The little cafe on maple Street smelled like comfort. The kind of comfort wrapped in cinnamon,roasted beans and a faint sweetness of pastries just out of the oven.
Amara tightened her grip on the leather strap of her laptop bag. With her other hand, she clutched a Manila folder close to her chest, like it was her life support. Inside were her carefully printed charts, notes and slides for the big presentation she had been preparing for weeks .
Her first real assignment at the new architecture firm. Her chance to prove herself .
And she was late.
The line at the counter crawled like a snail , and she shifted her weight from one heel to the other. Just a quick coffee, Amara told herself. A cappuccino will keep your hands from shaking during the meeting. Just breathe.
She tried to breathe, but her nerves were louder than her thoughts.
She finally got her order, balancing the steaming cup with her folder, and started toward the exit. She was so focused on making it back to her car in time that she didn't notice the tall man charging through the door — until it was too late.
Crash.
Liquid splattered, papers flew , and time seemed to slow .
"Oh - no" a deep male voice muttered.
Amara froze ,staring in horror as her carefully organized papers hit the floor, now splattered with icy brown coffee. The graphs bleed into one another , ink smudging like a cruel watercolor painting.
"Are you kidding me? " she snapped, crouching quickly to gather her documents. Her heart hammered . this can't be happening today of all days.
"I am so , so sorry ," the man said, crouching beside her. His voice was sincere,rushed, and frustratingly smooth. He reached for the papers ,but when his hands brushed hers, Amara jerked back like she did touched fire.
She looked up for the first time.
He was tall, Taller than most men she had met . Broad shouldered in a fitted navy sweater, hair slightly messy as though he'd run a hand through it many times. But it was his eyes that caught her startling blue, framed by lashes that had no business being that long on a man.
And that crooked smile…
Amara scowled, dragging her gaze back to the ruined papers .you have completely ruined my presentation." She held up one dripping sheet like it was evidence of a crime.
His lips twisted with guilt. I'll fix this. I swear, I can reprint them for you —'
You don't even know what this is,' she cut in, standing abruptly.
He stood too, brushing his hands against his jeans .
His presence was steady, warm, annoyingly confident . You are right. I don't , but I can help. Just tell me where to—
Amara shook her head, exasperated. Forget it I don't have time for this. She shoved the papers back into the folder, ignoring the sticky wetness soaking through.
Still the man didn't move away.' At least let me buy you another coffee? Or pay for the printing bills.
She narrowed her eyes. why was he still talking?
"A coffee and a printer aren't going to save my job." She snapped,stepping around him.
He hesitated ,then called after her ." "I'm Daniel, by the way. In case fate decides we should bump into each other again .
Amara froze for half a heartbeat, then shook her head and push through the cafe door .
——
The rest of her morning spiraled from there . She rushed to the office, barely on time, clutching her ruined papers . She'd tried blotting in the bathroom, but the stains remained— ugly, brown remainder of a stranger's clumsiness.
Her colleagues glanced at her curiously as she slipped into the conference room. She plastered on a smile on her face, but her stomach twisted.
When the projector refused to load her slides and she had to hand out the blotched charts instead, she swore she caught her boss's raised eyebrow .
By the time it was over, she slumped into her chair at her cubicle, exhausted. Her phone buzzed with a new message — her best friend, Grace.
Grace :"How was your first big presentation ? Did you kill it?"
Amara sighed and typed back quickly.
Amara : "killed…yes myself. By drowning in coffee stains.
She tossed her phone aside and rubbed her temples .
And yet despite the disaster , a ridiculous detail stuck in her mind :the stranger's blue eyes ,the warmth in this voice when he said he'd fix it, the way he introduced himself like fate might have plans.
Daniel,," she muttered under her breath , shaking her head ."Annoying and clumsy . I hope I never see him again."
But the flutter in her chest told her she might not believe her own words.
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