Raine woke up early the next morning as her alarm blared out a loud siren noise, the only sound to make her actually wake up. The softer tone settings had no effect on waking up Raine, as she could sleep through the noise effortlessly. Raine was clearly a deep sleeper and thus, waking up at 6 am was not something she was looking forward to.
Slamming her head in the pillow and reaching for her phone, Raine turned off the annoying sounds and squirmed in bed. No matter how much she tried, those captivating sapphire blue eyes had been lingering in her mind ever since she came home last night. And they didn't even spare her in her sleep.
Jumping out of bed, Raine rushed to the bathroom to get her day started. Today was Monday which meant that the cafe would be packed. Rush hour was at 8:00, which was when the surrounding companies opened. Employees and personal assistants would often show up in the cafe, grabbing a quick bite for themselves and their employers.
Raine got out of the shower, slipping into a navy blue floral skirt and a soft, white crop top, which she tucked into the skirt at the waist. She wore on a pair of white converse and headed to the kitchen to get a quick bite and then headed off to the cafe.
* * *
"Hey Rainy!" Mike greeted as Raine stepped into the cute cafe that had just opened. Mike was managing the cash register as usual, helping out the first couple of customers that had dropped by.
"Good morning Mikey! Looks like you're busy already." Even if the cafe had opened minutes ago, the flow of people into the small coffee shop was constant.
"Well, Sundays don't last forever."
Raine dropped her purse and phone on the side of the counter and put on her apron. Heading to the back room, she smiled at Daisy who was busy on the phone, trying to multitask talking with a friend and making muffins at the same time. How she did it? Nobody knew.
After setting up, Raine was on the roll with her duty as the waitress. Deliverying coffee and other drinks to the tables, while cleaning up after the customers left, Raine was busy as can be during the typical Monday rush hour.
However, unlike normal days, Raine's eyes scanned the front door quiet often when the sound of the bell chimed through the cafe. For some unknown reason, her desire to see those blue eyes once more, was driving her insane.
* * *
The day passed but the blue eyed man never made a comeback. Although Raine acted as if she could care less, disappointment was evident in her eyes. Mike and Daisy were the first to notice and they spared no chance in pointing it out to Raine.
"Looks like Rainy is waiting for someone." Mike smirked as he loudly whispered to Daisy who was setting up the cookies in the glass displays in front of the counter.
"Maybe she finally found her special someone unlike you."
"Hey, who says I haven't found my special someone."
"Maybe its the fact that you're flirting like a lonely loser with-----" Daisy was unable to finish her sentence as the sound of the bell chimed throughout the cafe. Mike stood up straighter and attended the register while Daisy just turned around and shamelessly gawked at the beauty in front of her. Raine was too busy cleaning up the tables to turn around and see who had entered the cafe, but she heard Mike's voice, knowing it was defiinatey a typical customer.
"What can I get you sir?"
"Black, no sugar." Maybe it was the order or maybe it was the deep velvety voice, but just as these words echoed through the cafe, Raine froze in her step. Slowly lifting her eyes, she saw what her orbs had been searching since she had arrived today.
Her eyes met with the pair of ocean blue eyes that stared back at her trying to say so many things that words simply couldn't say and she couldn't understand. The man looked towards Raine as Mike took his card, charging him and than handing him the receipt. The entire time, his eyes did not leave Raine's and Raine remained in the position she had been in.
"It'll be out in a bit! Have a great day!"
Mike's voice seemed to break them out of the magical trance that they appeared to get into, every time their eyes would meet. Raine's face turned slightly pink as she moved her eyes away and headed towards the back, ready to deliver the man's drink.
The man went back to the same spot that he had sat at the day before and looked out the window. Raine grabbed the cup of coffee and prepared herself to keep a straight face when delivering the drink to the mysterious man.
However, her game plan to ignore the man when down the drain when she set to cup of coffee in front of him. He looked up and gave Raine a smile so warm that it melted her away. Her couldn't help but respond his smile with one of her own. They stared at each other for a couple seconds before Raine rushed back to her work.
* * *
After the exchange of the smiles, the man had finished his drink and left quickly. Raine too became preoccupied with the busy cafe. The day was almost coming to an end and it was time to lock the cafe. Daisy, grabbed all over her belongings, eager to head out of the cafe and Mike grabbed his uniform to head off to his second shift.
Mike was the first to take off while Raine and Daisy put away the last things and were locking the doors.
"So, you're not going to say anything about what happened in the cafe??" Daisy asked with excitement in her voice and a slight smirk playing on her lips.
"What happened in the cafe?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that we had a freaking greek god staring at you as if his life depended on it!! Who is he?!"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know!? You're the one who's always outside! You should defiantly know!!"
