Introduction - The Coffee Spot
One Monday morning, Ziyanda Rora parked her car in front of The Coffee Spot — the most popular coffee shop in town. Whenever Ziyanda needed coffee, this was the place to be.
She checked the time on her wristwatch and sighed. She was running late, but she needed coffee — especially after the night she’d had. She stepped out of the car and rushed inside, walking in just as someone else was rushing out.
They collided.
The other person’s disposable cup fell, sending hot liquid splashing onto Ziyanda’s white pants before crashing to the floor.
“Shit,” she muttered.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you — you just came out of nowhere,” the other person rambled, eyes wide behind her glasses.
Ziyanda looked up, her irritation momentarily pausing when she took in the girl’s face — soft features, small sharp nose, blue eyes behind those glasses.
“Did it burn you?” the girl asked, her gaze dropping to Ziyanda’s pants. “Of course it did, that was a stupid question. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s cool,” Ziyanda said. “Just… watch where you’re going next time.”
The girl clutched her bag and nodded quickly. A waitress appeared with a mop in hand.
“I’m so sorry for the mess,” the girl said to her.
The waitress smiled kindly. “Don’t worry, mistakes happen.”
The girl gave Ziyanda one last apologetic glance before rushing out. Ziyanda took a deep breath, the sting on her thigh still hot. She debated whether to grab coffee or drive home to change. She sighed and turned back. And that’s exactly why she hated Mondays.
---
Meanwhile, Kayla Anderson gripped her school bag tightly as she rushed across campus. She was late — again — and of course, it was her brother’s fault.
She shouldn’t have gone to The Coffee Spot, but honestly, who started their week without coffee from there?
She hated being late, especially on a Monday. But her big brother always did things his way. She arrived breathless to class and slipped into her seat next to her friend Liam.
Liam gave her a look — not surprised.
Kayla sighed, pulled out her books, and tried to catch up with the lecture.
---
Later that day, Kayla walked into her room at the student residence. Her roommate, Samantha, wasn’t back yet. She dropped her bag on the floor and flopped onto her tiny bed, pulling out her phone to call her mother.
“Hello, my angel,” her mother answered warmly.
“Hi, Mom.”
“I’ve been waiting for your call.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Mondays are always hectic — and I was late. Again.”
Her mother chuckled. “But Andile said he dropped you off on time.”
Kayla groaned. “He dropped me off at res even after I nicely asked him to drop me at The Coffee Spot. Talking about how I should quit coffee — that it’s not good for me. So I had to walk from res to the coffee shop, and from there to campus. Imagine!”
Her mother laughed. “You could’ve gotten coffee somewhere closer.”
“Tried that. You know what happened.”
“Kayla, it’s just coffee,” her mother said, giggling.
“You don’t understand, Mom. The Coffee Spot is the only place in this town that sells real coffee.”
“I’ll never win with you,” her mother teased. “Anyway, tell me about your day. How was the test?”
Kayla sighed, thinking about how hard fourth-year medicine had become.
“It was okay. And… my day was just a normal day.”
Only, it wasn’t just a normal day.
She’d bumped into a girl at The Coffee Spot — a girl who was about to change her life forever.
