Begin Again || Nate Maloley

|| Chapter 3

"Liv? Hello? Earth to Liv."

I shook out of my thoughts, leaning over the counter at work. My friend & co-worker Kenny was snapping his fingers near my ear.

"Oh sorry." I stood up straight.

"Judging by the look in your eyes, you're not exactly daydreaming about the exam you just aced," he guessed.

I shook my head. "It's nothing, really."

"Care to talk about it, though?"

"Not in the least bit."

Truth was, I was thinking about Nate. It had been a week & a half since I last saw him. Thankfully when Sammy would text me, it helped keep my mind off him. But this...I just didn't want to talk about with anyone...ever. Part of me was ashamed. His first thought of me was that I was a Catfish & he didn't look too happy about it. Why should I be attracted to someone who isn't equally attracted to me? Questions I didn't have the answers to.

"Cool. In that case, Cody wants you to grab coffee."

My eyebrows furrowed. "We have a cafe right around the corner in the student union, he can't get it himself?"

"Starbucks coffee...and for all four of us." Kenny hands me the company credit card and I snatch it, feeling defeated.

"What am I getting," I mumbled.

"Cody and I want grande lattes, Lia wants a grande white mocha latte, and then whatever you want. Then for pastries, he said get us all croissants with butter," Kenny informed me.

I sighed and grabbed my purse.

+

Unfortunately at Starbucks I had to wait a while to order. Not because there was a long line, but because the woman in front of me was being a bitch to the baristas. She didn't know how to order! She said she wanted an iced coffee and got upset when she received it. Turns out, she wanted a frappuccino. The dumbass probably forgot she wasn't in a regular coffee shop.

I ended up getting an iced toffee nut latte and had to carry all 4 drinks on a tray with one hand & the bag of croissants with the other. As soon as I pushed open the door with my back and started walking, someone runs up behind me, bumping into me. The drinks go flying out of my hand, splattering all over the ground. It was a guy running. He didn't even stop to apologize. Two more followed after him but the last one actually stopped and turned around...it was Nate. I couldn't believe it.

"What the fuck," I exclaimed. There were other things I wanted to say like I'm so happy to see you or Take my number quick before I never see you again. But he'll never know this.

He was looking past me, out of breath. He was on the run with his friends. I don't know what they did or who they were running from, but he was frantic. He rushed up to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Quick, kiss me," he said.

I didn't even have time to think. Before I knew it, his hands touch my face and his lips rushed up against mine. My legs nearly went limp from the shock and electricity. Holy shit. Not to mention the kiss itself was phenomenal. It felt like it was more than a staged kiss to trick the two running men dressed in red polos. There was feeling in it and...I don't think I minded it.

Our lips part and he lingers inches before my face. Then he looks around to make sure the coast is clear, finally releasing my face. And then I slapped him.

"...The hell was that," I spoke nearly breathless.

"I'll explain later," he started walking away.