"I seriously have no clue. He came here yesterday when Mike was with you in the back. I gave him a coffee and then he left. I've never even seen him come to this cafe before. Maybe he's on a business tour from some other place." Raine said shrugging. Even though most of their customers have been repeats, coming almost daily, somethings a few newbies made an appearance if they had a business trip or internship of some sort.
"I have no clue about that, but the one thing I'm sure of is that HE IS HOT! If you don't want him, than I'll take him for sure!"
"Of course you would say that!" Rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I have better things to think about, like finding a place to live. I got to go Daisy. Take care."
"Bye Raine. Oh! And don't forget, Mike has an off tomorrow so you need to be here early to handle the register."
"Don't worry! I'll be there!" Saying her last goodbyes, Raine began walking back to her apartment. It was only 5 in the evening and the sun hadn't set yet. Thankful to Raine, Cathy's Cakes & Coffee closed at 5 pm, as usually customers after that time was quiet unlikely.
The walk back the Raine's apartment wasn't bad at all. The was sun beginning to descend and the sky was painted the perfect shade for orange nested with strokes of yellows and reds. There was a slight gust of wind causing Raine to pull her cardigan closer to her body. The area wasn't remote or abandoned much to Raine's luck. The walk back was mostly passing all office building of large corporations. Her apartment was further down the street, where the tall skyscrapers end and the residential part of the city began. The further from the financial district, the worse the part of the city got. And much to Raine's bad luck, her apartment wasn't in the best area.
The whole reason she loved working at the cafe was that her shift always ended at 5, which meant she had time to get home before the sun set. Once it was dark, leaving the house was not an option.
Raine continued to walk past the tall building as she saw the sun slowly dip deeper and deeper in the sky. The light reflected off of the glass high rises that lined the street, creating an arrangement of orange tinting buildings. Raine was about to cross the street when something caught her eyes, or more like someone.
The same blue eyes that had been messing with her mind since yesterday, once again made a comeback. Raine watched as the mysterious man walked out of one of the building and into a black car with tinted glass. Another man followed closely behind him, slipping into the driver seat and the car drove off.
Shaking her head and trying to clear her thoughts of this blue eyed mystery, Raine continued walked down the street to her apartment.
* * *
Raine woke up the next morning from a dream that confused her more than anything. Raine was accustomed to her weekly nightmares that haunted her mind, however, last night something different happened. The nightmares that once plagued her sleep, were no where to be found, instead Raine dreamt of herself floating in the cool water at a tropical island. Though this dream was quiet normal, with nothing out of the ordinary, what confused Raine more than ever was the color of the water she was floating it.
It was the same blue as the mysterious eyes that had captured her attention.
Shaking her head at foolish thoughts, Raine prepared herself for the busy day ahead. Getting ready in a cream colored top and faded skinny jeans, Raine rushed out the door and made her way to Cathy's Cakes & Coffee.
The strong scent of coffee lingered in the air as Raine opened the door to find a joyful Daisy setting up the freshly made muffins and cookies in the displays of glass.
"Good morning Daisy!" Raine said as she took off her jacket and set it on the desk behind the counter.
"Good morning Raine! How was your walk here?"
"One word. Cold!!" A shiver ran down Raine's spine as she recalled the freezing temperatures she walked through, to get to the cafe.
Daisy laughed and finished setting up the baked goods before carrying the tray and heading towards to kitchen. "Sorry you have to take the double shift today."
"No worries Daisy! I don't mind doing Mike's job at all! Just getting some more experience!" Raine said passing Daisy a genuine smile. "Oh and how is your mother doing?"
"She's been doing well. The extra rest is definitely helping, although, she keeps forcing me to let her come by the cafe."
"I'm sure she misses it but she definitely needs the rest!"
"I agree." Soon, Daisy left to the kitchen while Raine checked through the cash registered and fixed up the tables and chairs before flipping the sign outside the cafe from "closed" to "open."
Not long after the cafe was open, an overflow of people began coming in, catching Raine by surprise. Sure she had worked the register many times before, but it was always over the weekends when business was slow and Mike wanted to fool around with Daisy in the back.
However, being the fighter she was, Raine effortlessly managed to handle all of the customers with ease. Rush hour was over and the clock showed 11 am. This was the slowest hour at the cafe as it as too late for breakfast and two early for lunch. Raine took this moment to sit back in the chair and look out the window, her eyes waiting on someone she hoped to see again.
As if someone from above was listening to her, her dream was fulfilled when the slick black car pulled up right in front of Cathy's Cakes & Coffee. The man from yesterday came out of the driver seat and went around the car to open the passenger door. In a full navy blue, fitted suit, the blue eyed man came out, shutting the door behind him. He gestured the driver to stay outside as he headed towards the glass doors that divided them.
