*Beep. Beep. Beep*

The all too familiar annoying sound of her alarm came to life at six am sharp. A groan erupted from her as she lifted her arm from underneath the covers, slamming it down on the snooze button to shut the machine off.

'Mornings,' she grumbled to herself. Why on earth did she think running her own coffee stand was a bright idea? She hated getting up at six am every morning. Hated not being able to have that chance to sleep in and have just a bit of extra time to herself. Although the only bright side to owning your own business was the fact that you were your own boss so technically speaking, she always could skip a day and just relax. But that wouldn't bring her much money.

Running a hand across her face, she threw her covers to the side and groaned. She rolled herself out of her bed and made her way over to the bathroom to start her morning routine. She started her shower, letting the water warm up a bit while she began her usual facial wash, followed by a quick brush of her teeth. She then hopped in her shower, groaning softly as the warmth of the water fell against her soft skin. Squeezing some shampoo onto her hand, she gently applied some in her hair, running it through her soft, luscious locks, gently humming to herself as she did so.

Once her shower was finished she shut the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack beside her and wrapping it around her naked body. Taking a seat at her vanity, she then gently began to apply some makeup, her gaze briefly landing on a picture of her and her former lover that was resting on the nightstand.

It had been three years now since Daniel had been gone and it seems like the ache of missing him had gotten worse with each year. The fact that she came home to an empty apartment every night without him being there to greet her and ask about her day and just hold her at night is what made her break down almost everyday. She hated it. Hated the feeling of loss. Hated the fact that he was taken from her so soon. Hated the fact that she somehow won't be able to move on. Won't be able to be happy with anyone else.

Shaking her head of her thoughts and wiping a small tear that ran down her cheek she stood up from her vanity and walked over to her closet to pick out an outfit for the day. She settled with dark skinny jeans, a white tank top, and a grey and black flannel to throw over it, with some black ankle boots to complete it all. Giving herself a final glance in the mirror she smiled at herself before walking out of her bedroom and out of her apartment.

Spring weather in New York was beautiful. The 50s-60s range was her ideal temperature. She loved walking to work every morning and enjoying the crispy breeze blowing through her hair and the bright sunshine bringing out the lovely tan her skin possessed. She smiled, greeting a few familiar passersby as she opened up the little side door to her coffee stand.

"Ah good morning Mal," she greeted her coworker who she also considered her best friend.

"Hey there hot mama! You seem rather off this morning. Everything alright?" the blonde asked her friend in curiosity. She knew the answer though. The passing of her brother was hard for everyone. But it seemed to take a hard toll on Regina. She would be fine most days but then there were certain days where she would just become… moody. Distant. Days where she would shut everyone out and lock herself in her apartment refusing to come out. She hated seeing her friend this way knowing there was no way she could help.

"Everything is fine. I mean I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Did I mention I'm fine?" Regina answered, making an attempt to put on a fake smile in hopes of convincing Mal.

"You know I can always tell when you're bullshitting right?" the blonde asked, brows raised in question. "Come on Gina. We've been friends for six years. I can read you like a book. I know it's one of those days where you're hurting over him and it's okay to admit it."

Regina glanced over at her friend, lips pursing in thought before she rubbed them together, swallowing down a sob. "Yeah it's just a bit hard I guess. I saw this picture and got a little emotional over it. But I'll be fine I promise."

"You know he wouldn't want you to be sad forever? I mean he definitely would want you to try to be happy. To move on." Her hand came out to gently rub the brunette's back reassuring her gently. "Your happiness is all that mattered to him."

"I know. I know. It's just," Regina paused, trying to find the right words. "I'm just not so sure romance is in the cards for me right now. "Making sure this coffee stand doesn't fail… that's what's important," she chuckled softly earning a laugh from her friend as well.

"You kidding me?! This place will never fail! Hell, with your looks and my mad coffee skills we'll have men eating out of the palms of our hands in no time. Heck we might even move this stand and turn it into a shop."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, hm?" Regina mumbled, shaking her head at her friend as she changed the 'CLOSED' sign to 'OPEN.'

"Ah finally. Been standing here for a while waiting for you ladies to open. I heard you serve the best coffee in all of New York City and I just had to be the judge of that."

Regina smirked, rolling her eyes at the cocky tone of the stranger's voice.

"Best indeed," came her response as she turned around. Her breath caught in her throat, mouth gaped open when she came face to face with a handsome blue-eyed man. She could almost feel her knees going weak when she shot her the most beautiful dimpled smile she had ever seen.

"That's what I like to hear. Tell you what M'lady, I'll take three espressos."