Chapter 3: But First, Coffee.

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Why my alarm felt the need to go off at the unholy hour of 6:30, I was not sure

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Why my alarm felt the need to go off at the unholy hour of 6:30, I was not sure. But then I remembered my coffee date with Aaron, and I grudgingly rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

Once I was more awake and back in my room, it hit me that it was my first day at my dream college. Nerves danced in my belly, threatening to break free and perform a solo routine in front of the whole school just to spite me. I took a calm and collective breath and told myself I could do this. I busted my ass to be where I was at now; I just needed to remind myself how far I had come.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I gave myself a small smile. I was wearing ripped skinny jeans, a white crop top, and I had my long, chestnut hair pulled halfway up into a top knot with my side bangs framing my face. I looked good. But even more so, I felt good. I was ready to tackle the day.

But first, coffee.

I grabbed my black leather bag with my supplies, and a gray cardigan and quietly headed out the door so I wouldn't wake Savannah. I had pulled up Bean Me Up on my phone's GPS last night so I knew how long it would take and where I was going. I liked to plan ahead on things like that whenever I could. Being lost or late were not my forte.

Luckily, it was just five minutes away, so I got there right before Aaron and I had decided to meet. The cafe was a bit eccentric, but I suppose most would call it trendy. The sign out front was Neon green and once you stepped inside, there were pictures of cups of coffee that looked like spaceships on the walls. There were both tall tables with chairs, and a few comfy chairs with a coffee table in the middle by the large window.

I went ahead and ordered my coffee as I waited, standing off to the side. When the barista called my name, I walked up to where my beloved cup of coffee was waiting for me. Grabbing it, I took a deep breath in, reveling in its' delicious aroma. I turned around to head toward the chairs by the window, to enjoy my wake up call, when I hit a hard wall.

Spoiler alert: It wasn't really a hard wall, but it was definitely well built.

Drops of my coffee spilled over the edge, but thank the coffee Gods, the rest stayed in the cup. My eyes were trained on the floor where another pair of shoes were planted. I slowly brought my gaze up to the offending wall to see a guy looking down at his black shirt, holding it out slightly to let the heat of the drops that landed on him cool.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you th--"

His piercing gaze cut me off, and I sharply inhaled as the most beautiful emerald eyes I had ever seen stared back at me. It wasn't just those unforgettable, striking eyes that kept me immobile. It was the fact that I would recognize those eyes anywhere--eyes that belonged to a past I had left behind; a past that left me behind.

"Liam?"

His eyebrows shot up before pulling together as his eyes searched my face. There was a mix of emotions in those mesmerizing eyes of his, and my heart stuttered as I got lost in the swirl of it. Time seemed to still as I held his stare, watching as the creases in his forehead became more pronounced, his lips tugging together. Meanwhile, I'm sure I looked like a fish out of water, my mouth gaping uncontrollably.

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