Chapter 1
Have you ever thought of how you’d meet the love of your life? I know I have. I thought about what they would look like, the type of personality they would have. What kind of music would they like? Would they be vegan? Would they be quiet and gentle ? or Wacky and loud?
I starred out the window of the pretty café, thinking of the person who would be my person. The sun was not awfully bright, rather pleasant and warm. A light breeze has the leaves of the trees dancing. The characteristics of the day were perfect. Sipping my iced latte with the thought of a person I may never meet must be the most tragic way to spend such a magnificent autumn day.
The bell above the café door chimed, pulling me from the rabbit hole of scenarios in my head. A tall man with onyx hair long enough to tie into a tiny ponytail walked in. Clad in a black Cardigan that fell little ways past his hips, coupled with black slacks and a white T-shirt. ′ a well put together look’ I took a mental note of his classic style. I turned back to face the window, noticing the rain starting to fall beyond the glass.
“ This was not in the forecast. ” I whispered to no one in particular.
“The weather forecast called for a 40% chance of light rain. ” An unexpected voice answered back. I glanced beside me, finding the man who had walked in moments ago.
This first look I had gotten at his face. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, his bottom lip a touch fuller than the top.
He certainly had the prettiest smile I had ever seen.
“ Oh. ” I mentally facepalmed at the simple response
“ Do you mind if I sit with you? ” he asked.
“ Sure. ” Another simple response.
‘doing great with the conversation so far. ’ I sarcastically remarked to myself as he took the seat directly next to mine.
He placed his iced Americano on the counter alongside a slice of strawberry cheesecake. His coffee was a dark black colour, almost as dark as his hair.
“ Is that supposed to be coffee or the souls of the dead? ” I asked, looking from him to his coffee cup. He smiled a little wider, showing off his perfect teeth.
′ Damn, this guy is gorgeous.′
′ Dude, you had just met the guy. Slow down’
The debate between head and heart must have droned on for longer than I realized; because now he was waving a hand in front of my face to gain my attention.
“ You ask me a question, then zone out. Great first impression. ” He said with a smirk. He sipped on his bitter looking coffee and chuckled.
“Sorry, sometimes my brain checks out even when I don’t intend to. Occupational habit.” What a poor excuse for your blatant gawking, Well done. “ What were you saying? I solemnly swear I’ll pay full attention. ” I turned in my seat to face him fully, truly giving him all my attention. Something flashed across his face.
“ Cute,” he muttered under his breathe. If I weren’t paying attention I would have missed it. “ What I said was ′ It might just be. ′ but it doesn’t have the same effect anymore” he let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. “ Please do tell about this job that allows you to automatically tune out of conversations? ” he spoke, leaning his hand on his chin to watch me comfortably.
“ I used to work in customer service, but I quit recently. ” I replied, mimicking his posture. He had a faint smile gracing his face. Even as he took a sip from his cup, the smile remained.
Talking to him was comfortable as if this man was not a stranger I had met all of 5 minutes ago. Generally, I would be a pile of nerves and anxiety, but this meeting had me feeling peaceful.
“ Why did you quit? Get in trouble for not listening? ” he joked, poking at his cheesecake. It was an odd pairing, bitter coffee, sweet cake but maybe bittersweet was his vibe. He glanced from his pink treat to men then back. He finally pierced the creamy dessert, breaking off a piece and offering it to me. I opened my mouth to refuse but as soon as it open, he gently pushed the fork past my lips. I was shocked at the level of boldness but I was not going to complain. By the time I met his eyes, he was already looking at me, gauging my response.
A slight veil of worry decorated his angelic features, knowing he had overstepped the boundary between strangers. The veil was replaced with relief when I smiled at him. I’m not sure why, but every part of my heart wanted me to comfort him.
Heart: 1 Brain : 0
He quickly looked away, clearing his throat. A light dusting of pink now coating his cheeks and ears. He took a long sip from his cup, visibly contemplating his next move.
“ That’s quite good. I didn’t take you for the sweets type given the liquid death in your cup. ” I tried to lighten the mood “ to answer your question, I got an offer to be a producer for a large record label. ”
I watched as he turned his gaze to the trees on the opposite side of the street. The warm light from the slowly setting sun hit his face at the perfect angle, highlighting his already beautiful features. To say he was angelic was an understatement.
SIMP
Shut up, brain
He faced me once again, looked me up and down, then quirked his brow.
“ That’s interesting. You don’t look like the musical type. ” His voice colored with a tinge of annoyance. I watched him, trying to decipher what was going on in his head. He slammed back the rest of his coffee, closed his eyes, and swallowed hard.
“ What did you take me for then?” did I sound offended? I hope I did.
“ I don’t know. I just didn’t think you would be some sort of musical mastermind,” he chuckled “ I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings or anything. You seem sort of … sensitive.” At this point, he was trying to upset me. “ I am a writer, only in town to publish my book.”
“ A writer huh? Anything I would have read?” I asked, trying to brush off his sudden behavior change.
He laughed. He Laughed wholeheartedly at the question. This man must think I’m stupid or something.
“ I don’t think my work would interest you, darling. ” He said standing from his seat “ I’ll see you around, I guess.” He said with a smile and a shrug before turning around and leaving.
I watched as he walked past the window, not even sparing a glance in my direction. Sometime during our confusing conversation, the rain had stopped. I sighed, before finishing my now cold coffee. I got up and noticed the cheesecake still there just as the waiter came to buy to collect the cups.
“ Do you want me to put that in a box for you? ” the waiter asked gesturing to the forgotten cake. I looked at her, then back to the dessert. “ That guy was so sweet to order this for you. Said you look like you’d enjoy something sweet.” the waiter swooned. I nodded as she took the items away and returned with a takeout box. She offered me a smile before returning to her duties.
I walked out, take out box in hand, and made my way to my new office. The entire walk to the building I could not get our meeting out of my head. The sudden change in his behavior left me dazed and dizzy. I stepped into the building, walking past everyone without a single word. I practically ran to my studio and as soon as my body touched my chair I realized something.
I didn’t know his name.
