Chapter 9

Irritation flooded Sienna's emotions as she scooted into the window seat, expecting Riley to sit beside her. Instead, it was Mia who settled next to her. Across the table were Anne and Riley. Mia nudged Sienna, sensing the tension radiating from her.

"If looks could kill, you've already murdered Anne by now," Mia leaned over and whispered with a sly smile.

"What do you want to order?" Riley asked, piquing Sienna's attention, but Sienna rolled her eyes when she saw that Riley was focused on Anne. What's her deal? she hissed inwardly.

"What's the bestseller here? I want to try something... I don't know, something new," Anne said, tilting her head and looking at Riley with a sweet smile.

"Alright, I'll get one of their bestsellers," Riley replied, nodding enthusiastically. She then turned to Mia and Sienna. "How about you two?"

Before Sienna could respond, Mia stood up. "I'll just go with you, Rile. Let's order together," she said, smiling before winking at Sienna.

Sienna and Anne were left alone at the table. Sienna exasperatedly sighed, while Anne scoffed and leaned forward. "You're Reed, right?" she asked, confirming her suspicion.

"Yeah, why do you care?" Sienna replied curtly, annoyance lacing her voice. Anne shrugged and laughed.

"Anne Montgomery," she said, extending her hand.

"I heard Riley a while ago, loud and clear. Sienna Reed here," Sienna replied, shaking Anne's hand.

Anne sat up straight and rested her chin on her clasped hands. "So, what's your deal with Riley?"

Sienna almost choked on her own saliva at the absurd question. "What? What do you mean?"

Anne raised an eyebrow, studying Sienna intently. "I don't know; you seem annoyed by my presence here. Either you're jealous or—"

"Jealous?! Hah! No!" Sienna gritted her teeth. This girl is really getting under her skin; it was infuriating!

"Aren't you? Well then, can I have Riley?" Anne asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. Sienna raised her brow.

"The hell I care."

"You sure about that?" Anne smirked, glancing over at Riley. "Riley's nice, right? Can be a bit of a player, but she seems to be good at everything..."

Sienna gulped. Good at everything? "Say, aren't you interested in her, even a little?" Anne leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued.

"For goodness' sake, no—" Sienna hesitated, glancing at Riley, who was laughing with Mia. Riley was nice, sure, but she wasn't a—Sienna brushed the thought aside. "Let's just drop the topic."

Both Riley and Mia returned, balancing a tray filled with their orders. "Here's yours, Sien," Riley said, placing a slice of Raspberry Cheesecake in front of Sienna. "That's your favorite, right? Mia didn't get your order, so I just picked one," she explained, setting a vanilla bean frappe down beside it. Sienna felt her heart flutter. Riley knew her favorites.

"And here's yours, Anne," Riley continued, smiling as she placed a slice of Lavender Honey Cake and an iced Americano in front of Anne.

Mia set down her order and placed Riley's paper bag on the table. "What's in this?" she asked, glancing at Riley.

"That's mine—something to snack on when I'm hungry," Riley replied, picking up the paper bag and setting it beside her.

Anne clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Want to try some?" she asked, leaning in to feed Riley.

"I bought it for you," Riley said, stopping Anne with a gentle laugh. Anne pouted in response.

Sienna scoffed, a mischievous idea forming in her mind. "Riley," she called, signaling for her to lean closer.

"Oh?" Riley leaned across the table, curiosity evident in her eyes. In a bold move, Sienna pierced a small piece of her cake, cupping Riley's cheek with her other hand before feeding her a bite.

Riley was taken aback, her eyes wide with surprise. "Yummy, right?" Sienna asked, her voice playful. Gulping, Riley nodded and leaned back, her cheeks flushed. It felt like déjà vu.

Anne stifled a laugh, scoffing softly. Sienna wore a triumphant smile, glancing at Anne as if to say she had won this round.

Mia burst into laughter, her gaze fixed on Riley, who was blushing like crazy.

Pacing back and forth, Sienna bit her lower lip, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions that Anne's words had stirred. Why was she even wasting her time thinking about anything related to Riley? It made no sense, yet the thoughts wouldn't leave her.

