very amused by her behaviour. I try to look at him better. He is tall with caramel brown locks. I slide my eyes lower to have a long appreciative glance at his bum. The skinny black jeans he wears shows me how firm but round his cheeks are. This man is literally the man candy Ronnie loves.

I look at her from behind the client's back and giggle silently on my way to the tables to dress them and do some of the job I should have done earlier. As the curious one I am, I walk the entire floor to make sure I can have a glimpse of the man to whom she is talking.

She was right. He is gorgeously hot. I don't stare that much, but his beauty is at the finest line between sweetness and sexiness. I look at the clock over the counter on my way back to the entrance. It is a bit past 8PM. I am sure Ronnie can make him wait three hours for her to be done with work and bring him home after her shift. It wouldn't be the first time she does.

"Grace." I hear my name, so I turn around. Ronnie comes back from giving a table to her client. "The walking sex machine I told you about is looking for you."

"Me? Why me when you are all over him?" I poke my tongue at her, which fuels her to tease me in response.

"I was asking myself the same thing."

"Who is it? If he asks for me, I must know him."

"I don't know, but please introduce us." She practically begs me, and I shake my head quickly, not having any problem with it if I indeed know who this person is.

I quickly wash my hands and dry them on my uniform. I follow Ronnie to her mystery panty-dropping god. We walked to her section, and she unsurprisingly put him at her favourite table. It's kind of hidden amongst the back of the restaurant, so she always heads there to talk as it can barely be seen from the other employees unless you purposely walk there.

I walk to the table and notice first his hands on the menu. They are pretty big with long fingers that reminds me of Ash's. I also see the watch on his left wrist, hinting that he is right-handed and of his wealth as it is a gorgeous expensive watch.