She quickly made her way to the counter to order her coffee and possibly a muffin, hoping he hadn't seen her come in. She was on a first-name basis with the barista, John, but today, she hoped he wouldn't greet her too loudly. Of course, with her luck, this wasn't the case.
"Goooood morning, Mia! Your usual?" he said cheerily. Slightly panicked, her eyes darted toward where Andrew was sitting. He didn't seem to hear.
"Yes, and a blueberry muffin, please," she said as she handed over her card to pay, almost in a whisper.
"Coming right up! I'll bring it over to your table!" He said with a wink.
As Mia walked over to her usual seat by the window, where she often sat to people-watch between chapters of her book, she suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness. Any moment now, Andrew would look up, see her, and ruin her perfect morning.
Sure enough, as she reached her seat, Andrew glanced up and their eyes met. Her stomach dropped. Damn those eyes. His mouth slowly spread into a wide smile, so genuine it took her by surprise, making her footing falter slightly.
He raised his hand in an awkward hello, and she found herself waving back. But instead of getting up to come over and annoy her, he simply looked back down at his newspaper and continued reading. Huh. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or bothered to be snubbed.
Rolling her eyes, she took her seat, her back to Andrew. Surprisingly, she was able to enjoy her morning, getting lost in the universe of her novel and sipping her coffee in peace.
Later, someone knocked on her table. Yes, knocked. Shaking her out of the world of her book. She looked up to see Andrew towering over her, his smile now gone.
"Time to go, princess. We're gonna be late for work," he said in a monotone voice.
Stunned and irritated at the nickname, she checked the time and, sure enough, it was almost nine.
She got up and gathered her things, acutely aware of Andrew's proximity. "Why are you in this coffee shop?" she blurted out.
"I live just a block over. Just moved, actually," he said matter-of-factly. Her stomach dropped. She lived a block over. Did that mean she and Andrew were neighbors?
They walked out of the coffee shop together, the awkward silence hanging between them like a fog. Mia's mind raced, panic bubbling at the thought of having no escape from Andrew. So deep in thought about her discomfort, she failed to notice a speeding biker until a large hand yanked her out of the way. Ever graceful, she landed smack against Andrew's chest, his hand warm at the small of her back.
Heat immediately crept up her face. Her hands were on his abdomen, and she realized neither of them had moved for what felt like an eternity. She jumped back, straightening her clothes. "Uh, thanks for that," she muttered, gesturing awkwardly.
"Where would you be without me, Mia?" Andrew said with a smug smirk. And there he was, annoying as ever. She wanted to slap that smirk right off his face.
As they walked the few remaining blocks to the office, Andrew started talking, asking about her article. Distracted, she snapped, "Why, are you going to try to take this from me too?" She regretted it instantly as she saw Andrew's smile falter. He barked out a laugh.
"Mia, that was ages ago. You're seriously not still thinking we're in college competing against each other, are you?" he said as they approached the Daily Post building.
Entering the office, he transformed back into his obnoxious self, the quiet, mysterious Andrew from that morning nowhere to be found.