She had been home for a while, but rest seemed impossible. Deciding a brisk walk might clear her head, she opened her door—only to find Riley about to enter the unit across from hers.

Riley glanced up, startled by the sound of the door opening. Sienna swallowed hard. Great timing.

Sienna's eyes landed on the paper bag Riley was holding. "Did you just get home?" she asked.

Riley nodded. "Yeah."

Sienna was about to retreat back into her unit when Riley's hand gently stopped her. "Wait," Riley said, extending the paper bag toward her. "It's for you."

Sienna blinked in surprise. "What's this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley smiled shyly, her gaze avoiding Sienna's. "I'm not sure if you'll like it... but I noticed you love cake. So, I bought some mini cakes earlier."

Sienna was taken aback by the unexpected gesture. Riley had been paying attention—she felt an odd sense that she was somehow important.

"It's not much," Riley added hesitantly, "but I hope you'll like them. I wasn't sure about the flavors, though."

Sienna stared at the bag, her heart softening at the thoughtfulness behind it. "Thank you," she murmured, a genuine smile forming on her lips.

"Right," Riley said, carefully letting go of Sienna's arms. "I should head inside."

Riley was about to unlock her door when Sienna's voice stopped her. "Can we talk?" Sienna asked hesitantly. "We can eat this together," she added, lifting the paper bag.

Sienna wasn't sure what had her to propose that, but before she knew it, she was inside Riley's unit... again. Sitting on the couch, she buried her face in her palms as the realization hit her. Why was she doing this? Why did she feel like she needed to explain herself? She had made things clear before—hadn't she? "I hope you were a guy." The words echoed in her mind, and she cringed. Idiot, she scolded herself.

The door to Riley's bedroom opened, pulling Sienna from her thoughts. "What's there to talk about?" Riley asked, closing her bedroom door, and walking toward the living area. She leaned on the sofa across from Sienna, her expression unreadable.

Sienna gripped the paper bag tighter, remaining silent.

"Sien..." Riley began, her voice soft.

"It's not what you think it is," Sienna blurted out, making Riley frown.

"What are you talking about?" Riley asked, moving closer. She sat on the edge of the coffee table, directly in front of Sienna, and gently lifted her chin, forcing Sienna to meet her gaze.

"What's wrong?" Riley's voice was full of concern.

Sienna bit her lip, her eyes darting from Riley's eyes to her lips and back again. "Fuck, I want to kiss you," she muttered under her breath, then froze in horror as she realized she'd said it out loud.

Riley's eyes widened as Sienna covered her mouth. "What?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I... I didn't mean... I..." Sienna stammered, burying her face in her hands. "Shit! I messed up!"

Riley swallowed hard, her emotions clearly visible, yet restrained.

"It was just a slip of the tongue. Forget I said anything," Sienna rambled, standing abruptly. She moved toward the door, but Riley was faster.

"Riley?" Sienna swallowed, her pulse quickening as she saw the intensity in Riley's eyes, she lift up Sienna's chin before leaning in for a kiss.

Sienna stood frozen in shock, but the light kiss quickly ignited something deeper inside her. The paper bag fell to the floor as Sienna wrapped her arms around Riley's neck, pulling her closer. The kiss intensified, fueled by their feelings as if they'd both kept it for so long. Sienna barely registered the cold door against her back—all she felt was Riley, the heat between them, the urgency.

But just as quickly as it started, Riley pulled away, her breath ragged, and her laughter bitter. "I like you still," Riley said softly, her voice cracking. "But I'm not a guy."

The words stab Sienna like a knife to her chest.

"Ri—"

"No matter what I do, Sienna... I'll never be a guy," Riley continued, stepping back and picking up the paper bag from the floor. She held it out to Sienna, her eyes filled with a sadness that tore at Sienna's heart.

"Riley..." Sienna's voice trembled as she cupped Riley's cheek, her thumb brushing softly against her skin. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I can't change that," Riley whispered, leaning in to place a soft kiss on Sienna's forehead. "I'm sorry, Sien. I'm sorry for liking you."

Sienna stood in stunned silence as Riley turned away. She barely remembered how she made it back to her own unit. The door closed behind her, and she slid down to the floor, burying her face in her knees as sobs wracked her body.