Nice to meet you or not

Maeve's professional faltered at the familiar sight of Christian waltzing into her coffee shop. She glanced at the others, and they were too occupied to welcome them. Which she would have to take their order. She appeared from behind the counter. Just great! she thought with dry enthusiasm. 

"Welcome to Maeve's coffee shop. What can I get for you?" she asked with a notepad in hand. Her gaze was focused on the other men. Ignoring the burning gaze of Christian at her. Any longer and he would have drilled a hole through her head.

Christian's guests were oblivious to the tension between them and began ordering their drinks. Maeve's hands moved on autopilot, her mind racing. Christian was the only one who had not spoken. Her eyes met his and his gaze in return swept over her, they were cold and unyielding. "Coffee, black," he ordered, his tone dripping with disdain. 

Maeve's hands moved mechanically her face neutral. "Your orders will be ready in a minute," she said to them before she left to prepare them. His gaze still lingered on her as she left.

"Please someone just kill me already" she begged the heavens for that desperate wish. Anywhere was better than there. 

She was done in no less than five minutes and she delivered their order to them. As she handed him his coffee, he took a sip. His expression had no response to whether it was good or bad. When he looked up from his cup staring at her awkwardly she expected he would comment on the drink like everyone had. 

"Will you wait till I'm done with my cup or what?" he said harshly to her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry pardon my intrusion. Have a nice stay," She bowed. With that, she left back to her post at the counter. 

After they were done. Christian came forward to the counter to pay. His hands go into his breast pocket to reach for his wallet. A moment of silence between them. "How much?" he asked. 

"That will be 5.48," she said in her usual customer-friendly tone. He couldn't help but steal a glance at her as he dropped bills on the desk. 

"The coffee given to me this morning was intolerable, yet I come here and there seems to be no problem with your skills. It seems almost like it was done intentionally," he mentioned. 

"It was a slight mishap on our end due to the junior staff still learning but we hope to meet your needs and make amends tomorrow morning. However, if we fail to satisfy you. You are welcome to cancel the services with us." her voice almost sounded scripted as she spoke without catching a breath. 

Christian stood his eyes never leaving Maeve's. "From now on, I want you to prepare those morning dishes and coffee personally. Not your staff." 

The tension between them was palpable, the air thick with unspoken animosity. Maeve's staff exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the strain. "Sure, if that's what you prefer," Maeve answered with a smile that seemed frozen in place. She would make sure to charge extra, she thought.

As Christian left the shop, she noticed his bills were over the top and she heard him mutter that she should keep the change. She was bewildered. Rachel approached with caution. Her eyes were saddened by what she had heard from him. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find the grinder anywhere and since I was running late I improvised a little." She pleaded.

Maeve sighed tired from the whole drama. "It no issues, the crisis has been averted. You don't have to go in for me anymore. I'll handle it myself."

Rachel beamed almost immediately, and she leaned her eyes sparkled with mischief and a playful taunt. "Boss! you wouldn't believe what I overheard from those men in suits earlier." Though she knew it was wrong of Rachel to have nosed in on their conversation. She was plagued by the curiosity to know what had been so important that they talked about.

"Though I don't condone this, what happened?" she gave in to her curiosity. " Can you believe the hot chunk of a man who paid for the coffee is going to buy the Grande a la Vista Hotel," she said in an excited squeal. " I can't believe we get to see a man as hot as that every day." her voice went into a distant murmur.

Maeve was frozen in shock, the glass tea cup she held and was cleaning, slipped from her fingers. It shattered on the floor and the impact knocking her back to reality. "Boss! What's wrong?" Rachel asked. 

Maeve's face paled. Christian was going to buy the hotel which meant she would continue to see every morning. The feeling of uneasiness crept into her. 

"Nothing," Maeve said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just... nothing."

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "You really don't look okay, why don't you head home and we close up ourselves." Maeve's glanced at Rachel. The spinning headache throbbed in her skull the longer her eyes strained open. She did feel weak that morning after sleeping but she thought it had been her nerves acting up after seeing Oliver last night. 

"Maybe you're right" Maeve took off her apron and called it a day.

******************************

Christian's pov

Christian stood in his penthouse, gazing out the window as Maeve departed that morning. His mind whirled with questions.

"What was she doing at his doorstep?" he mused aloud. There was something else about her. he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Five was a long time for some to change. But in her case, everything changed. He recalled the Maeve he once knew - Dearing, fiery, a bit stubborn for her own good and extravagant. The woman who stood before him today was a shadow of that person.

"Dressed so simply, like a completely different person," Christian thought, his brow furrowed. He wouldn't have believed it was her if she had not called out his name. Her familiar voice hit him like an arrow piercing through his chest. His heart quickened.

"She must have been up to something for her to have found her way here?" Christian's voice was low, laced with scepticism. Was it Henry? He wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in this. As he turned away from the window, his eyes fell on the breakfast spread Maeve had prepared. 

His thoughts swirled with curiosity and suspicion. "I need to know more," Christian resolved. Christian picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Get me info on Maeve Brooklyn Donahue" he commanded. After he had placed the call, he wondered how she would look dressed the next day.

The next day came, he wasn't able to see her before she had made his breakfast. He asked the receptionist if she had been the same person who served him that morning. Since the coffee tasted different than the one he had the morning before. And it was confirmed it was the same diner that had served him. He laughed at the ridiculousness. 

An important meeting was to be held that afternoon and he couldn't entertain the guest with no chef. So he rescheduled at a coffee-breakfast diner. The moment Christian walks in, the first person that meets his gaze is Maeve again. Why did it seem like they were seeing each other more often and this time she was dressed as the barrister? he felt she was role-playing at the point. 

Christian observed Maeve with renewed interest. She approached their table, her eyes locking onto his for a fleeting moment. "Welcome to Maeve's Coffee Shop. What can I get for you gentlemen today?"

Christian was so focused on her outlook that he couldn't hear a word she had said, his focus drawn to the elegant simplicity of her hair tied up in a bun, accentuating her slender neck. The apron wrapped around her waist highlighted her curves. Something primal stirred within him. He imagined himself undoing the bun, watching her hair cascade down to her shoulders like a rich, dark waterfall. The thought sent a shiver through him.

His jaw clenched, Christian steeled his gaze, suppressing the unwanted desire. A strange thought indeed. He turned his focus back to the men in front of him. He needed to finalize the ongoing deal. His gaze flickered occasionally at her while she was busy with other customers. He questioned this curiosity in him.