Jinora was certainly not scheduling her mornings just so that she could see this guy.
No. Not at all.
She did not make sure that she was in the Starbucks at 6:45 am sharp five days out of the week because it when he went to get his vanilla bean whatever. That would have been strange, invasive, and unhealthy overall. She went to the Starbucks because she was a morning person. Never mind that it cut in to her early morning yoga sessions. Never mind that she was perfectly capable of making better tea than this Starbucks would ever be. She did it because she felt like it.
That was not the only thing she had felt of late. Whenever that door jingled open, she knew it was him. She could feel his very aura. It was warm, light, and clever. It was comforting just being in the same room as this guy. One morning, when she had been sitting close to the register, she had heard him say his name for the cashier to scrawl on the cup. Kai. She'd had to restrain herself from turning around to make introductions right then and there.
She didn't have an exact idea of what he looked like. She was too shy to steal more than second long glances. She didn't come to look at him; she just came to feel him there. She tried to piece together the glimpses of his features that she had caught. He had high cheekbones and a sharp jaw line that gave his face a mischievous cut. She had caught a glimpse of his hands when he reached for a drink. They were the kind of hands you saw on artists or engineers. Quick and nimble she thought. Although, how much did she really know from that quick moment she got a look at them?
She was content just to sit at her little table in the mornings, doing homework or reading. She didn't need to talk to him to enjoy being there.
So when he spoke to her, it was nearly enough to send her flying out of her chair.
She's sensed him walk in and get order drink as usual, but rather than wait by the counter, he began to move towards her and her table. The rational part of her mind was certain that there must be some other reason for his change in direction. Maybe he was going to look at the mug rack that she thought blocked her from view? Fluttering panic rose from her stomach into her throat when he passed every rack or shelve that he could possibly have been heading towards and ohgoodness he sat in the chair across from her.
It had the equivalent effect of someone filling her with air because she nearly thought that she was going to float out through the ceiling.
She didn't dare look up over her book at him. Maybe he was just there to be there? Alright, that sounded ridiculous even in her head but what other plausible reason—
"Hello."
His voice was bright and engaging and she felt her eyes slowly drift up almost against her will.
His eyes were green and grey and her literature-oriented mind immediately began to conjure similes. Green like forests with the grey light before dusk. Green like pockets of nature lit with pale sunlight hidden around the city.
"Hi," she finally choked. She took a quick sip of her tea, to have something to do with her mouth and to prevent herself from saying something that would have been undeniably embarrassing.
"My name is Kai." He said it with a wry smile and she had to hold back an— I know.
"Jinora."
His smile turned into a grin. "Nice to meet you, Jinora. You know, every day I come in and I see you reading a new book. Do you really finish them?"
She nearly choked on her own spit. The idea of him noticing her the way she had been noticing him was almost too much to bear. She disguised her internal freak out with a quick, "Yes, I do. Right now I'm actually reading—"
"Kai!" The barista yelled out his name from the counter. She glanced around and turned sheepish when her eyes fell on them and realized that she had interrupted something.
Kai stood up from his chair and instantly, Jinora realized that no, she wasn't content to just sit in the café when he was there. She wanted more. She'd just opened her mouth to say something that probably would have left her embarrassed for the next week but he was quicker.
"Doyouthinkmaybeyou'dwanttohavelunchwithme?"
His words came out in a rush and his cheeks flushed red. Jinora grinned, relieved and overwhelmingly happy that he had just voiced what she would have bungled. "Yes, Kai, I would love to have lunch with you."
Maybe he had felt the connection, too.