Chapter 2

10 days ago

Nancy had started the coffee shop ten years ago when the near by area was nothing but an empty construction sight. However, as the years passed, the area became incredibly industrialized and now was the home of many top companies worth billions. Unfortunately, Nancy's health was going down hill and she was forced to quit the cafe. Instead of selling it to the top bider, she handed it over to Elle who was in love with baking. Elle joined the cafe two months ago when Nancy finally stood down from her position and her addition had made the cafe even more popular with her baking skills.

Caiden scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um.....I guess I can go help her. Hey, can you handle the register while I'm in the back? I doubt anyone will be coming here anyways. This side of this city is always dead on the weekends, especially Sundays." He asked with hope in his eyes. Elle had caught his eye immediately when she walked into the cafe two months ago as their new boss.

"Don't worry. I got your back. I'll handle it." Lily replied with a genuine smile. She never got tired of helping people.

"Thanks Lily." Caiden gave her a soft smile before disappearing behind the doors that led to the back of the cafe. Lily shook her head and continued to clean the tables and arrange the spoons, stir sticks and paper napkin which were on the counter besides the order line. She was humming to herself when a gust of wind blew into the cafe and the bell attached to the door chimed.

Knowing that a customer had arrived, Lily quickly finished placing the paper napkins into the dispenser and was walking back behind the counter, when her foot slipped on the freshly mopped floor and she came crashing down to the ground.

Lily's eyes shut tight as she braced herself for the impact of the tiled floor. However, the cold surface of the still wet floor didn't hit her body. Instead, she found herself being held up mid way, and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her petite waist. Slowly, Lily opened her eyes, not knowing that the sight she saw, would take her breath away.

Her eyes opened to meet a pair of the prettiest blue eyes that she had ever seen. The eyes were as blue as a bright summer sky and deeper than the ocean. They stared back at her with curiosity, as if searching her for answers to his thousands of unsaid questions.

Her eyes focused on the owner of those mesmerizing eyes. Those captivating eyes belonged to an even more captivating man. She notices his dark brown hair that looked as soft as a feather, pulled behind with gel. His sharp jaw with a slight stubble made him look even more gorgeous. His electrifying blue eyes and the eyebrows that were scrunched together in confusion. The way his lips looked, pink, soft, and luring her in. He was tall and muscular, his arms holding her tightly. Saving, almost protecting her from falling. Her body was tingling in every part that the man made contact with.

Realizing the situation they were in, Lily immediately stood straighter and took a step back, away from the intimidating, yet mysterious man.

"I-I...I..." Unable to form words, Lily stuttered with a flushed face and tints of pink on her cheeks.

"Are you ok?" The blue eyed man asked with concern evident in his voice. He looked at Lily, searching her for injuries or signs of dicomfort. His eyes made their way back up to Lily's brown ones, waiting for her to speak but she was in a loss of words. His eyes had Lily getting lost in their depths. She noticed how well dressed the man was. The perfect black suit with a white shirt and blue tie. His attire made his eyes stand out even more, showcasing them as they shined on his face.

"Um....yeah, s-sorry about that......" The man held his eye to her's as she spoke softly and carefully. The man looked intimidating and the last thing Lily wanted to do was cause more trouble in her life. She had enough to worry about and an angry young man would definitely not help at all.

"No worries." For the first time a smile broke out on the mysterious man's face. The once confused eyes, shined with brightness and Lily felt the temperature in the cafe suddenly rise as heat flowed to her cheeks. The way his skin wrinkled near his eyes and the slight dimple on his cheek made Lily feel weird emotions, never felt before.

Realizing that he was nothing more than a customer, Lily rushed behind the counter leaving the man's side who had his eye glued on her the entire time. "U-uh....can I help you?"

Breaking out of some sort of trance, the man shook his head and came closer to the counter, still eyeing the small girl in front of him. He briefly looked up at the menu that hung from about the counter before once again meeting the beautiful brown eyes that had him lured. "Can I get a black coffee, no sugar?"

"A black, no sugar. Would that be all for you sir?"

"Yeah." The man said handing over a gold credit card from his leather wallet.

"That will be out in just a minute. Thank you." Lily said with a soft smile as she looked up from the cash register and back into those blue eyes that seemed to be an addiction of some sort.

The man nodded and slowly turned back and sat at a single chair that looked out to the street. Eyeing him for a second longer, Lily diverted her attention back to the appliances she was putting away after sending the order into the kitchen. The bell from the kitchen dinged as Elle set a cup on the counter for Lily to deliver.

Setting her work aside, she took the cup and made her way back to the man who was facing his back to her. Silently, she came by his side and set the cup down in front of the man, who once again looked at Lily with curiosity. Lily gave him another soft smile, however, the man simply nodded and looked away, leaving Lily disheartened.

Not letting it get to her head, Lily walked back to what she was doing, not for once looking back at the blue-eyed man. As Lily continued her work, the man looked out the window. But oblivious to Lily, the man was merely looking at the reflection in the window. The reflection of Lily.

"Hey, sorry you had to handle that. Elle was having trouble with the cookie dough."

"No worries. It's nothing I can't handle Caiden." Lily smiled brightly as Caiden went behind the register and Lily took the mop and empty boxes, heading towards the back door. She was about to leave the room when she turned around once more to get the last glimpse of the blue-eyed man. But when her eyes fell on him, she found him already staring at her intently. Quickly turning around, Lily disappeared to the back.

Keeping his eyes glued to the door a minute longer, the man turned, taking his empty coffee cup and tossing it in the trash before leaving the shop.