Higher Stakes [Strings: Part 1]

Chapter 12: Got to be the heat

The day couldn’t get any better for the smitten Lovato girl. After a visit from her best friend in the whole wide world, Demi went out for a little cruising with her sister, Dallas Lovato.

They went to Forever 21 store for a little shopping. Not really little though but not too massive spending. But who cares, girls do love to shop till they’re drop. Not literally.

New clothes, new heels and leggings too, the Lovato girls decided to take a little break and headed to Starbucks. As usual the lines to the counters were long and Demi decided to stay in line and grab 2 ice coffees for her and her sister. Dallas just waited in her car, talking to her phone with her boyfriend.

Waiting in line to the first counter, Demi stood there looking down at her phone minding her own business. She plugged earpiece into her Iphone and listened to random music. Aretha Franklin came up singing ‘I say a little prayer’.

Moving forward one step at a time, she looked around and waited. There were couples in the café. Some were talking over their drinks. Some were just enjoying their company. Some just was staring at each other, madly in love. Sometimes, Demi wondered what if Trace and she would this kind of gestures. But, right now, all she could think about is Bradley and his cute dimples.

“May I take your order?” the female Starbucks worker spoke up with a huge welcoming-a-customer-smile. She lifted up her Starbucks specialized notepad and waited.

“2 caffe vanilla frappucino blended to go please.” Demi answered.

“Thank you, miss.” The worker nodded, jotting down immediately at 2 plastic cups and passing them to her peers. She then turned to another customer next to Demi with another welcoming-a-customer smile with a little hint of admiration. “May I take your order sir?”

“I’ll have… the Java chip frappucino blended please.” The male customer replied. “With coffee… and cream.”

Demi recognized that voice. Quickly, pulling the earpiece off her and looked up at the customer at her side. She gawked. “Bradley!”

The newbie Brit turned his head and a smile quickly formed on his face, “Oh hey! Demi, nice seeing you here.”

“Nice seeing you too,” she smiled. He looked down at her with his dimples visible when he smiled. This made her feel a rush inside.

“Dallas, I’m going to hang with Bradley today, is that okay?” Demi was leaning into the window of his sister’s class as she passed over the other Starbucks cold plastic cup. Dallas placed hers in the cup holder and looked over the younger Lovato’s shoulder and noticed Bradley waving at her at the back by the shop’s window. “Sure,” she turned back to Demi. “Don’t be home late okay?”

“Got it.” Demi assured, moving back from the car. Dallas waved goodbye to her sister and rolled up the window and eventually drove off. Demi turned around and faced him and said, “I’m all yours.” She giggled.

“Cute.” He stated. “But not entirely.”

Demi skipped over and grabbed his arm that he offered to her and they both walked off.

****

Walking along the beach with their feet naked in the sand, they traded their Starbucks cup to 2 cups of smoothies, an orange flavor for her and a blackcurrant for him.

Keeping close to his side, she shook her drink many times while sneaking glances of him. She noticed he was also shaking his drink and pouring them into his mouth. One time, he was licking his lips so hard because he accidentally spilled a little. She tittered.

“Go easy on the smoothie,” she said.

Bradley looked at the on the corner of his eyes and had this silly smile on his face. “Here’s a fun fact for you…” he started. Throwing his now empty cup into a nearby trashcan, he turned to her and continued, “Did you know that orange is a type of berry called hesperidium and it’s originally from Southeast Asia.” He took her smoothie and last added, “Plus, it is also known as ‘Chinese apple.”

“Hm, no idea about that.” Demi expressed.

“Now you do know.” He smiled. Acting like nothing wrong, he accidentally drank up her smoothie.

“Bradley!” she startled.

He nearly spitted it out. “What?”

“You drank my smoothie!” she stated.

Looking down, he slowly said, “Bloody hell, didn’t mean too-“

“I’ll just go and grab another one.” Demi suggested. Throwing the straw into the trashcan, she turned around and heading over to the pathway where the portable stalls were. However, she stayed put when Bradley had his hand hooked on her arm.

“I have a better idea.” He calmly told her.

Demi looked at him curiously as he slowly turned her around to face him. He had this sweet smile on his face and all of a sudden, he seized her face and fully kissing her. Her eyes shot up wide. She was taken aback.

He pulled back and whispered, “Do you want to walk by the water?”

“What?” she breathlessly replied.

SNAP!

“I said, do you want to walk by the water?”

Demi shook her head and let her eyes roamed around. Unknown to her, Bradley was perfectly still 2 feet away from her. He was still holding her smoothie. There’s no clue at all that he made any move after the orange smoothie comment. “Um,” she drew out. “Sure.”

It must be the heat.

“Must be the heat.” She said, wiping an invisible sweat off her brow. She skipped off over to him.

Author's note:

Thank you for reading. Review folks or just comment what you feels about the characters.