Have you ever felt time pass by in a blink of an eye doing something that you love?
Aurora has and she loved it. It was Sunday, and she found herself back at the cafe in the morning with her glasses perched on top of her nose. Usually, she was not a morning person and would wake up at noon on the weekends. But that morning, she had woken up at 10 AM, which was considered to be pretty early for her on a weekend.
It was odd that she had woken up that early, considering she had trouble sleeping last night. Her mind kept wandering to the stranger she had bumped into earlier that day. No matter how hard she tried, his mesmerizing grey eyes lingered in her mind. She even got up at 3AM to take Ambien in order to fall asleep, which was a pill she only took when her anxiety got really bad.
She had woken up to a solution to her problem, almost like an enlightenment. Before she left the cafe, she had finished reviewing all the designs and responding to emails. However, she had more work to do. One of her clients had specifically asked for Aurora to do the interior of their new home. This was after the client went back and forth with the architects about the design, causing both the senior and junior architects to struggle with the design.
She was happy to be given the task, but it meant she had to take on more than what she had before. She also had no idea where to start.
But when she woke up that morning, it was as if a burst of light had suddenly engulfed her body and she felt as if she needed to put it all onto paper before she lost her inspiration.
She had quickly thrown on a similar outfit as the day before, choosing a simple white cropped cami top and a pair of high waisted mom jeans to pair with her Air Force 1s. Throwing on an oversized wool beige cardigan, which she rolled up at the sleeves, Aurora quickly grabbed her things and left for the cafe. She didn't even bother tying her hair up, instead going for a white cap that hid her unruly hair that she had combed through quickly.
An hour later, she found herself sitting in her usual spot with her sketchbook and pencils scattered all across the table. Her laptop sat in front of her open to her clients' finalized ideas, as she made notes and physically sketched different samples for interior ideas in her sketchbook. Even though she would eventually transfer everything to digital drawings, she always loved to sketch by hand first.
Her sketchbook was probably one of the most important things that she carried around all the time. Her father had gotten her this sketchbook when she got her first job at Smith Architects. It had her name engraved on the front cover and she still used it. Any time she had an idea, she would pull out her sketchbook and either write it down or sketch it out. She felt incomplete without her sketchbook.
She was completely engulfed in the world of architecture. Now that she was department head, she wasn't really a part of the whole designing process. Instead, she overlooked the architects and to be a part of the actual designing process brought her a lot of joy.
She was so immersed in her world that she had even forgotten to eat. It wasn't until Massie had brought over one of the cafe's famous ham, cheese, and egg croissant sandwiches when the clock struck 1PM, that she took note of her hunger. Massie had noticed that Aurora had not gotten up from her spot since the moment she got her drink.
A Cold Brew with condensed milk.
It was Aurora's go to drink when she needed the energy or when she lacked sleep. Massie knew that if Aurora ordered the cold brew, that meant she was tired.
Taking a few bites of her sandwich, Aurora grabbed her laptop and began creating boards where she would present her ideas, occasionally taking notes in her sketchbook.
She was so immersed in her work that she did not notice the tall figure standing right next to her table. Her cap was pulled down, blocking her view from her surroundings. It wasn't until she heard a throat clear that she took notice of the figure. Startled, she quickly glanced up, meeting the eyes of a familiar pair of grey eyes.
Her eyes widened in surprise as he stared right back at her. He awkwardly cleared his throat again.
"You dropped this," he said, handing her a pen she had dropped on the ground.
"Thank you," Aurora muttered, taking the pen from his fingers. Their fingers brushed against each other slightly, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She almost pulled her hand away from the unexpected feeling.
"You seem to be very engrossed in what you're doing." He continued. Aurora's brain was filled with a bunch of questions as to why such a handsome adonis would to want to continue a conversation with her. She had always been an over-thinker, questioning everything that comes to mind. It was a bad habit of hers and she knew it.
Here he was, dressed in another expensive looking suit with his hair slicked back, looking tidier than the day before. He looking like a greek god, while she was a mess- a literal one. And frankly, she thought she looked like shit.
"Yea, um, I get like this when I'm working," Aurora closed her eyes for a second, cringing at herself for sounding so awkward.
Another awkward pause. She hated it. She hated awkward silences.
Why was she so awkward? She had always been slightly awkward with people she barely knew, but she didn't know why she was feeling especially awkward with a man she didn't know at all.
"I should let you continue working then."
Without waiting for her reply, the grey eyed man started to turn away. But before she could stop herself, Aurora suddenly found herself blurting out words without thinking, once again.
"No!" Her voice was raised slightly, disrupting the quiet atmosphere in the cozy cafe, hence causing a few heads to turn in her direction. Aurora could feel her cheeks begin to warm up in embarrassment, as her eyes widened in shock. She gave them an apologetic look, while the man turned back to face her with a surprised look on his face.
Meanwhile, Massie had heard the young girl's outburst and turned to look at the two with an amused expression on her face behind the counter.
"I mean, you're welcome to join."
She gestured towards the empty seat in front of her. She saw a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"If you don't want to that's fine too. I mean you're probably really busy and I don't want to disturb you if you're just here to grab a coffee and go. Yea, you seem like the type of person who would be really busy. Why waste your time sitting with little ol' me? I'm sure you have better things to do."
Aurora took a deep breath and opened her mouth again to continue, but was interrupted by an unexpected question.
