2

She couldn't say she hated her job, but she knew she deserved better than working in a coffee shop, even though it was a very well known one where a huge flow of customers came, she felt she had potential for something more, the question was that she didn't know what that something more was. The only talent Amalia had, despite her patience, was writing, but those dreams had long since been shattered.

It was six fifty in the morning, the cafeteria had not yet opened, but it was about to do so, she liked to take the first -and only- moments of peace she had, to reflect on the course of her life, which seemed to be getting more and more twisted, she could not imagine herself working there for the rest of her life.

"Soon the customers will be coming," said her co-worker, Fatima, a woman of small stature, so small that Amelia could not take her seriously, but despite that, she seemed to have enough sympathy to catch everyone's attention, "In less than two minutes".

"Yes," Amelia mumbled, sighing, all she could think about was that she wanted to leave, "You say that like it's a good thing".

Her companion laughed, she was about to say something, but suddenly, another of their companions approached, with a worried, but at the same time smiling face. Amelia did not understand his expression.

"How romantic, whose partner is he?" Amelia and Fatima looked at each other, unable to understand the question.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia asked, yawning, she had slept lousy the night before.

"Which of you brought your husband to work?"

They both still didn't understand him even a little, but they laughed at his words, they were both single.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Fatima told him frankly, furrowing her brow.

"There is a man standing at the exit, well... now he is sitting on the benches outside, but he has been standing there since early in the morning" The one who frowned was Amelia, making a grimace with her lips, twisting them, "I assumed he was the new partner of one of you, I don't know, he's been standing there, as if he was waiting for someone".

Amelia felt a sudden fear.

"He's probably one of those lunatics who usually come in," she guessed, shrugging her shoulders to downplay the situation, although it seemed strange that someone would be there so early, customers usually started showing up a few minutes later.

"I doubt it," his companion denied, "He looks too good to be a lunatic or a vagrant".

"What do you mean when you say he looks too good to be a bum?" Fatima asked, feeling curiosity creep into her body.

"See for yourself," her companion invited her, Fatima immediately headed for the door. "Won't you come to see him, Amelia?"

The woman denied, she was not really interested, poured herself a coffee and began to drink it slowly, thinking that this would be another day of stressful work.

A few minutes after leaving, Fatima returned, with a different sparkle in her eyes and a smile adorning her beautiful face.

"What happened?" Amelia asked, seeing the woman's expression, "Is he so handsome?"

"He's gorgeous, Amelia, you have to see him!"

Fatima grabbed the woman by the arm, almost causing the coffee to spill on her clothes.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, Fatima! What makes you think I want to see him?"

"Don't be so boring, Amelia! The man is gorgeous!"

"And what tells you he's not a lunatic? Only a complete lunatic would sit in front of an establishment and wait for it to open," Amelia opined, taking a sip of her coffee.

"He's the most elegant man I've ever seen, I doubt too much that he's a lunatic, he even looks rich, dark hair, fine beard, elegant bearing, and he comes in the car of the year, do you know how much the car of the year counts, Amelia? That's all it takes to know that the guy is rich, you have to see it".

Amelia frowned, that description certainly sounded similar, but she didn't want to make incoherent assumptions, so she ended up agreeing to go and see the man, while she took a sip of coffee.

"Look, there, sitting on the bench in front of us," said Fatima, enthusiastically.

When Amelia's eyes focused on the person sitting there, the coffee cup slipped tremulously from her hands. Her lips parted and her face was covered with a mask of bewilderment and fear.

The man standing there, waiting for them to open, was none other than Maximiliano, the same man who had been stalking her with his eyes all night long.

Fatima took in her friend's nerves, and failed to understand them. Amelia had not told her anything about that guy who had basically forced her to tell him her name, she did not think it was important, besides, she told herself that she would never see that guy again in her life, what she least imagined was that he would be waiting for the place where she worked to open.

"What's going on, Amelia? Do you know him?"

Amelia denied with difficulty, she had to calm down: most likely, it was a joke of destiny, a simple coincidence, there was no way that that guy who barely knew her name, had found out where she worked, of course not, it was a simple coincidence. Her own words did not give her any peace of mind, although she knew that it was most likely a coincidence, she could not help but feel nervous, because in fact, she had felt too uncomfortable because of the eyes of that guy fixed on her the other day.

"No, of course I-I don't know him," she replied to her friend, bending down to pick up the fragments of the coffee cup she had dropped.

"Do you need help?" offered Fatima.

"No, I'm o-okay... you go and get everything ready, we're just a few minutes away from opening".

Her companion gave her one more look, as if seeking to analyze her thoughts, Amelia's reaction had been a rather particular one, nervous, she was nervous, even her fingers were trembling as she picked up those shards of glass.

What if he had been spying on her?

"No," she muttered to herself, careful not to be overheard, "I'm being paranoid".

Or so she hoped.

She finished collecting the shards of glass in her hands, then unwillingly stood up, her gaze settling on the man again. Amelia stood static as Maximiliano's eyes fell on hers.

The woman shuddered as she watched the man quickly get to his feet and approach the establishment where she stood.