Elysian

Wednesday, November 13

10am

Adam took his usual seat at the local coffee shop. Carefully pulling his laptop out of its bag, he smiled to himself as he waited for it to load. Once it did, he pulled his flash drive out of his pocket, inserting it into the side of his MacBook Air. He didn't finish all of yesterday's chapter, so he clicked on the proper folder to pick up where he left off.

"One roasted hazelnut, extra cream, extra sugar."

Smiling up at one of the baristas, Adam nodded and thanked her.

"Thanks, Ivy," he blew into the mug.

"No problem," she smiled, sliding into the empty seat in front of him. "Working on a new project?"

He nodded, "I'm attempting," he took a sip, hissing immediately after.

"I've warned you about that," she chuckled. "One of these days, you're going to burn your tongue clean off."

He looked up at her and chuckled lowly, "how are you today?"

"I can't complain," she sighed, "how about you?"

He nodded, "I'm alright."

"How is everyone? It's been a while since I've talked to Ainsley," she spoke, referring to his little sister.

"They're good," he nodded, "Ainsley's fine. Just started a new job."

"Mm, well that's good to hear," she nodded, before changing the subject. "So, this new novel, what's it about?" She smiled, raising a brow.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," he smirked, rubbing his chin. "I'm still playing around with a few ideas."

"Well, whatever the plot, I'm sure it's going to be a best seller," she encouraged.

"I'm hoping so," he sent her a small smile.

"They always are," she spoke honestly.

"Well, thank you," he took a sip from his mug before typing away on his laptop.

"It's true," she rose from her seat. "You know where to find me, should you need anything."

"Yeah, thanks," he smiled, still typing away on his laptop.

Just as Ivy retreated to the back of the cafe, the chimes rang, signaling a customer.

"We'll be with you in just a moment," Ivy called out.

"Take your time," the soft, quaint voice called back.

That faint, southern twang. Adam recognized it. Furrowing his eyebrows, he turned in the direction of the familiar voice, and that's when he saw her—the bookstore clerk from a few days prior. Locking eyes with the curly-haired beauty, he smiled softly, sending her a subtle head nod, earning a small smile and a wave.

"Hi, what can I do you for?" Ivy smiled brightly, taking Noëlle's attention away from Adam.

"Hi," she smiled softly. "Could I get a small caramel coffee, hot, with a dash of hazelnut? Extra cream, extra sugar, please."

"Of course," Ivy smiled, ringing up the total, "$5.25, please," she held out her hand as Noëlle handed her card over.

Soon returning the card, Ivy proceeded to make Noëlle's drink. Finding a seat by the window, Noëlle watched Adam closely, a small smirk danced across her lips.

Although she could only see him from a certain angle, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he was—his dirty blonde strands swayed every which way as he typed away on his laptop. His slightly parted lips caught her attention instantly, as his tongue lightly grazed them in one swift motion—soft pink, chap-free, slightly puckered. Her eyes trailed down to his biceps—each muscle poorly hidden by the cream-colored turtleneck he wore. It wasn't until his warm, ocean eyes locked with her dark, chocolate ones that she even noticed how long and hard she'd been staring. Seeing a small smile plastered across his face, she smiled softly and hung her head low, rubbing the back of her neck. Her cheeks felt hot, and her stomach churned. Overwhelmed with butterflies, her heartbeat accelerated—she was embarrassed, but not in a bad way. She kind of liked the feeling.

"One small caramel coffee, hot, with a dash of hazelnut, extra cream, extra sugar," Ivy called.

Standing to her feet, Noëlle grabbed her purse and made her way to the front.

"Thank you," she mumbled softly, as she grabbed her drink from the counter.

"No problem, enjoy," Ivy smiled.

"Thanks, have a good one," Noëlle glanced over at Adam who had been watching her since she left the table.

"Thanks, you too," Ivy smiled softly.

Noëlle left soon after, causing Adam to return to his work, as Ivy smirked to herself, noticing the entire interaction between the two.