I'm finally back to writing, but I promise that I will finish this one!
Usual disclaimer applies: Nothing belongs to me, I just like to have fun.
Not beta'd.
Chapter One
Bella
[+]
The barely two minute walk from my apartment to the most glorious establishment in all of Seattle, seemed to take well over an hour. How was a girl to make it through her work day without a cup of the best coffee in the world?
I'm not even joking here. Angela's brew was liquid gold and if I didn't have it pass through my lips in the next five minutes, I was going to burst from the seams.
This morning couldn't have started any better. Sarcasm right there, by the way.
For the first time in the three years I had been at my job, I slept right through my alarm clock. Normally I take a shower before work, but that had been out of the question. The only thing that was still on my normal routine was my doctored cup of coffee.
My feet hit the concrete sidewalk in a hurry, one foot swiftly after the other. The big red sign welcomes me like it did every morning. The Daily Grind.
Before I was even fully through the door, I heard my normal greeting.
"Belly-Bells!"
"Morning to you, too Angela." I know my greeting wasn't the friendliest, but my best friend understood the predicament I was in. I had never been a morning person and the only thing that could calm the beast within was a glorious cup of coffee.
"The usual?" she asked already grabbing a large cup. She was a genius when it came to reading me and my moods.
"You know it, baby doll." She winked at my usual greeting. She started filling my cup with the whole milk I craved and set it down before finishing the drink order before mine.
There was someone new at the register because she dared to ask me what my order was so I could pay. Before long, she would learn that this cranky lady would show up every morning right before 8:00 and order the exact same drink. Every morning. Well, except Saturday and Sunday, because there was just no way I would leave the comforts of my bed at that ungodly hour on the weekends.
"Large iced white chocolate mocha, extra shot, no whip, one pump caramel." She rang it up and I swiped my card through the machine before heading to the side where the most kick ass woman in the world was brewing my cup of joe.
Before I even registered what was happening, I ran right into a hard chest. My messenger bag, phone, and file of work papers flew out of my arms and were scattered all over the floor. I swear it happened all in slow motion, like one of those cheesy movies where everything just happens to go wrong all in one day.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," I was quick to apologize, trying desperately to hide my growing blush behind my mess of hair.
"Please, I'm the one who is sorry." That voice just sounded like pure heaven. I needed to keep my eyes averted, simple as that. This mission of collecting my personal junk immediately needed to be aborted, but of course that just wasn't possible.
I reached for my phone at the same time he did and let me tell you, I have never had a simple touch ever affect me in that way before. It felt like a surge of electricity, but at the same time this tingling warmth spread straight to the girly bits.
It would be a flat out lie if I were to admit to myself that I had tried my damned hardest to keep my eyes glued down in the direction they were in. It was barely a battle. His green eyes bore into my soul, seriously, and every inch of me melted into the floorboards. His hair was the oddest mixture of a dark blonde and red, but odd in sexiest way possible.
Unexpectedly, he pushed my phone towards me and flashed the most panty dropping smile. "You might need this." I must have been staring. Damn it, Bella, why did you have to go and stare? My jaw must have still been melted to the floor.
In a small attempt to pull myself together, I shoved the phone in my jeans back pocket and ran a hand through my messy waves. What am I thinking that this guy is going to jump on me right now? I don't need to be presentable for some random guy. Random smokin' hot guy.
"Uh, thanks." Smooth, Bella real smooth.
He flashed another one those panty dropping smiles and I could feel myself melting into the floor again.
"Sure thing." I could have sworn on anything that he winked at me. This amazingly sexy guy just winked at me!
He turned to leave and I desperately wanted to ask him about a million questions. Like, would it be possible to fuck me right now? In what direction was his living establishment? Could we go there right now? Or I could have just started with asking his name and for his number. But of course, the usual awkward and tongue-tied Bella decided it would have been the perfect time to make an appearance.
"Bye..." I had whispered to basically no one. I kept staring out the door of the cafe as if I were silently praying that he would come back. Alas, that didn't happen.
A part of me crumpled up and died, thrown into the fire. That man seriously could have been my soul mate and I would never know it. We would have made the cutest babies and our wedding would have been to die for. I bet he looks damn fine in a suit.
"Earth to Bella." I turned back around to notice Angela holding out my cup of saving grace towards me. The slight smirk on her face let me know that she undoubtedly witnessed that entire interaction.
I reached out for the cup, but before my greedy fingers could wrap around the cool plastic, the she-devil yanked it away from me.
"What gives, Ang?" I look at her as though she had just grown two horns on the top of her head. Seriously, though, she just did.
"I wanna know what the hell just happened?" She cocked her eyebrows, expecting a detailed report when honestly, I had no clue what just went down. And I told her exactly that.
"You went off into la-la land there for a moment." She finally gave me my drink, but not without another stink eye from me in return.
"I went way farther than that," I let her know honestly because there was no way I would be able to keep that bit of information from her. She would definitely extract them from my fat lips the second we were both back at the apartment together later on that night. "Do you have any idea who that was?"
"Girl, if I knew, I'd keep him to myself." Angela went back to work, brewing the next cup of coffee for the other customers that were entirely oblivious to my earlier interaction and the store's owner fascination with the details.
"Keep entertaining that idea," I rolled my eyes before taking a sip of my beloved caffeine, finally fueling my addiction. "Ben wouldn't be too happy with that going down."
"Only if he found out," she giggled. "Get out of here, Bella, you're going to be late for work!"
I lit the screen to my phone and realized I just had barely five minutes to make it down the few blocks to work. The whole encounter with Green-Eyes had me in a state of unawareness and wholly disoriented.
"Shit! See ya later!"
With everything in hand, I ran out of the café on my way to the one place I knew I would be able to keep my mind occupied.
Only, it really hadn't worked.