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Chapter 1: Hazel Eyes – April 1, 2020

Hobi was whistling as he opened the door to the little coffee shop.  The bell over the door jingled, greeting him.  He stepped over the threshold and walked the few feet to the counter before he glanced up into the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen.  They weren’t a deep, dark brown like nearly everyone surrounding them.  These eyes were an intriguing hazel.  A light brown that seemed to be flooded by flames of jade.  Hobi stared in awe at these magnificent eyes.

Their owner suddenly smiled at him, and the light of that quirk of her lips appeared to illuminate her entire countenance.  It seemed to Hobi that the sun was late to rise today.  For it had just risen in her face.  Then, the most heavenly sound erupted from her lips.

“Can I help you, sir?” she asked him politely.

His eyes flicked downward to read her name tag.  “Hello, Minsu.  My name is Hobi.  This is my first morning working here.”

“Oh.  Well then, welcome.  Come behind the counter.  Binnarae told me you were coming.  She asked me to help you get settled.  So I’ll show you the ropes today.”

Hobi was clinging to that smile.  This girl could show him anything she wanted.  She was absolutely adorable.  He was suddenly so happy he’d lost his job as a dog walker.

—

They had just settled in with each other.  She had shown him enough that he could do a decent job today.  But customers were beginning to gather in a line.  Minsu and Hobi worked side by side for over an hour, efficiently serving coffee and pastries to an endless stream of people.  

As that river of souls finally seemed to be ebbing, Minsu heard the tiny bell above the door jingling again.  She glanced up, away from the customer she was serving, and she went perfectly still.

He was tall, dark, and handsome.  Every cliché she’d ever read in a romance novel.  Including the brooding look.  He had the high cheekbones too.  The tousled locks that allowed just enough of a view of his forehead to make it completely enticing.  And a pair of eminently kissable lips.  But his eyes!  Oh!  His eyes were a deep, dark obsidian that pierced her to her core when they flashed at her a moment later.

Was it her imagination or had all the oxygen in the coffeehouse flown out the door when he’d opened it?

“Miss?  My coffee?”

Minsu glanced down at the woman in front of her.  Absentmindedly, she reached for the cup.  And knocked it over.  Coffee went streaming across the counter.

“Oh!” Minsu jumped.  “I am so sorry!”

Hobi heard her cry and came to her rescue.  Miraculously, a towel seemed to materialize in his hand.  He tossed it over the edge of the counter to prevent the waterfall from descending to flood the floor any farther. 

“What was her order?” he bent to whisper in Minsu’s ear.

His breath flowed over her skin, but she was oblivious.  However, Hobi was not.  His breath had dislodged a tantalizing fragrance.  He bent nearer and sniffed.  What was that?

“Double cappuccino.”

“On it!” he murmured in her ear again.  

But the scent was too elusive.  He could not name it.

Quickly, he completed the woman’s order and handed her the cup of coffee.  As he did so, he realized that the coffee Minsu had spilled had splashed her customer’s shirt.  She was looking at Minsu with an annoyed expression on her face.

“Ma’am, I am so sorry,” Hobi bowed to her.  “We seem to have splashed coffee on your shirt.  Can we give you a free pastry to apologize?”

The woman’s face lit up, and she turned towards Hobi with a look of delight.  “Why, yes!  Thank you!  Don’t worry about my shirt.  It’s nothing.”

Minsu glanced up at Hobi for a moment before her eyes were pulled like a magnet towards the dashing gentleman at the back of the line.  But before her attention returned to him, she marveled at Hobi’s sweetness and his ability to turn the irate customer around.  She sent up a prayer of thankfulness for both Hobi’s nimble fingers and his quick thinking.

As he helped her customer, she moved on to the next one.  But even as she worked her way through the line, her attention was captivated by the handsome man near the end of the line.  

Who was he?

She had never before seen him.  She watched with anticipation as he moved forward.  She hurried to help the customers before her so that she could attend to him as soon as possible.  But she gritted her teeth in disappointment as he stepped up to the counter in front of Hobi while she finished helping her current customer.

She heard the beautiful man tell Hobi, “I’ll take an espresso and a soy milk honey latte.”

Distressed, she glanced at him.  She had really wanted to serve him.  But Hobi had gotten in her way!  And now he was making the sale she had, for several minutes, been anticipating making herself.  She ground her teeth as her eyes slid up the gorgeous guy’s long length.

He’d ordered an espresso and a girl’s drink.  Clearly, he was the espresso drinker.  But who was the latte for?

She glanced around the cafe.  But she didn’t see any women eyeing him.  Were they all blind?

“Ahem.  Miss?” An irritated voice spoke from in front of her.

She allowed herself to be captured by the chocolate brown eyes in the face before her.  For just a few moments as Minsu filled the order of the tiny woman standing in front of her.  But by the time she looked up again, he was gone.  Her heart sank.  

Oh, well.  He probably wouldn’t have noticed me anyway.