Chapter One

The Second Encounter

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! I reached over and slammed my hand down onto the alarm clock, shutting it off. I rubbed my eyes and waited for them to focus so I could see the numbers on the screen. 7:00am. Awesome. Time for another shift at the Java Hut. I sighed heavily and slowly rolled out of bed. In my zombie like pace and zombie like state, I made my way into the bathroom and took a hot shower to attempt to wake up. I was slightly more awake after the shower. I dried off and went back into my room to get dressed in my wonderful uniform. The sky blue button up shirt didn't fit right. I begged my boss to let me get a bigger size but they said that was the largest size they could get me. A 2X womens top was not going to fir right with someone that had my tummy pudge and my ample chest. I tugged the shirt down more and buttoned the shirt the best I could. Good thing for the required apron we had to wear. I then slid on the tight khaki pants. Lucky for me they had these in the size that fit me decently. I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. 'Yuck.' I sighed. I wouldn't say that I hated my body but I wasn't happy with the way that I looked. Genetics and medication caused a lot of this extra weight that I had. I turned to the side and frowned. If only my tummy wasn't so large and my thighs not so big, I would look decent. I silenced the negative thoughts for a moment to do my hair. It had dried a little and it had curled nicely. I brushed it and pulled it in a ponytail to keep it out of my face. I grabbed my glasses from off the dresser. 'Ugh!' There was no hope to make me look pretty. My sister managed to get all the good genes and my family took every advantage to make it known that she was the pretty one of the family. Growing up in the Martinez house was a little slice of hell. On one half of the wall would be my certificates and awards for perfect attendance and academics. But on the other half were all of Desiree's awards and trophies for the beauty contests she would compete in and her cheerleading competitions. Funny how those accomplishments meant more to my family than anything I could do. Any they wonder why I am the way I am? Enough of the pity party, I had to head to work. I headed downstairs, grabbed a pop tart and my car keys and headed out the door. I climbed into my slightly rusted out Toyota, started it up and headed to the Java Hut. Oh goodie.

I arrived at the Java Hut at close to 8. I was supposed to clock in at 8:30. I thought that I might have time to rest and relax but as soon as I walked in, I noticed the huge line that was forming. My friend and cashier, Rebecca, was trying to run the register and make drinks. I had to save her so like the good little employee that I was, I clocked in early, washed my hands and went to my station to make drinks.

"You're here! I wasn't expecting you until 8:30!" Rebecca said

"You've got a hell of a line forming, figured you could use the help. Where's James at?" I asked mentioning the shift leader.

"Probably in his office, on his computer looking up dates on Match and eating the day old pastries." Rebecca laughed. I giggled a little bit. There was no love lost between Rebecca and James. Becky would make a much better shift leader but somehow James got the promotion. Which was okay with me, I'd much rather work as a team with Becky than James. "Okay, enough chit-chat…let's get this line down!"

"I'm ready." I cracked my knuckles and prepared myself.

By 9:00, the line was down to a more manageable pace. We had a break in the line and I took advantage of it. I took a quick break and grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink.

"Mari, break time is over, we got a customer." Becky called to me. I sighed and looked to see who the customer was…I almost choked on the water that I was trying to swallow. It was the same guy from a couple days back that had given me a $100 tip. He looked just as great as he did the last time he was in. A nice tailored suit, shades hooked to the front of his shirt, hair styled just right. Every time he came in he never looked like he belonged standing in line at the Java Hut. He looked like some rich executive that had an assistant that would get his coffee. "Mari!" Becky rushed over quickly to my area

"What?"

"Large vanilla latte with a double shot of espresso for the hottie over there,"

"Becky!"

"What? Girl, he is gorgeous and he is always coming in here. I think I have finally gotten to him."

"You got a thing for him,"

"Hell yes I do! Don't you? I mean, look at him!"

"Please, he wouldn't be interested in someone like me." I sighed "Go on and work your magic, Becks."

"Mari, you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You are just as beautiful if not more than your damn sister. Now, make that drink, girl!"

"Got it!" I shook myself out of my thoughts and went to work. I noticed the rich guy walk over to the waiting area and give me a wink. My cheeks felt red hot. Why in the world was he winking at me? If anything, he should be winking at Becky. She was the pretty one. Tall, thin…more his type. I gave him a quick nod as I went to work on his latte. I had to make sure I didn't make a fool out of myself like I did last time, forgetting the sugar for his coffee. How embarrassing! I poured the latte, topped it with whipped cream, slapped the lid and the protective sleeve around it and walked over to the waiting area.

"Large vanilla latte, double shot of espresso?"

"Right here," he said.

"Here you are, I hope it is to your liking." I handed him the cup and his hand brushed against mine again. I could swear that I felt some sort of spark of energy.

"I'm sure it will be, after all, you made it." He said as he took a slow sip, keeping his eyes on me the entire time. My cheeks were hot again and I secretly wished Becky would call out an order so I could walk away but there was no one in line and Becky was busy writing something down. "Mmmm, sweet and delicious. You do amazing work, Dayna."

