The Chosen One

Chapter 2

Francine parked her car in the spot right outside the front door of the cafe, which was probably the only perk of opening up. She unlocked the door, turned off the alarm, and got to work turning on all the coffee machines and giving the surfaces an extra clean before any customers arrived.

She still had 30 minutes before official opening, so she pulled out her phone and leaned against the coffee machine, enjoying the warmth on her back as she checked her messages.

She was engrossed in a silly chat with Nomer when the door creaked open, setting off the little bell that hung from the wall to let them know when a customer arrived.

"We don't open for another 30 minutes," she advised sharply, not taking her eyes off her screen as her fingers and thumb typed speedily back to her friend.

"Perhaps you can make an exception," a deep, gravelly voice suggested as a bar stool scraped against the wooden floor, and he sat down at the bar opposite her. He smelt like cinnamon, spice, and expensive cologne. Francine couldn't help but inhale it discreetly and let it sink into her skin like a soft, alluring veil.

"Or perhaps you could come back in 30 minutes," she retorted, not even bothering to look up and give her time to some jumped-up arrogant wolf. There was also the fact that just his voice alone was doing things to her body nobody had ever done before.

It was like her insides were gently humming to the sound of his voice.

But she refused to be weakened by a man.

She couldn't afford to mess up anymore than she already had, so she focused on her phone as a distraction.

She chuckled when she received a reply from Nomer, a selfie pulling the most dumb, goofy face. He was clearly not hard at work training like he'd always moan about.

"What's so amusing?" He asked in a curious tone, and Francine felt her stomach twist into knots at the audacity of this total stranger to be so intrusive. Not only that, he gave her goosebumps as she could feel his eyes boring into her skull like some kind of mind reader.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just my friend Nomer," Francine shrugged, still glued to her phone, hoping that her visitor would disappear if she paid him as little attention as possible.

"Friend?" He growled lowly, slamming his fists onto the countertop, startling Francine into looking directly at him.

Her voice got stuck in her throat, and her heart skipped a few beats when her eyes finally met his. She immediately wished she hadn't been given the early shift. It was too early for her body to cope with the flushed feeling that swept through her, awakening parts of her she hadn't felt before.

He was massive, like a god, with muscles that bulged out of his black t-shirt. His tanned skin looked so soft that Francine wanted to reach out and touch him.

His tousled brown hair fell over one side of his face in an effortlessly sexy manner, and his eyes blazed bright blue with specks of silver as if they were made from precious jewels. He was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Yes, a friend. It's 2024, not 1950. Women and men can just be friends," Francine rolled her eyes at the rudeness of this stupid, sexy man, hating the way her body was betraying her right now.

"What's his name again?" He demanded harshly.

"That's none of your business! Now, what can I get you so that you can leave?" Francine snapped back, infuriated by his behavior towards a complete stranger.

"Coffee... large... strong.. black," he ordered. Interesting, just how Francine liked it.

Neither of them said anything else, so Francine got to work making his coffee as quickly as possible to get rid of him.

As she made his drink, her mouth salivated at the sweet cinnamon smell that filled the room and overwhelmed her. Her mind wandered, and she hoped that Tricia was busy upstairs making her infamous cinnamon pretzels, which were Francine's favorite of all her glorious bakery delights!

"4.95," Francine slammed his cup on the bar top and glared at him in annoyance.

"Keep the change... Nice to meet you, Francine." As he placed the note in her hand, his fingertips slowly brushed over hers, creating small sparks of electricity that tickled her skin, causing her to gasp in surprise.

Her shocked expression quickly turned into a frown of annoyance when the arrogant jerk flashed a toothy grin at her reaction to his touch before leaving the cafe.

Wait - how the hell did he know her name?

......

"Umm, what about your 'friend'... does he eat snacks?" Nomer questioned discreetly.

"He eats food like us. He just doesn't need to eat snacks to survive," Francine tried to answer in the simplest terms, not wanting anyone to overhear their discussion.

"He needs something to survive though," Nomer mused uncomfortably.

"Well, keep pissing me off, and that something will be you. See you guys at 7," Francine warned playfully, sticking her tongue out at him before turning on her heel to get back to work.

As usual, Starla was running late, so Nomer and Francine raided the kitchen cupboards for snacks and sodas when Francine's mom joined them to grab a bottle of water.

She didn't train hard anymore, but Francine could see the dark circles under her eyes that showed the amount of stress she was feeling, and she doubted her mom had been sleeping very well lately.

"Hey, trouble. How was work?" Francine's mom joked, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Work was work. Same old, same old," there really wasn't anything that exciting to tell her mom.

Francine could have told her about the super sexy yet idiotic man that came in that morning, but that would send her mom into one of two modes: overprotective, panic-stricken mom or 'what was his name, what happened, are you dating him' mom. Neither of which Francine had the energy for that evening.

"You know, as both Luna and mom, you have the power to officially change her name to Trouble. It definitely suits her," Nomer butted in, grinning like a smart aleck at his own joke.

"As much as it suits her, I think Francine is far prettier. Have a good night, kids," Francine's mom pondered politely, entertaining the joke before she disappeared into the darkness of the lounge and upstairs.