“You’re being dramatic.” Cael rolls his eyes. “And, I’m not impulsive.”
Aris purses his lips. “Yes, you are.”
“You expected me to just watch a cat get run over?” He gestures exaggeratively to the cat in my arms. “I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
Aris reaches across the counter and gently pats its head, then scratches under its chin. “You’re lucky my best friend is so reckless,” he coos. “Yes, you are.”
Cael sighs heavily in mock irritation, but I notice the faint smile that tugs at his lips as he looks to Aris.
I study Cael a moment. Why does he look exactly like the man in my recurring dreams? I mean… it’s too strange to be just a coincidence. Isn’t it?
The cat begins purring like crazy in my arms as Aris continues to lavish attention on her.
Cael looks to the orange ball of fur, and then darts a glance toward the kitchen. “Wait a minute.” He turns and races into the back, appearing a moment later with a small bowl of milk. “You can give this to her.” He hands it to me and gestures to the cat. “I’ll get your drink and take it to your table when it’s ready. What would you like me to make for you?”
Aris looks to Cael. “Kyra likes the vanilla latte with an extra shot to start off the day.” He winks at me. “Unless you’ve decided to try something new?”
Cael’s eyes meet mine, and I’m completely flustered, so I quickly shake my head.
“No, the regular will do just fine this morning.”
Aris elbows Cael. “That’s her first drink of the day. I’ll let you know the rest later on.”
His brow furrows in confusion. “The… rest?”
“She’s a regular here,” Aris explains. “She’s a writer, and she spends most of her time writing here in the café.”
Cael’s eyes practically light up. “Then, be sure to let me know what you want, and I’ll get it ready for you. After all,” his gaze darts to the cat, “we’re practically sharing custody now. It’s the least I can do.”
I laugh. A warm flush creeps across my cheeks as his gaze holds mine. “Thank you.”
“Anything for the adoptive mother of my cat,” he teases.
“Your cat?” I arch a brow. “What if I want to keep her?”
He laughs. “We’ll work out the custody arrangement later.”
We haven’t even made it all the way back to our table when Claire grabs my arm and pulls me close to her and whispers in my ear.
“Oh my gosh, I think that new guy has a thing for you.” She’s practically beaming. “And he’s such a knight in shining armor. I can’t believe he risked his life like that.”
I glance down at the orange, purring ball of fur in my arms. The cat lifts its head, green eyes locking on mine as if listening in on our conversation. I gently stroke her fur.
“That brave man saved you, didn’t he?” I coo to her. “Yes, he did.”
Remembering Claire’s statement, I dart a glance over my shoulder and find Cael’s eyes on me. He smiles, then turns to the next customer, running his hands through his silken, white hair to smooth it back. Could someone that gorgeous really be into me? This is the second hot guy who has flirted with me today.
I look back at Claire. “What makes you say that?”
“The way he was staring at you and flirting with you.” She huffs and then rolls her eyes. “Really, Kyra, you couldn’t tell?”
I shrug. “Well, it’s just weird, I guess. He’s the second guy today who seemed interested and,”—I look down at myself, remembering how quickly I dressed and got ready to come here—“I’m not even made up.”
“You don’t have to be made up, Kyra. You’re beautiful.”
I open my mouth to protest I look rather drab today, but she starts speaking again.
“Trust me. It’s natural for you. I’m a bit jealous, to be honest. I mean,”—she gestures to herself—“this magnificence you see before you doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes a great deal of work each morning to maintain.”
I purse my lips. “Sure, it does, Claire,” I say sarcastically.
“All right.” She tips up her chin and flips her hair back dramatically. “You’ve got me. I know I’m naturally gorgeous. But so are you. I don’t know why you doubt it.”
“I guess I just feel plain sometimes, you know?” I shrug, ready to move on from the conversation. Even as I ask this question, I know she has no idea what I’m talking about. Claire is so charismatic, people seem to be naturally drawn in by her energy. That’s why she’s so good at her job. She completely captivates her audience each afternoon and evening on the local news.
We talk for a while before she has to leave. As soon as she’s gone, I look to my cat companion, wondering what to do. I could take her home, but I don’t have any supplies. Besides, wouldn’t she be lonely if I just left her there?
Speaking of, she’s awfully calm, as far as cats go. She isn’t on a leash, but so far, she’s stayed right by my side, curled up on the bench next to me and contentedly purring away, her small bowl of milk nearby for when she gets hungry.
Satisfied she’s happy, I take out my computer and order some supplies for her to be delivered to my apartment. I can hardly wait to show her new home to her. I know this was supposed to be temporary, but I’m definitely keeping her. I don’t know where she came from or how she ended up in the middle of the street, but when she gets up and snuggles against me, flipping onto her back, I’m completely in love with my new companion.
I give her some belly rubs as I think on a new plot for my story. As a writer, I’m constantly working, even when it seems I’m not. For almost the entire time Claire was talking to me, I was already imagining a new romance about a brave barista who rescues a cat and then falls in love with his regular customer.
The thing is, I like Aris and Cael, so I’m going to have to make my character a mixture of them both I suppose.
As if my very thoughts have summoned him, Cael appears at my table. Startled, my eyes snap up to meet his.
“I brought you your mid-morning drink.” He carefully arranges it next to my laptop. “And one for our cat.” I laugh as he refers to her as “ours.” He replaces her bowl of milk with a fresh one and she lifts her head to blink up at him before going to it.
“Thanks.” I glance down at the cat-shaped foam on my drink and smile. Gently, I swirl the cup, trying to see how dark the coffee is below the design. “What is this?”
“It’s something I just whipped up.”
I lift it to my mouth to take a small sip. I’m surprised at the decadent dark chocolate flavor that rolls across my tongue with just a hint of raspberry. “Mmmm, this is delicious.”
Over his shoulder, I see Aris’s defeated look as Cael asks me what I think. “You like it?”
“It’s great. What do you call it?”
Cael gives me a handsome grin. “It’s a dark chocolate, raspberry cocoa.”
My mouth drifts open. I’m not sure how I feel about it now. “No caffeine?” I ask, unable to mask my disappointment.