There was only one person who could untangle the mess inside my head. Early next morning, I burst through the coffee shop on the first floor of our office building. Lucy started, “We aren’t open yet—” But then she saw my face and grinned.

No one would’ve looked at us and guessed we were best friends. Compared to my wallflower personality, Lucy was the tattooed, fun-loving barista who could even charm a tadpole. We met in college—although she dropped out when her parents divorced. Struggling through part-time jobs, we became each other’s life support. I somehow completed my degree while she found her love for coffee. It was our luck that we ended up working so close together.

I crashed onto the chair in front of the counter and said, “Give me the strongest shot you have.” 

“Good morning to you too.” Lucy laughed. She smoothed her ginger bangs, puffed up her shoulder-length hair, and looked at me for approval. I gave her a thumbs-up. Satisfied, she said, “We ordered new Robusta beans yesterday. That’ll knock you out!”

I stared at the steaming dark liquid she placed in front of me and immediately regretted my choice. Lucy rolled her eyes and pushed forward the tray with cream and sugar. I smiled. “Thanks. I need to tell you something very important.”

“Let me guess!” Lucy picked up an empty coffee cup and wiped it with a dishcloth. “A rich man wants to marry you, but he doesn’t know your actual identity?”

I almost spit out the coffee and shook my head. “It’s even worse.”

She gasped and said, “You hooked up with a rich man and now you’re pregnant?” 

This time I sputtered the coffee. “What? No!” I grumbled and said, “Though you got the rich man part right. Do you remember the guy I saved that day?”

Lucy handed me a tissue. “Yeah?”

“I almost got screwed—” Lucy brightened up, and I quickly added, “—in a figurative sense. He’s my CEO. And he caught me at my second job!”

Lucy dropped the mug in shock, and I scrambled to catch it before it hit the floor. She shouted, “That was your CEO that day? The one with the blond model hottie?”

I kept the mug to the side and nodded. “Yep.”

“So did he fire you?” She picked up another mug, her brown eyes full of worry.

“Well…” I drawled, watching her hands, and told her about the contract.

“What?” Lucy slapped her hand over her mouth. As expected, the other mug flew out of her grip, shattering on the floor. 

“Can you focus? If you keep breaking things like this—” I said in an exasperated tone. “—how will you save enough to open your own cafe?”

Lucy straightened up at the reminder and gave me a sheepish grin. “Sorry. So, back to you. Why do you think he’s doing this?”

I shrugged. “There doesn’t need to be a reason, does there?”

“Isla, Isla,” Lucy said my name in a sing-song voice. “Of course, there’s a reason.”

“What do you mean?”

Lucy flashed me one of her mischievous smiles. She hooked her index finger and motioned me to come closer. Suddenly having a bad feeling about this, I leaned in. She held onto my shoulder and whispered, “I think your boss likes you.”

The words struck me like a thunderbolt. My elbow slipped on the counter, and my own drink crashed onto the floor. I winced and said, “That’s the most absurd conclusion you could’ve come up with.”

“Fine...maybe I went overboard.” Lucy backed down and giggled. I sighed and helped her clean the mess. She started, “Also—” 

I noticed the time and cursed. Noah’s remark was still fresh in my mind. “Need to leave or I'll be late!”

“There’s something I want to tell—” 

“Text me!” I rushed out.

It was weird how Noah had invaded my mind and my life. I was still thinking of him as I waited for the elevator. The door dinged open, and I froze. As if he had materialized right out of my thoughts, Noah stood in front of me, a mysterious breeze ruffling his soft hair and well-fitted blazer. He looked up from his watch, almost in slow motion, and met my gaze. He cocked an eyebrow up in question.

Someone coughed behind me, and I realized I was holding the queue to the elevator.

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I hurried in. A crowd of people boarded after me. I was pushed back until I hit something hard—Noah’s chest. I quickly apologized and took a step away. 

Pressed close together in the cramped space, I tried to ignore his strong presence behind me. It didn’t really work. Curious, I slowly turned to peek at him. Our eyes met, and I snapped my head forward. 

Why is he looking at me?!

My back continued to brush against his chest. At some point, our fingers grazed together, and my muscles went taut. I blamed Lucy for corrupting my mind. If she hadn’t uttered those damning words, I wouldn’t be so attentive to these random touches!

Soon, the crowd emptied. I took another step away from Noah, glad for space. But to my astonishment, he shifted closer. A subtle scent of cedar and dark spices wafted off him and invaded my senses. 

He bent down to my level, his breath on my neck. I shivered. Was Lucy right? Did Noah really like me? But we didn’t even know each other personally!

“Ms. Rose,” Noah whispered in my ear.

I tried not to melt at his voice. “Yes, sir?”

“You have a coffee stain on your top.”

That instantly slaughtered the flutter of butterflies inside my stomach. The elevator stopped at our floor, and Noah brushed past me. I stared at the stain and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Drowning in embarrassment, I violently dabbed at my top and rushed out.

From the reception desk, I watched Noah work. A pile of files dwindled in minutes. His handsome face didn’t even break a sweat when Patrick, his secretary, added a dozen more on his desk. 

I thought back to the vulnerable expressions I had seen on his face yesterday. Was he really the same person who had to hold my hand to step into the pool?

“Did you hear?” My ears perked up as Sarah—the gossip-loving manager—passed by my desk and talked to another colleague. “Mr. Jung sold a batch of yachts to our toughest client in one meeting!”

“No wonder he inherited the company from his uncle,” the other commented.

I sighed and peeked back at him. I might have been jealous of him for being a CEO at twenty-seven… but he was just too good. If only he understood that his perfection wasn’t achievable by commoners like us! Carried away by my emotions, I raised my hands and motioned to grab his shoulders and shake some sense into him. I paused mid-action when Noah looked up and caught me.

Shit. I quickly put down my hands and schooled my expression. To my horror, Noah hooked his index finger and ordered me to come in.