What if?

Kat stares at the exceedingly handsome man standing just in front of her in line. She has gone to Bridge's café everyday for years and has never seen him here before. Not that she's complaining; in the few moments she saw his face, it's easily said that he is the single most handsome man she has ever seen.

"Plain black coffee, large, please," the man says in a deep, rumbling voice.

"Comin' right up, Mister Cruger," Bridge says happily behind the counter.

"Cruger," Kat mutters to herself, finding the name fittingly sexy. However, the man turns to her. She realizes she said his name out loud and immediately shrinks back, wondering how she could have made this of all stupid mistakes. She expects him to just turn back around, or accuse her of stalking him.

He smiles: "Hello, Miss—Anubis Cruger, it's nice to meet you."

"Katherine Manx," Kat offers her hand, stunned at his devastating handsomeness. His smile is subtle, but brings him into a whole new light. His tan skin brings out his strikingly cobalt eyes. A small patch of hair sits below his lip while traces of scruff dust his fine jaw bone. His ears are slightly pointed – wow, just like hers – and the black hair on his head is swept back. The blue button down he wears is rolled up to the elbows, showing his muscled physique. She reminds herself that she's staring again and forces words from her mouth. "It's nice to meet you; Anubis, that's a fascinating name."

"Thank you, my family has Egyptian heritage," he smiles at the brunette beauty. Turning for his coffee he nods, "thank you, Bridge."

"No prob, sir!" Bridge waves. "Doctor Manx, your regular's all ready for you."

"Thank you, Bridge," she smiles at him. He's a good kid, and she actually helped him through her physics class at NewTech University. "Good work on that midterm, by the way."

"Thanks, Kat!" he waves as a new customer comes up.

"Doctor Manx, the physics genius as NTU?" Anubis asks he bewitching woman by his side, guiding them both to a close table. She even sits with an entrancing grace. When he first noticed her getting in line behind him he did a quick look over his shoulder, only to do an obvious double–take. She might be the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.

"Genius is a strong term," Kat smiles modestly, "they're a dramatic bunch, just because you develop a cold fusion reactor." Kat rolls her eyes a little before remembering her friend Syd's advice: don't be too nerdy. "I'm sorry, this is really not a pertinent factor. What do you do?"

"No, I'm a big fan of yours, I minored in the physical sciences, and I know that you are just as ingenious as they say you are," Anubis takes a sip of his coffee and watches her do the same. She is pale, like an angel, contrasted by glossy chestnut curls. A deep red dress shows off her tall, lithe figure in a most flattering way. It's her eyes that rip the breath from him, though: a glittering, shimmering, dazzling shade of green that stabs at him. They seem aglow, breathtaking. "I'm starting at NTU tomorrow, actually, I'm the new professor of military history."

"That's amazing," Kat laughs and beams a little too widely in her own opinion. She has to work with this torturously good looking man, she doesn't want to scare him.

A beeper on his hip goes off and he looks at her with a frown. "I have to go, I'm sorry. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, though."

"I suppose so," Kat decides to take the plunge and pulls out her card. "If this isn't too forward, would you like to, um, maybe...do this again, sometime?"

Anubis takes the card smoothly, handling it with care, and kisses the back of her hand. "I would be all too happy to, Katherine."

"Call me Kat," she breathes out in automatic reaction, mind numb and fuzzy. She can feel her cheeks turning red at the gesture.

"I look forward to seeing you regularly, Kat," Anubis nods as he takes his leave, leaving enough for both their coffees and a generous tip for Bridge.

Kat sits there for a few more minutes, stunned that she actually made a date with the mysterious, attractive and sweet Anubis Cruger. Her cell phone buzzes, snapping her out of her daze. It's embarrassing, she thinks, how fast she looks to see who it is. The text sender reads "CRUGERA" and her heart leaps.

Dear Kat,

I look forward to seeing you again, let's say for dinner, this time. Wear something fancy, not that you need extravagant clothes to look beautiful. We'll talk more tomorrow at work.

Anubis

PS: You are absolutely adorable when you blush.