"Um thank you."

"You're welcome," he sat the cup down and looked at me. His shiny brown eyes were so mesmerizing. "Pardon me for coming off strong, but when do you go on a break?"

"Um…well I mean I could step away for a minute or two, but if an order comes in, I would have to go."

"Of course, I understand." I took a deep breath and tried to calm my heart rate down but it was pounding way too fast. I made my way from behind the counter and walked over to where he was standing waiting for me. He was so tall and muscular up close, he dwarfed me. "Come, let have a seat." I followed him over to a table. This was so awkward and strange.

"So, what can I do for you?" I asked nervously.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"Um, I dunno…I just am." I started to fidget.

"Well, there is no need to be nervous, I just want to talk to you. I see by your name tag that your name is Dayna. That's a beautiful name for a beautiful young lady."

"Psh!" I said without thinking.

"What? You are beautiful. I would like to know why you have so many cute butterfly stickers on your nametag."

I looked down at my nametag and looked at the small monarch butterflies that I had stuck on. "Well, that's easy for me to explain. It has to do with my middle name and my nickname. My middle name is Mariposa, which is Spanish for butterfly."

"Dayna Mariposa…can I get a last name?"

"Only if I get to know yours."

"Fair enough."

"Dayna Mariposa Martinez."

"Ethan Carter. Such a plain name compared to yours."

"Yeah, you're right." I laughed. Was I really starting to get comfortable around this guy that I had just met?

"So, would you prefer me to call you Dayna or Mari?" Ethan asked

"Whichever you would like."

"Hmmm, well I like both but Mari just has a sexy tone to it. I hope that wasn't too forward."

"Um…no. Not at all." Sexy? There was nothing sexy about me.

"Good. How old are you, Mari?" Ethan asked. Wow, the way that he said my nickname it did sound kinda sexy.

"I just turned 22."

"Cute and young. I like it." Ethan smiled.

"Well, how old are you?" I asked

"I'm an old man, I'm 32."

"Oh, you aren't old at all." I smiled. "You are still young."

"Ha, well thanks. So, tell me about yourself. What do you do when you aren't whipping up amazing tasting drinks here?"

"Well, I am going to school."

"Oh yeah? What are you studying?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out. I'm leaning towards Psychology."

"Now, that's a great field. You want to be a Psychologist?"

"Oh no, I don't want to go that far. I think I would be happy getting my Masters' and being a counselor."

"Rewarding work."

"Yes it is." I glanced over and saw Becky making a drink. I motioned to her if she needed me to come over and she waved me off. I also noticed that she was trying to figure out why Ethan was talking to me. "What about you? With that nice suit and nice watch, you must have some sort of high paying job."

"Well, I guess you could say that," Ethan took another sip of his latte "You're going to think my job is silly."

"Try me,"

"Oh yeah?" Ethan raised an eyebrow

I blushed again "That's not what I meant…I mean-"

"It's okay, Mari. I am a Professional Wrestler. I'm actually the current Heavyweight Champion."

"For real? You are a wrestler?"

"Yes, for real."

"Well that explains why you are so much bigger than I am." I laughed. "Do you enjoy that kind of work?"

"I do. Its fun, I get paid decently and I get to travel. All good things."

"But, you get hurt all the time, is it really worth it?"

"To me, yes. I like the pain."

"Oh?" I said. Ethan nodded at me and grinned. I felt my cheeks flush again. We sat there in silence staring at each other. At some point, Ethan's left hand inched closer and was now on top of mine. I smiled at him as he rubbed his thumb on my hand. I wasn't sure what was happening but things were escalating quickly.

"Mari! Yo, Mari. I need you over here!" Becky called.

"Damn it," I muttered. "Okay, be right there." I called back. "Sorry, Ethan. I have to go."

"I understand. I've stolen you away for long enough I guess."

"It was fun."

"Yeah, well if you don't find this too forward, how about you give me your number and I will give you a call so we can talk more…of course if your boyfriend wouldn't mind."

I laughed "Boyfriend? Me? Please, no one is interested in me."

"And why not?"

I scribbled my number on a napkin and stood up "Ethan, come on, look at me. Who would want to go out with the fat girl in glasses when they could date someone like Becky over there? I gotta go." I walked away and went back behind the counter. I washed my hands and started on the two orders that were waiting for me. I looked up and saw Ethan standing at the waiting area.

"Yes?" I questioned.

"You asked who would want to go out with someone like you,"

"Yeah?"

"What if I told you that someone was me?" Ethan slid three $100 bills over to me, gave me a wink and put his glasses on and walked out of the door.

A/N: Well, looks like Dayna has a secret admirer on her hands! What do you think of Ethan and Dayna's first real encounter? Will Ethan come back and see her? How will Dayna react? Do you see things working out well for Ethan and Dayna? Comment and Review! :)