Coffee {Jaya AU}

Chapter 4

***I've created a short playlist to listen to while writing this book, but it's only four songs long, so now I have the same four songs stuck in my head LOL***

***(Jay's POV)***

I have a feeling that if I don't get Nya to trust me soon, I'm never going to see her again after today. And that just isn't going to work.

I'm surprised she even agreed to come to my apartment, to be honest. I guess she realizes that anyone who returned her purse and made sure she didn't die in a train accident can't be that bad.

I finish bandaging up her wrists and give her elbow a pat. "All good."

"Thanks." She doesn't meet my eyes.

This is probably the point where I'm supposed to take her back to the café so she can get home and leave Ninjago City forever. I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that, though.

I clear my throat. "So..." I riffle through my list of conversation starters. "What movies do you like?"

"I typically don't watch movies or television," she admits. "When I'm not busy with work, I'm, uh..."

"Reading?" I help her.

"Exactly."

We both know she's also avoiding the police at every waking moment, but no need to dampen the mood.

I cough. "Speaking of reading, uh...would you...like to check out one of my books?" Not the one I wrote that's dedicated to her, but the other ones.

She shrugs. "Um, I really should be getting back home."

I scoff in mock offense. "I already called off work today for you. You're just going to leave me here with nothing to do?"

"You could do your homework or something. You were telling me about your midterm project earlier – the one about interviewing retired police officers. It wouldn't hurt to put in a few more hours on that, right?"

"I'm a chronic procrastinator." I shoot her my most winsome smile.

Her lips quirk a little, and she crosses her arms in front of her stomach. "I'm not the best company, Jay."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true. I think you're really interesting, and I hate being alone, so even if you weren't interesting, we'd make things work. Uh, but the thing is, I just have a feeling you really are interesting – that was never in question for me – and...I guess I'm trying to say I'd like to get to know you better."

She gives me a skeptical look.

Well, I guess that came off well.

"What's so interesting about me, Jay?" she finally says, ending a tense silence. "Is it my life of blatant crime? I guess someone like you would find that very intriguing."

"No, no, no," I reassure her. "This – no, this isn't about that, Nya. I just – I really, really like you." I laugh nervously as the words pour out of my mouth. "And...I want to find out more about you." I take her fingers in mine, squeezing them.

Golly, I never thought I'd actually get this close to her. Nya's always lived in my fantasies, and aside from occasionally brushing her hand when I brought her drink to her at work, today's the first day I've ever touched her.

She looks down at our joined hands. "Why do you like me? We don't even know each other."

I want to spend the rest of my life figuring out who she is, though. "I just like you, Nya. I can't explain it." I give her one of my sweet 'I'm innocent' expressions that always works on my mom.