Chapter 1: Divine Attraction
The hot sun was beating down overhead as Kim squinted at her phone. She was holding it tightly, like a lifeline thrown to a drowning sailor at sea. Waiting anxiously for the next message to come through, she saw "Beth is typing..." and sighed softly to herself. She took a sip of her iced caramel macchiato. Setting it down on the table in front of her, she glanced at the empty seat across the table. It was a reminder of the fact that she was now alone, left in the dust by another boyfriend.
The phone perked up but it was a ringtone instead of an incoming message. Kim answered.
"Sorry, my fingers hurt from all the typing." Beth's voice was calm as usual. "Talking is just easier. You're texting a mile a minute."
"Sorry, I'm just frustrated and upset," answered Kim. "I thought Jerry was different from other guys I've dated. I'm just striking out over here."
"Yeah Kim, he was no different," Beth's voice answered. "You are falling for the wrong guys. He was really dragging you down, too. I tried to tell you."
"Well, he's not wrong. I do carry a few extra pounds. Being short doesn't help."
"That's not true. You're a cutie, hun," Beth was always supportive. "You're putting too much stock in what that asshole thinks. You were too trusting of him in general, really. You knew he was going out with an ex and look what happened."
"He said they were going out with a group, not out alone and then back to his place," Kim said. She sighed in frustration. "It's nice of you to say the kind words, but I don't look that great. I'm out of shape." She took a sip of coffee. "Even Barrista Barry at the cafe doesn't notice me... still."
"Forget Barrista Barry," Beth scolded her. "Look, I can't get together tonight but let's go out to dinner tomorrow."
"Chinese?" Kim perked up.
"You know I'm always up for that," Beth replied. "Oh, and remind me to tell you about this mythology exhibit coming up at the Museum of Fine Arts in the Fall."
"Oooo sounds good. I'll text you about dinner tomorrow, then," Kim said.
"Catch ya later, chickie. Oh, and tell your Mom I said Hi if you talk to her." Beth hung up.
Kim put down the phone down and took at look at her watch. It was just after 2 PM and she was at her favorite cafe on the corner of Market Street and Main. It was a beautiful June day. The outdoor seating was mostly taken, which was typical for a Saturday afternoon. The air was warm, and her iced macchiato usually went down smoothly and refreshed her on a day like this. Today, however, she couldn't help but feel it was a bit bland to the taste, or maybe she had the bad taste of a frustrating romance in her mouth.
The previous night she had been supposed to go out with her latest attempt at love, Jerry, but he had cancelled supposedly to go out with friends who were in from out of town. It had turned out that it was just one friend, an ex-girlfriend, and so Kim had taken a backseat in Love.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, either. Kim knew she should listen to Beth. Kim was always getting drawn in by the wrong guys. She knew that her on-again, off-again attraction to the cute barrista at the cafe was not the answer. It was just a desperate attempt to find validation. She took another sip, thinking her pick-me-up might pick up her spirits, but no use. She looked at it and decided she just didn't have the appetite for it. Maybe today was a good day to go back to her apartment and curl up alone with a book.
Kim got up from her table, grabbing her purse and putting her phone inside. She picked up her iced coffee and turned to throw the rest of it into the trash.
Smack! As she turned and took a step, a tall man that was walking by crashed into into her hard.
"Oh!" Said Kim as she struggled not to drop her coffee.
"Sorry!" said the man, his voice friendly, if surprised. "I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I managed not to spill any of my macchiato on myself. I feel like I hit a brick wall, though. Whew!" She laughed and looked up at the man's face.
The stranger had curly, dark hair over a handsome face, beautiful smile and light skin. Kim looked and saw the deepest blue eyes she had ever laid hers on. He smiled like an old friend warmly down at her. When she noticed how handsome he was, Kim quickly looked down and fiddled with her purse pretending she might have dropped something.
"I'm so glad," said the stranger. "I was in a hurry and I think I bumped into you a bit hard."
Kim gathered herself and looked up at him again, not caring that her shoulder was suddenly sore. "It could've been worse," she answered, and offered a compliment. "And if I'm going to be bumped, I'd want it to be by a handsome guy with beautiful blue eyes."
He seemed genuinely surprised by her compliment. "Oh, thank you so much," he said, visibly flattered. He stood for a moment as if considering, then spoke again. "I think I bumped your shoulder a bit hard. I hope it's okay." He reached out and touched her shoulder, a look of concern on his face. She felt a bit flush as she looked up at him.
The stranger's hand slid from her shoulder down the arm of her t-shirt, over her skin and to her hand. She could feel the hairs on her arm standing up, and a tingle went up her spine as his fingertips grazed over her skin. The warmth of his touch was matched only by the warmth of his face and smile as they looked at eachother. His eyes were entrancing.
Kim realized she was staring. "Oh shit," she said awkwardly, almost dropping her drink. She looked down and cleared her throat, trying to find her voice. "My shoulder is okay, thank you. But I need to get going, I'm late for an appointment."
"Maybe we'll bump into eachother again, sometime," said the tall stranger as Kim threw her coffee into the trash and began to walk away.
"Holy shit," Kim thought to herself, her wobbly legs leading her away as her stomach did somersaults. She walked to the crosswalk and crossed the street to the public park. She sat on the first park bench she saw, and felt her knees shaking. She caught her breath. "Damnit!" She thought. "He made a move on me and I couldn't do a thing! I don't even know his name!"
Her mind raced and her heart was ready to jump out of her chest as she thought about the run-in. Not knowing what to do, she decided to head home. Kim lived in a studio apartment down the street a few blocks from the cafe, on the third floor of an apartment building that looked just as much like a college dorm from the outside as it did a building in a suburb.
Once she was home, Kim found she couldn't get her mind off the gorgeous stranger. Leaning over the sink and looking into the mirror of her bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face. "Holy shit he was hot," she thought.
She looked down at her waistline and hips in the mirror. Turning sideways, she gave herself a critical look in the mirror. "I'm definitely carrying some exytra, here. Summer resolution: lose weight." He thought to herself out loud.
Soon she was in a jogging outfit and out the door. It was warm but the Summer air was refreshing. It had been months since she had run, and she forgot how invigorating it was. Today, though, she also had something else invigorating her. She found herself wondering about the handsome stranger at the cafe. "What does he do? Wonder if he has a girlfriend. Have I ever seen him at the cafe before? Wonder if I would see him there again." She ran through the public park as per her usual route, but decided to adjust her course to run over to where the coffee shop was.
