When Love Lasts...

Chapter 1

Day 10 of Summer

It was a beautiful day in California, not a cloud could be seen. The sky was as blue as the oceans depths and the temperatures were high with the sun blazing down. For Kaci, it was just another average summers day whilst she worked in the little coffee shop that laid upon the beach front. She was doing her regular shift of a 12-6 that she usually does every Saturday, but it was her fourth shift of the week due to agreeing to overtime this summer.

As she folded napkins behind the counter, her attention was diverted when the bells on the door rang, signalling a new customer had entered. Walking inside, she noticed five boys, all whom looked familiar. She recognised one of them to be Brett Madison, the captain of the football team at her school and soon to be senior after this summer. She also recognised Seth Gilmore and Tyler Jackson. But the other two guys, she didn't know them by name but knew their faces enough to know they went to her school too. She watched discreetly as they headed to the table in the corner and started examining the menus that rested there.

"Hey Shawn, is there any chance you can take this tables order? I recognise them from school so kinda want to avoid the awkward encounter it would be..." she chuckled nervously, turning to her boss who had just appeared back behind the counter.

"I can't Kaci, I gotta go place more stock orders in the office now, I'm sure it'll be fine. You'll be alright on your own out here for a bit?" He told her, rushing to the back to get started in the office. He glanced back at her to ensure she was okay, to which she simply nodded with an anxious expression on her face. He sympathetically smiled before disappearing behind the wall, making her turn back around and grab her notepad and pen.

Taking a deep breath, she started making her way over to the table of 5.

"Hey guys, can I take your order?" She asked, interrupting their conversation. They all looked up at her and Brett didn't hesitate to smirk and acknowledge her.

"Hey, I know you. You're that dancer girl in the grade below" he chuckled, somehow finding amusement at her working here.

"Oh yeah, give us a little twirl!" One of the boys she didn't know by name mocked, high fiving Brett after doing so.

"I'm just here to take your order" she spoke quietly, already regretting coming over and feeling more than awkward.

"Guys shut up, I'm sorry about them" Tyler spoke, starting off angry as he directed his friends and apologetic as he turned back to her. She half smiled and shrugged.

"Not your fault" she spoke, only loud enough for him to hear.

"Yo, can I just get a strawberry milkshake!" Seth spoke over the two boys who were still laughing and obviously making fun of Kaci.

"Double that!" Brett interjected. She nodded and wrote down two strawberry milkshakes before glancing at the boy who hadn't yet spoken but simply laughed along to his friends.

"Vanilla milkshake for me" he chuckled, still finding his friends amusing.

"Nah I don't want anything" the one laughing with Brett told her. That left only Tyler and when Kaci looked at him, he was already staring at her.

"Chocolate milkshake for me please" he told her politely before kicking his friends shins under the table to get them to shut up.

"Sure thing" she spoke, writing down the final order. She didn't hesitate to rush off behind the counter to make their drinks and as she did so, Tyler didn't take his eyes off of her.

He had always noticed her in the school hallways and they used to have an English class together in her freshman year, but they had never spoken to one another before now.