Jane groaned as she shot a dirty look at the coffee machine belonging to their office. Said machine remained unimpressed and decidedly unresponsive. She pressed one of the buttons again, checked the plug... nothing. She'd have to make a quick stop by the nearby coffee shop. She simply could not function without coffee.

She had some time left. Ryan knew she would produce better results once that precious caffeine started pumping through her veins. He wouldn't mind her absence.

As she walked out of the building, she noticed that clouds still blocked the sunlight. Thankfully, it didn't feel chilly like it sometimes did during those early April days. She texted Ryan a quick word to let him know where she'd gone, just in case, and crossed the street. The din of cars rushing by got replaced by the steady hum of conversations inside the coffee shop.

The line didn't go all the way out of the shop, but the end of it still reached the front doors. Another reason why she stuck to the coffee machine at work, no matter how bad it tasted sometimes. She couldn't afford to waste time here.

She checked her cell, then glanced back up at the people in front of her. The line hadn't moved a bit and ten minutes had already gone by. Ryan was understanding, sure, but he was still her boss.

"Running late?" A deep voice asked behind her.

She spun around and felt her heart plummet to her stomach. She had yet to know whether to take it as a good or as a bad sign.

The one time she couldn't be late and she just had to run into the most gorgeous man she'd ever met.

Tall with broad shoulders, short black hair that curled at the nape and deep blue eyes, the man looked almost out of place in such an ordinary setting. Jane even wondered for a second if she'd misunderstood, if he'd meant to talk to someone else instead of her.

"You all right?" He asked. His earlier amusement had left and concern had taken its place. The crease between his brows told her as much.

"I, uh... yeah, sure," she stammered.

He is talking to me after all. Ok, stay calm, you can do this!

"You here for coffee too?" She asked.

My God, Jane! She berated herself. You've managed to sound stupid twice in the space of a week! That's got to be some sort of new record.

He chuckled. "Isn't everyone here?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so dumb." She rubbed at her eyes. "Guess I'm not totally awake just yet."

"Don't put yourself down like that," he said, shaking his head. "It won't do you any good in the long run."

"I'm not insecure or anything, I just need coffee," she said, trying to make a joke out of it. She did not want the first handsome guy she had seen in a long time to go and pity her.

Her comment made him laugh. "Don't we all?"

"Truer words have never been spoken," she said, approving.

"Tell you what," he said while throwing a quick glance at the rest of the line and at the counter to the front. "You look like you've got a rough day ahead of you. My treat."

Jane opened her mouth, then closed it, at a loss for words. Then she said, "No, don't, it's fine!" She scratched her cheek, feeling embarrassed. "God, I'd rather not see how tired I look if you feel the need to buy me coffee."

He shrugged, the corner of his lips turned up. "That or that's my way of treating a pretty woman I just happened to run into."

Her heart stuttered in her chest. That did not just happen. He hadn't just said what she'd thought she'd heard. Guys like him, the ones that looked like they'd just stepped down a runway, did not come on to girls like herself, the kind that got stuck with very creative nicknames such as "Plain Jane" for the rest of their high school years.

It was one thing to feel confident about one's appearance. It had taken a long time for Jane to get over her troubled teenage years, but she had and she didn't hate the person she saw each morning in the vanity mirror of her bathroom.

It was quite another thing to have this handsome, charming guy flirt with her. And while she was far from inexperienced when it came to attraction and showing her interest in someone, this whole situation still made her brain freeze in its tracks, utterly bewildered.

She wondered what the hell she was supposed to say to him. Flirt back? No, maybe just asking his name would be a decent start. Baby steps.

Then the cashier signaled to her that her turn had come and she didn't get to say anything at all. She noticed the weird looks the employee gave her as she ordered her coffee (black, because she liked it bitter like her damn soul). She pretended not to notice anything by averting her eyes, but the heat in her cheeks told her she did a poor job of it.

From the corner of her eye, she saw that Mr. Too-Handsome-For-His-Own-Good had also placed his order and told the cashier he'd pay for them both. Her phone vibrated in her hoodie's pocket. She took it out to see Ryan's name and number flashing on the screen. That didn't sound good.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked when she picked up. With any other boss, she wouldn't have felt comfortable speaking so casually. With Ryan, it came naturally, like talking to an old friend.

"Hey. Where are you? I saw your text, but I thought you'd be back by now." At least he didn't sound pissed or anything like that. Thank God.

"Sorry about that. It ended taking longer than I thought, but I'm on my way now."

"Don't worry, new guy isn't here yet anyway."

That caught her attention. "New guy?" She repeated.

"Damn it... Meant it as a surprise. Oh well. Get your ass back here if you want to know more," he teased her.

"Ryan, don't—!" Too late. He'd hung up and she stared at her phone with absolute disbelief. What the hell. A new guy? As in a new employee? Why did she only hear about that now? Why couldn't he just give them all a heads up like any normal, decent employer would?

"Something wrong?" Her new friend asked.

She ran a hand through her hair in dismay. "Nah, just my boss being his usual confusing self." She looked up at him and lifted her cup of coffee. "Thanks for this, by the way, you have no idea how much I appreciate anyone feeding into my unhealthy addiction."

He laughed and the sound enchanted her. God, it's been too long since I've last went out with someone if he has that much of an effect on me, she thought.

"My pleasure," he replied with a glint in his eyes.

Another text made her phone buzz and she jerked out of the spell he'd put her under. "Damn it. Sorry, I gotta go."

As she dashed to the front door, she heard a faint "wait!" from her mysterious stranger. After one decidedly ungraceful stumble near the entrance, she finally made it back outside.

It only hit her once she'd reached her workplace that she had forgotten to ask him his name and number.

She groaned. Amy would have a field day with this.

                                              ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Thinking about maybe adding a chapter with the casting for this story... but I'm curious, who would you picture in the main roles? 🎬

If you've enjoyed this chapter, please like and/or leave a comment, it would mean the world to me!