Forever Enigmatic

Chapter 28

SIERRA WOKE UP AFTER one hour of sleep the next day to go have breakfast with Kyle. She was training with him that day, so when he invited her out for breakfast, it seemed stupid not to go, even though she was a bit more self-conscious after talking with Milo.

But she was too tired to make her own breakfast. She had almost done an all-nighter, working on a final project and two papers. The final project wasn't due for a couple of weeks, but her oh so darling professor insisted on wanting half of it done that night to know that his students were on the right track. She clearly wasn't, but she faked her way into being so. When she finished half of the presentation, she went ahead and wrote two papers for two other classes that were due by the end of the week. Since she was going to work double shifts until then, she realized that the only day she had available to do her work was that night.

And now she felt like death.

She stalked up to the café Kyle suggested in Birchfield Rd, hugging her own figure from the slight breeze of the morning. She squinted at the sign up front and readThe Dark Roast before entering.

The aroma of coffee engulfed her nose, similarly to when she went to work. However, she was not used to such a low light atmosphere. The room held a level of darkness that mirrored the business name. The neutral colors that splashed around the walls were different variations of browns, creams, and whites, but mostly dark brown. The tables, chairs, and stools were all made of a dark wood that fit their aesthetic. Sierra had a sensation of wanting to wrap herself in a fluffy blanket and enjoy a nice, warm cup of coffee next to Kyle.

She looked around, surprised at seeing a good amount of people sitting at the tables. She only ever saw that type of rush back in her job when it was lunch time. Since it was downtown, most businesspeople went down there to eat their lunch before going back to work. However, it was rare to see a rush like that one in the morning. It seemed like people liked that café for breakfast. And it was conveniently located closed to the ever so busy Forte Viridian Library.

When she spotted Kyle waving at her from afar, she made her way to him with a tired smile. She plopped down on the seat in front of him and greeted him.

"Did you sleep last night?" He asked.

"I did," she defended herself. She wasn't wrong, it just wasn't an appropriate amount. He didn't have to know that.

"Could've fooled me." He frowned.

"Anyway, what does this place have to offer?" She asked, changing the subject.

"A lot. I used to come here all the time." He motioned to the entire café. "Until you came into my life."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing." He rolled his eyes, but she could tell there was a hint of a smile there.

"I discovered this café when I first moved here," he continued. "This was my little safe haven."

"The more I learn about you, the less you are considered ruthless in my eyes."

He shook his head in dismay. He offered to go buy her anything she wanted, but she declined. She brought a bit of cash she saved up, but he disregarded her and went ahead and shoved her money back in her bag.

"Save it for something more important," he said.

After he bought her breakfast, they sat back at the table enjoying each other's company. She found herself admiring his beauty, and not the one on the outside.

She found herself doing that a lot lately. It made her numb from head to toe, but fearful at the same time. There was no way that he would ever look at her the same way. He probably saw a mess of a human being who needed guidance to get to the other side. And while she was grateful for the help, it was embarrassing to be seen as the certified mess. She wanted to be more than that, but never seemed to be able to scratch the surface. Until then, Kyle could never look at her that way, so it troubled her even more.