“It’s no problem,” he says quickly. “It helps me to relax sometimes when I’m stressed.”
“Me, too.”
He smiles. “Would you like to maybe get a cup of coffee sometime?”
My cheeks flush with warmth. “Sure.”
His smile grows even brighter. “Great.”
As soon as the lift reaches the first floor, he gestures for me to step out first, then follows behind me.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” he says. “I’m looking forward to our coffee. Let me know when would be a good time for you.”
“All right,” I reply a bit awkwardly, then turn to walk toward the café. I’m only ten steps away when I glance over my shoulder and notice him still watching me. He gives me a nervous grin, then shakes his head softly as if caught before he turns away and starts down the street.
A smile tugs at my lips. I’m looking forward to that cup of coffee with him. As I walk along the sidewalk, weaving through the throng of people, I wonder if I should wait a few days before I ask him out.
Doubt begins to creep in. What if I seemed too eager to go out with him, and now he’s got the wrong impression? What if we go on a date and he finds out I’m a romance writer? Then, after he reads all those steamy scenes, what if he expects I’ll just fall into his arms at the end of the night or something like that? All sorts of troubling scenarios begin to play out in my mind. I’m so in my head when I reach the café, I almost miss Claire as she raises a hand to catch my attention.
“Kyra!” she calls out. “I’m over here. I already got a table.”
I roll my eyes. Of course, she picked the table closest to the counter. She has a thing for my barista crush—Aris—just like I do. I dart a quick glance at the bar and notice, “Mr. Dreamy,” as she calls him, is not here today. Instead, there is someone new working the register. His back is turned, so I can’t really see him clearly, but from her grin it’s easy to see he’s already caught her eye.
When I reach the table, she gestures to the counter. “Your guy’s not here today.”
My mouth drifts open. I’ve never told her I have a crush on Aris. Is it that obvious though? “How did you know?”
She shrugs as a sly smirk quirks her lips. “I’m your best friend. How could I not? Besides, why do you think I left him alone?”
I smile. “Thanks, Claire.”
We leave a placeholder at the table, then walk to the counter to stand in the queue. It doesn’t take long to reach the front, and when we do, my mouth drifts open as soon as the new guy turns to face us.
A handsome grin curves his lips. “What would you like?”
My gaze travels over his straight, white hair, hanging down just enough he has to brush it back from his gorgeous teal eyes. My jaw drops when I recognize them as the same eyes I see every night in my dreams. The seer’s words repeat in my mind. She told me that man was my destined soulmate.
I stare at up him in astonishment. He looks like he’s around twenty-five or so. He’s tall and lean but in a muscular way, with broad shoulders, an aristocratic nose, cheeks, and brow and a square jaw that could cut glass.
In the corner of my vision, I notice Claire flash her best smile at him and jealousy instantly flares to life inside me.
I’m relieved, however, when I notice that he seems surprisingly immune to her charms. That’s strange. No man can resist Claire’s charismatic personality. At least, not until now. When he smiles and asks me again for my order, his teal eyes lock on mine, and I’ve suddenly forgotten how to speak.
“You’re new,” the words escape my lips before I even realize I’ve said them aloud.
He gives me a handsome grin. “My name is Cael. What’s yours?”
I’ve never been speechless before over a guy. But he’s so gorgeous I’m completely mesmerized as he stares down at me. It takes me a moment to even remember how to form words. Finally, I reply, “Kyra.”
“Well, Kyra.” He grins. “What would you like?” He gestures to the menu behind him. “Anything you want, it’s on the house.”
I blink up at him. “Won’t your boss get angry if you start giving stuff away for free?”
“Well, you happen to be in luck because—” His expression falls as he darts a glance over my shoulders. “Hold on a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Before I can say anything, he jumps over the counter and rushes to the door. Pushing it open, I watch in horror as he races out into traffic.
Vehicles honk and slam on their breaks, barely avoiding hitting him as he rushes to the middle of the busy road.
“What’s he doing?” Claire’s voice rings out behind me. “He’s going to get killed!”
“That guy’s crazy!” someone calls out.
I gasp as he barely misses being hit as he makes his way to a small, orange ball of fluff. It’s a cat. Its green eyes are wide with terror as it stands frozen in the middle of the road. Cael scoops it up in his arms and somehow manages to dart back through traffic as he returns to the café. Everyone watches, gaping as he pulls the door open to come back inside.
He walks up to me and I stare at him in shock. “You could have been killed!”
He gives me a beaming smile as he cradles the orange cat to his chest, gently stroking its fur. It leans into his touch and starts to purr. “I couldn’t let this poor little thing get run over, now could I?”
I’ve always been an animal lover, and seeing this handsome man lovingly petting this cat, makes my heart melt.
“It’s all right,” he whispers soothingly. “You’re safe now, little one.”
I think I’m in love.
He looks back at me. “Could you please watch her for a bit?” He holds out the cat. “I have to take orders, and I,”—he darts a glance around the room—“don’t think some of the customers would be too happy if I took her behind the counter with me.”
“N—no problem,” I stumble over my words as he hands the cat to me. Instead of being nervous about the exchange, the cat appears relaxed as he transfers her to my arms.
Movement behind Cael catches my eye and I smile when Aris leans over his shoulder and winks at me. “Hey, Kyra.” His eyes sweep briefly to Claire and he nods before returning his attention right back to me. “It’s good to see you again.”
Aris is devastatingly handsome, and he knows it. With his short, chestnut hair and emerald eyes, he’s gorgeous—tall, lean, muscular, and confident. He’s always flirting with me, but I force myself to brush it off because I don’t know if he’s serious or if it’s just his personality. I’ve seen several women flirt with him in return, and he seems to enjoy all the attention. I just… I can’t tell if he’s actually interested in me, so I play it safe with him, trying not to get my hopes up too much.
“I thought you weren’t here today.” I smile back at him.
“Someone called in, so I’m working mostly in the back. But my friend,”—he claps a hand on Cael’s shoulder—“Cael came to the rescue.” He narrows his eyes at him. “Speaking of rescue… Why are you always so impulsive? You could have died just now.”