One Night Stand

Chapter 3...

"Do you even know where you are going?" I asked, twenty minutes later. We've been walking forever and it was clear James had no idea where to go. He thought I hadn't noticed him looking around wearily but I had. We passed the same cafe twice already and I knew we were going around in circles.

I've refrained from saying anything but my clothes had dried and now felt even more disgusting on me and my feet were starting to hurt in my heels.

"Yes I do." James's voice didn't sound too confident though.

"You know we've passed the same cafe twice." I pointed behind us.

"No we haven't." I found it funny how he was trying to act all cool and nonchalant but it wasn't working.

"James." I called out as I started to slow down. He didn't seem to hear me as he kept walking. "James!" People around me stared as I yelled but it finally got his attention. Realizing I wasn't beside him walked quickly back to me.

"What?" He was still wearing his stupid hat and sunglasses so I couldn't see his expression.

"Just...just come with me." Unconsciously I grabbed his hand and tugged him towards a store up ahead. The little bit I could see from passing by it I liked. I wasn't going to complain about anything as long as I get out of these dirty clothes.

James didn't say a word as I dragged him to the store. I tried not to think about how nice his hand fit in mine; it completely incased my small hand.

I knew I picked the right store the moment I walked in. It wasn't your typical expensive, work or dress store here in New York. It looked like it had clothes that I would wear thankfully. With my hand still in his I weaved in between people to get to a section that was my style and size.

"Are you sure you want to shop here? We can go somewhere else that is...nicer." I shook my head.

"No this is perfect."

As I looked around I felt eyes on us. At first I thought I was being paranoid but glancing around I noticed women checking us out, well more like James. I could feel the curiosity coming off of everyone, wondering why this tall guy was dressed the way he was. Even though no one could see his face they were definitely checking out his wide shoulders and nice ass in his jeans.

"So...why the hat and sunglasses?" I asked a few minutes later, still browsing the store. James has kept near me the entire time, not letting me out of sight.

"It's really sunny." He shrugged. I fought back a laugh at his lame excuse.

"In a store?"

"I get sunburnt easily." This time I couldn't hold back my laughter. James smiled along with me but didn't say any more.

"You do realize you look stupid right?"

"Um excuse me it is very fashionable."

"More like 'I am secretly a stalker and have killed people'."

"No it doesn't!"

"Just speaking the truth." I shrugged, turning away from him so he wouldn't see the grin on my face. I've only known the guy twenty minutes and he has already made me smile more than I have in the last year. I heard James mutter something under his breath but didn't hear it all.

For the next few minutes the two of us moved around the store. James kept grabbing things and trying to get me to try them on, but they had to be some of the ugliest clothing. I felt bad for anyone he has ever shopped for.

When I finally found some simple jeans and a cute off the shoulder shirt I went to try them on. While I changed I found myself questioning what I was doing. I was literally walking around with some stranger just because he spilt coffee on me. I should have said no and gone home. Who knew what he wanted or what he would do.

Sure he didn't give off that 'creepy, killer' vibe but I only knew his name for crying out loud. If my parents knew I was with some random guy I wouldn't hear the end of it. Every week I still get the 'don't talk to strangers, don't trust anyone' speech. Sometimes my parents forget I am 27 years old not 15.

After getting these clothes you are going to say goodbye Lily and get back to work. I told myself. I couldn't afford any distractions right now and I could tell James would be a huge distraction.

Peeling off my dirty clothes I put them in a pile next to the door. I already felt cleaner without them touching my skin. Who knew a cup of coffee could do so much damage. I glanced at myself as I changed into clean clothes.

My light brown hair was pulling into a loose bun at the top of my head, a few pieces sticking out from walking around with James outside. I had some pretty serious bags under my eyes from no sleep, trying to get my stories in on time. I was pretty much average when it came to the looks department.

I had a slightly big nose that I always hated, freckles across my nose, lips that were red from biting on while I was nervous, and pale blue eyes. I hadn't gain much weight after college but enough to let you know I liked pizza more than the gym. I was probably the last person a guy like James would ever go after.

I was in the middle of pulling on the jeans when a knocked sounded on the dressing room door I was in, making me jump, clenching my hands to my chest.

"Lily?" James voice filtered through the door.

"Yeah?" I called out, my heart racing.

"Can you hurry in there?"

"Uh why?"

"Theres an old lady that keeps following me around."

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes. "You'll be fine."

"No she's stalking me!" He hissed. Laughing under my breath I wiggled into the jeans. Outside the door I could hear James shuffling around which just made my smile grow.

Hearing James muttering things and knocking on my door every few seconds I hurried to get changed. Thankfully everything I picked fit perfectly. Just as James knocked on the door for the eighth time I grabbed my dirty clothes, my purse, and opened the door. No way was I putting them on again.

"Finally." James breathed as he turned around the look at me. I watched as his mouth opened and his eyes raked up and down my form. The way he was staring at me made my stomach tighten and a blush form on my cheeks. It's been a long time since someone looked at me like that.

"You okay?" I breathed, my voice low. I found my hand itching at my side, wanting to reach up and pull those sunglasses off. I wanted to see what color of eyes he had and if they were the striking blue I was picturing in my head.

"Y-Yeah." He coughed. "I'm good." We awkwardly stood there for a minute, not looking away from each other. James cleared his throat and took a step back. "Ready to go?"

Not trusting my voice I nodded. As he headed towards the check out counter I shook my head at myself.

Lily don't even think about it.