I Love You Just the Way You Are (Book 1- Rock Canyon Series)

Chapter 2 - Kellan

Chapter 2 – Kellan

I swatted at the sweat dripping off my brow as I yawned. I was coming to the end of the two-mile walk from my house to La Pintoresca. I was up way earlier than I should have been on a summer day that didn't involve football practice. But there was a girl involved, so whaddya gonna do? I couldn't get her out of my head.

I thought I knew all the girls around my age in this town. I had made a mental note of every hottie that went to North Rock Canyon High, which was my school, and South Rock Canyon High. Perhaps this little thing was from SRCH and I had just overlooked her.

But how was that even possible? It would be like going outside to stargaze and missing the giant meteor streaking toward your house.

Let's just start with her hair. Her perfect, grabbable hair. It was legit manga hair. In my wildest fantasies, I never thought I'd meet a girl that had manga hair.

Okay, look... I've never told any of my friends this because I knew that they would make fun of me, but when I'm not playing football or chasing girls, I like to watch and draw manga. It's my real passion, even above football. I like football, don't get me wrong, and I know it's my best way out of town and away from both of my alcoholic parents. But manga? That's my real love.

And here was this girl I had never seen before, and she had hair that made me reconsider whether I was religious or not. I mean, there had to be a God if a girl had hair like that. It was straight black, the thin strands falling to her shoulders, with some of it covering one of those amazingly blue eyes with the little sprinkles of hazel. Those eyes were going to cost me an entirely new set of colored pencils when I drew her because I didn't have anything that could match them.

She had a small and absolutely delicate little mouth that I was afraid I would crush on our first kiss. Her nose was arrow-straight and small, upturned just so at the tip. I yearned to hold her heart-shaped face between my hands while she raked her multi-colored nails down my back.

There was nothing wrong with checking her out; I was cool with that. But all these thoughts about her; it had been non-stop since I met her yesterday. And why? I had plenty of action with Kate; what did I need to go chasing café chick for? Heck, I didn't even know her name; I was so lost in her face that I forgot to look at her nametag. I had started calling her Manga Girl to fill in the missing blank.

When I opened the door to The Resca I audibly groaned as the air conditioner wrapped my body in sweet relief. I scanned immediately behind the counter, frowning when I didn't see her. It struck me then that she might not even have a shift this day. I hadn't considered the fact that she would be on a schedule and may or may not be there at any given moment. I guess I'd been in my little athletic bubble for so long I didn't even know how the real world worked.

I pulled my sweat-soaked shirt away from my chest and fanned myself back and forth a few times. Deflated, I thought about turning around and leaving but decided against it as I weighed my options. I could either a) return to the furnace of a desert summer day or b) remain in the cool comfort of the café. I chose to stay.

I walked to the register, feeling my shoulders relax, realizing that I didn't have to put on a show for anyone. That was the stress about chasing girls. I always felt as if I had to be the star performer, spreading my feathers out like a peacock. Sometimes I looked forward to being alone, where there was no pressure and no demands.

The café was near-empty and the server behind the counter was an older guy with pink hair. I ordered a simple iced black coffee. Since I had the pleasure of walking here instead of riding with Kate, I was too overheated for milk.