Only then Raine realized that his captivating eyes were covered by a pair of black shades that looked just as expensive as his suit. He was busy talking on the phone as he pushed the door open, allowing a cold gust of wind to flow into the cafe. The bell chimed and quickly, Raine stood up and prepared herself for the blue eyed riddle she longed to solve.
As the man walked through the cafe and to the counter, two things were lost: The phone and the glasses. The man set his sunglasses hanging from the front pocket of his suit while his phone rested in this hands. He looked at Raine as if she was some rainbow after a stormy night. Raine stood there, waiting for them to say or do something, but the man just keep this eyes on her, no words leaving his mouth.
"What would you like to have sir?" Raine asked with her soft voice full of nervousness as she broke the silence in the room.
"Your name." That man replied. The words slipping out of his mouth instantly before he could register what he had just said.
"Excuse me??" Raine replied with shock and confusion evident in her voice.
"You name!" The man quickly said with slight panic in his voice. "I said you name. You name what the best item on your menu is." That man corrected himself quickly before Raine could process what was going on. His hands fisted under the counter as he cursed himself in his mind for letting that slip.
Raine looked at the man with a suspicious gaze before taking her eyes away from him and onto the small menu that was placed in front of her. She read through it before looking back up to the mysterious man who has been staring at her the entire time. However, instead of feeling creeped out by this man's stare, Raine was unbothered. She didn't feel threatened, in fact she felt warm and safe. "Umm...I think you're a fan of the black coffee but the most popular drink we serve at this time of the year is the pumpkin spiced latte."
"What would YOUÂ personally recommend?" He replied, emphasizing the "you".
"Me? Umm...well I don't think we have the same taste, seeing that you like black coffee. But if you were to ask me what my favorite item on the menu is then I would definitely say the Pistachio Rose Latte!! It's to die for!!! Oh! And the Raspberry Swirl Loaf goes perfectly with it!!" Raine responded with excitement and a smile on her face. The man stared at her, amused at her excitement and the way her brown eyes went wide as she spoke about the food. He couldn't help but let out a small smile.
"Then I'll have one Pistachio Rose Latte with a Raspberry Swirl Loaf."
"Are you sure? I don't think it's your thing. You know? I mean, I don't want to judge you or anything. But you're like a man. Like a man, man. And for you to want something as sweet as a Pistachio Rose Latte....well that's pretty wierd. But then again, I don't think it's that weird. I mean men can have a sweet tooth too right? But do you have a sweet tooth? I don't think you do considering the fact that you've only been ordering black coffees this entire time. Â And that too with no sugar! And I promise I'm not stalking you or anything! But I mean, how the heck can you pour that bitter liquid down your throat without sugar?! But I guess some people are just like that.....Where was I? Oh yeah! Pistachio Rose Latte! If your only ordering it cause I said so, than I don't think you should! I mean what do I know about-----"
"I do apologize for interrupting your intriguing conversation on men having a sweet tooth, but I have an urgent meeting to attend to in less than ten minutes." He looked at his wrist watch before looking back up at her. "And it would be a great meeting if I could get my order." The man replied with a genuine face that showed he truly didn't mean to interrupt her conversation.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I'll have your order out in just a minute." Raine quickly punched in random things into her screen while trying not to make a complete fool of herself in front of this greek god of a man. "Um....black, no sugar right?" She asking, trying to confirm his order.
"I thought I was pretty clear with my order."
"Pistachio Rose Latte?" She said with doubt in her voice.
"And the raspberry Swirl Loaf." He reply with a smile.
"Ok sir! I'll have that out for you in just a minute. And I do apologize again for the-----"
"Please don't apologize, the conversation was indeed interesting and I do feel guilty for having to cut it short." The look on the man's face was so genuine that it cause Raine off guard.
Raine gave the man a confused smile at how he could possibly think her nonsense was interesting. Shrugging, she sent the order to the back where Daisy prepared it while the man stood in the corner, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his eyes glued to Raine as she floated around the cafe, picking up empty cups and throwing away left behind trash.
Occasionally, Raine's eyes would meet those blue masterpieces embedded within the skull of that handsome man, causing a tint of pink to take over Raine's cheeks. While Raine would divert her eyes back to her tasks, the man refused to move his eyes for even a second.
The bell behind the counter rang and Raine rushed to the small window that separated the back kitchen and the front cafe, to pick up to perfectly steaming Pistachio Rose Latte. The fragrance spread throughout the whole room, making the entire cafe smell floral and delicious. Raine took the cup and a small bag with the loaf into her hands and made her way back to the man. With a soft smile on her face, she handed the goods over to the man who returned her the smile.
"Have a good day sir." Raine said, before walking back behind the counter. The man too headed out the door, but right before he exited the cafe, Raine heard something that made the blood rush up to her cheeks.
"Have a wonderful day Rose."
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