"Are you sure?"
"I-I mean, yea I don't mind the company. I need a break anyways," She pointed to her barely eaten sandwich sitting on the table.
He gave her a small smile and nod before smoothly pulling the chair out, sliding onto the chair directly across from her.
"Sorry, I'm a mess right now," Aurora quickly gathered the papers that were scattered all across the table and placed them neatly besides her and gave him a sheepish smile, to which he returned.
"You design?" He asked curiously. Aurora followed his gaze to the piece of paper laying at the top of the pile. It was a print out of a quick and simple collage she had made from taking different parts of various houses, making them seem like one whole idea.
"I guess you can say that. I'm an architect, to be exact," Aurora took off her glasses and placed them on top of her now closed laptop. She lifted her sandwich."I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all."
Taking a bite from her sandwich, Aurora almost let out a moan because of how delicious it was, realizing just how hungry she was. She had lost track of time and was grateful Massie had given her something to eat.
There was a pause as he took a sip from the coffee cup he had been holding. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I got your name..."
His voice seemed to trail off in the end, making Aurora widen her eyes in realization. She had been having a conversation with the gorgeous stranger in front of her and never even got his name.
"Oh, Aurora," She held her hand out for him to shake, as if it was the most natural thing to do.
His hands engulfed hers in a handshake. "Xavier."
"It's nice to meet you Xavier," He was still holding her hand, but it wasn't like she was complaining. She took notice of how big his hand seemed to be compared to hers. His hand was rough, yet held a hint of softness.
Aurora awkwardly pulled her hand back when she noticed she was staring again. She grabbed her sandwich and she took another bite.
"Likewise," He whispered before speaking a bit louder. "Do you come here often?"
Aurora let out a small laugh, making him tilt his head in confusion. "I'm sorry, it's just- that was such a cliche line."
"Oh," Xavier's cheeks seemed to redden."I didn't mean it like that."
"I know," laughed Aurora, taking a sip of her cold brew before continuing. "But to answer your question, yes I do come here often. Spending money on a drink makes me feel motivated to do work. Plus, I love Massie."
"You seem very close to her," Xavier began unbuttoning his suit so he could sit more comfortably. The chair he was sitting on seemed to be too small for his 6 foot 3 figure. His long legs were constantly brushing against Aurora's.
"Her and her husband are like my second parents," confirmed Aurora. And they really were like her second parents. "Do you come here often? I don't think I've seen you around here before."
Xavier let out a small chuckle. It really did seem like a cliche line. "I do, but at odd hours of the day. My sister actually recommended me this cafe a year ago and I've been coming ever since."
"Oh wow. I'm surprised we never ran into each other before," However, it really wasn't a surprise, since Aurora was either always buried in her work, her surroundings disappearing around her, or in the cafe for a short stop during her breaks. "You said sister?"
"Yes, my older sister." There was a soft smile playing on his lips. "I have 5 siblings."
Aurora was taking a sip when he said the number, causing her to choke on her drink.
"Are you alright?" Asked Xavier with concern laced in his voice, handing her a tissue, which Aurora took with gratitude.
"I'm fine." Choked Aurora as her eyes widened in shock. "Five!?! So there are, what, one two three four five, six of you guys?"
Amusement filled Xavier's eyes as he nodded in confirmation. "There are six of us."
"What the- your parents must really love children," blurted Aurora, causing Xavier to chuckle. "Not that that's bad, it's just I have an older brother. I can't even imagine another one of him."
"You don't get along with him?"
"No, it's not like that," Aurora shook her head."He's the best older brother I could ever ask for. He's just really overprotective and it gets annoying at times."
"I'm an older brother so I can relate," said Xavier, causing Aurora to roll her eyes.
"Of course it's always the older brothers," laughed Aurora, thinking of her older brother. "He lives in Boston, though, so I miss him sometimes."
30 minutes had passed since they began talking, their conversation remaining lighthearted as they continued to learn more each other. Aurora and Xavier were both enjoying each other's company, completely immersed in their own little world.
It wasn't until a voice suddenly brought them back to reality.
"I'm extremely sorry sir, but there seems to be an urgent issue at the company," Aurora looked up to see a man, presumably in his early 20s, also dressed in a similar suit as Xavier.
What was with men and their suits on the weekends?
The man leaned down and began whispering in Xavier's ear. Aurora watched as his lighthearted expression that he had with her for the past 30 minutes turn cold in an instant. He closed his eyes in an attempt to control his anger.
"Wait for me at the car," muttered Xavier to the man before opening his eyes, setting his gaze on her. He waited for the man to walk away and out the door before continuing. "I'm sorry, but I have to cut this conversation short."
"It's really not a problem," Aurora gave Xavier a gentle understanding smile. "It was nice meeting you Xavier."
"It was nice meeting you too, Aurora," The way Xavier had said her name made her heart beat quicker. She felt butterflies in her stomach.
Xavier got up and grabbed his coffee. Just as he turned to walk towards the door, he gave Aurora one last glance. "I hope to see you again."
With that, he left the cafe quickly as her eyes followed his movements through the window. She watched as he got into the back seat of a fancy looking black car before quickly speeding off.
Shaking her head, Aurora turned back around to finish her sandwich.
Sir? Who exactly was he?
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Second chapter is up! Please let me know in the comments what you think so far~