Instinct [TEMPORARILY ON HOLD]

Something There

The lights were low on the streets.

I suppose it was one of 'those nights', with the moon hanging low on the sky, barely illuminating the streets. My heels were clicking loudly on the pavement, making the only sound in the quiet night.

I no longer remembered why I thought it so urgent to come outside at this ungodly hour, but I suppose it had something to do with the hours I spent crunching over my textbooks. My lower back was hurting from the uncomfortable position I was sitting in all night – so coffee sounded like heaven.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought so, because the small café just a few corners away from my apartment was nearly packed. The booths and lounge sofas were almost all occupied – some by people looking for shelter from the cold, some by other college students, with their computers perched up on their laps, and a few by groups of excited people, looking to get away from the boredom of home.

I was neither.

But I did like good coffee. So I stood in line, behind the long haired, strangely white woman, who looked like she shot espressos up her veins for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My hand flew to my back pocket, feeling around for my phone. Crap. I must've left it at home. Okay, no distractions from reality then. I'll just try not to make eye contact with any of the other coffee drinkers in the place.

Pulling my jacket tighter around me, I waited patiently in line.

Suddenly, a gust of wind hit me, tickling my neck, making my skin break out in goose bumps. Hesitantly, I turned a little, peeking over my shoulder to the person who walked in the door.

And my heart skipped a beat.

He was the most gorgeous man I've ever seen in my life. His tall, broad frame was covered by a coat thinner than mine, but he didn't at all look shaken by the harsh weather. His short, dark hair stuck up in places, looking like he ran his hands through them a few times. I was too far to make out the color of his eyes, but I had no problem seeing his full, rosy lips, and high, majestic cheek bones.

His gaze lifted, and locked onto mine. I quickly looked away, pretending to never see him in the first place. "Miss, what would you like?" A voice interrupted me, and I glanced up to see the impatient barista raising a brow at me. This probably wasn't the first time she asked me this, and I feel kind of bad for making her repeat herself. I knew customer service jobs sucked.

Clearing my throat, I placed a bill in the tip jar. "Caramel macchiato, with an extra shot of espresso, please." My voice came out huskier than usual, but I was going to  just write it up for the cold wind, not the effect the strange man had on me.

Just as I thought that, I felt him. I literally felt his body heat, and I knew that he was standing right behind me.

Once again, I ignored it, and took the cup the barista was handing me.

"That will be $6.57." The barista told me, and my hand shot to my wallet, in the back pocket of my jeans.

But before I could reach it, a large, abnormally warm hand covered mine, halting my movements. "I got you." The mysterious, dark man whispered in my ear, his fingers grazing the denim covering my butt. I shivered.

His hot breath was tickling the top of my head, making my hair stand on its end.

You know when you see someone, and you imagine what they would sound like? And this little fantasy never really works out, because the person opens their mouth and speaks completely horrendous?!

Well, this wasn't the case.

His tone matched his looks perfectly.

The deep baritone of his voice was like the rich caramel coffee I ordered - creamy, and filled with flavor that promised to warm you up on cold nights like this.