The familiarity pressed too close, too sharp.
I forced a laugh and shook my head again. Just coincidence. People said things like that all the time.
ReadToLiv
So … when do you want to meet?
TheWriteGuy
What about this weekend? Saturday afternoon? Neutral ground—somewhere public. Coffee shop?
ReadToLiv
Works for me.
TheWriteGuy
There’s that café on Main Street, the Orange Blossoms Café. You know it?
ReadToLiv
I know it.
TheWriteGuy
Perfect. I’ll be there at two.
Two o’clock. Saturday. Less than forty-eight hours away.
I set my phone down, pressing my hands against my cheeks to cool the heat rushing there.
This was it. The moment I’d been both dreaming of and dreading.
And so by the time Saturday came, my nerves were stretched so tight, I could hear them humming, and I nearly talked myself out of it three separate times. Once when I stared too long in the mirror, wondering if I looked meet-your-online-soulmate ready. Once in thecar outside the café, palms sweating against the steering wheel. And once when I caught sight of my reflection in the café window and thought—what if this ruins everything?
My stomach churned as I stood outside the Orange Blossoms Café. The little downtown café looked so ordinary—brick walls, wide front windows, a sandwich board sign with chalk lettering—but stepping through those glass doors felt like crossing into another life.
The bell jingled above me, and the scent of roasted beans and sugar wrapped around me. The place buzzed with quiet conversation, people tapping away on laptops or reading worn paperbacks. I smoothed my shirt nervously and scanned the café for … someone. Forhim.
My heart hammered as I walked farther inside, but then I stopped in my tracks.
Standing near the counter, a cup in each hand, was Talon.
And then my heart stopped, skipped, then slammed so hard, it rattled my ribs.
He hadn’t seen me yet, his attention focused on balancing the drinks. But when he finally looked up, his brows lifted in surprise.
“Hey.” His voice carried across the room, his smile warm.
I blinked at him, my mind scrambling for footing. What was he doing here? I mean, not that he couldn’t be here. This was a small town, and this was a popular hot spot where I had run into him more than once. But why was he here at two o’clock?
“Hi,” I managed, though my voice came out thinnerthan I liked. My eyes flicked to his hands—two cups. Not one. Two.
A swift stab of jealousy punched low in my gut before I had a chance to shove it down. “Are you … meeting someone here?”
Something unreadable flickered across his face. He hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I am.”
I looked at Talon, then glanced around the café, and then back to Talon. My mind was struggling with what was happening.
