James couldn't take his eyes off her. She was gorgeous. He wasn't the only one staring at the tall brunette in line to get coffee.
James had come to this coffee shop every day since he moved into the apartment building down the street. Not once had he seen this great figure of a woman inside her.
The coffee shop was a hole in the wall, down the road from his apartment, but it was good, much better than the high-priced crap they served across the street with that big sign of whatever woman in green and white.
She got her order and sat down at one of the tables.
James sat at another table across from her. He laughed as many men approached her, spitting the same stupid pickup lines he had heard while he worked as a bouncer in his teenage years.
That was many years ago. Now James was thirty-eight, showing every sign of his age and much more. Most people thought he was in his late forties.
James finished his coffee and decided to leave. He had seen enough. It was obvious the lady wasn't interested in anyone's company.
"Excuse me," the lady said, "You forgot something."
The lady looked back at the table James had just vacated. There on the table was his cell phone. James went back and picked it up. He didn't remember taking it out. He was too memorized by her.
"Thank you," James said as he walked outside.
"They are our lives now," the lady smiled. "Some of us wouldn't know what to do without them."
James could barely say anything. All he could do was stare at her. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Her looks were something James had only seen in a magazine or one of those blockbuster movies.
She was perfect, from her brunette hair down to her high-priced heels.
"Stephanie," the lady said as she held out her hand.
"James," he said as he introduced himself.
"It was nice meeting you James," Stephanie said as she walked away.
James watched her walk away and stared at her perfect ass as it swayed back and forth under her gray pencil skirt.
"Lucky bastard," one of the men said as he pushed past James.
Stephanie was on James's mind the whole time he was at work. He barely got anything done at the grocery store. He worked as a stock clerk.
James had many pitfalls throughout his life; dropping out of high school, he got kicked out, but he told people he dropped out because it sounded better than getting kicked out for bullying other students.
James was one of the bad kids in school, he ran with the wrong crowd, and that followed him way into his twenties. When he finally picked himself up, it was too late; he had nothing to his name, so here he was, stocking groceries.
It wasn't a bad job, he had already made it to full-time, and the other managers had already promised him a lead position when it opened up. So as long as he kept his head down and pushed through, he might make manager one day.
"Holy shit!" James said as he turned down the breakfast aisle. It was her. She was shopping in his store.
He knew most of the regular customers that came into this small neighborhood store. Stephanie wasn't one of them. She must have just moved into the neighborhood or was visiting someone. James thought as he stared at her, then finally got the nerve to walk down to her.
"Hello again," James said.
"James," Stephanie smiled.
'Perfect,' James thought. Her teeth were perfect.
"You work here?" Stephanie said as she looked around.
"Yeah, it's not as bad...." James started to say.
"It's great," Stephanie said. "I love this place, we don't have a grocery stores like this where I am from."
"Ah, small town, huh?" James smiled.
"You can say that," Stephanie smiled.
James started talking to her, and before he knew it, he was flirting.
"Well, I better get going," Stephanie said, cutting one of his sentences short.
'Dammit!' James cursed himself.
"Of course," he nodded.
He cursed himself all the way home. He shouldn't have pushed it.
Everything was going so well, and then he had to push the envelope. All he had to was stick to the normal conversation.
James lived alone in a small apartment with no pets, friends, or family. He had burned bridges all his life, and now he was alone.
~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Again," James said as he got coffee the following day.
There was Stephanie in front of him. She got the same order and sat in the same chair.
"Hi," James said as he approached. "I don't want to disturb you, I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday."
"Oh okay," Stephanie smiled. "That's very nice of you. Sit."
James sat down, and Stephanie smiled at him. "I should apologize also, for leaving like that," she said.
"Oh, it was completely my fault," James said.
"No, not completely," Stephanie shook her head.
"We can both take part of the blame then," James said.
"Completely natural, they are all mine," Stephanie blurted out.
"What?" James said.
"You were thinking of my boobs," Stephanie said. "That's why I left yesterday, I can read minds."
'Holy fuck!' James thought.
"Exactly," Stephanie said.
"You can read minds?" James nearly yelled.
"We should go outside," Stephanie said as she looked at the other people that turned around to look at them.
They started walking out on the sidewalk, and Stephanie explained she had always had that ability since she could remember.
"That's amazing!" James said.
"Most men think so, until it gets in the way," Stephanie nodded. "Having a body like mine, most men can't control their impulses."
"I am one of them," James nodded.
