This book is a bit less dramatic than War Zone so I thought I would publish them at the same time as a break from my overly dramatic writing 🙈
He sat lounged back on the soft, blue, leather sofa that lined the back wall of The Northern Soul Coffee Cafe, his chocolate colored hair dripping over his forehead and obscuring his right eye as his full, cupids bow lips pressed together in a pout, his sharp jawline set as he concentrated on the movement of his long fingers over the strings of the brown, acoustic guitar that lay nestled on his lap. He held the wooden object close to him, protecting it with the biceps that were adorned with black tattoos and flexed as he moved his fingers over the strings as easily as the wind blows.
He wore a black sleeveless shirt with 2 more buttons undone than most men would be brave enough to wear, exposing a peppering of chest hair and a pretty silver pendant and for the second time since he had arrived, Taylor watched a buxom blond totter over to him, push out her assets and then compliment him on his music, like having a large chest made her musical opinion more valid.
Taylor rolled her eyes as the familiar scene played out in front of her. The girl giggled loudly and then gently placed her hand on to his bare shoulder before whispering something and handing him a piece of paper with what Taylor could only assume was her phone number on it. As she moved to the door she stopped only to blow him an imaginary kiss and then exited the coffee cafe.
Taylor tried to place the emotion that had played on his beautiful face as he returned his attention to his guitar.
Amusement? Not quite, boredom? It was a possibility but she couldn't be sure, what she could be sure of though was that he was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on in her life.
Taking a sip of her coffee, Taylor allowed her eyelids to drop shut and imagined those plump, pink lips, massaging kisses in to her own.
She imagined his long, graceful fingers playing her body as though it were his instrument of choice and she couldn't help but smile at the delicious thought
Opening her eyes, Taylor found herself facing the crotch of a pair of black jeans. In her surprise she knocked her coffee cup causing it to splash drops on to her crisp white shirt and causing the tall brunette standing in front of her to chuckle.
"It's not funny!" she pouted whilst grabbing a napkin and wiping at the stains that were already forming. "You should announce yourself instead of just sneaking up on a girl like that"
"Okay then, consider this the announcement of my arrival, Travis, from table 14" He nodded his head towards the table from which he had come.
"And what can I do for you 'Travis, from table 14?'" Taylor used her lowest, most seductive voice and was pleased to see his mouth twitch upwards at one side and his eyebrows lift in response
"Well, seeing as how you have been staring at me since I walked in here I thought I had best come across and ask if I have food on my face, spinach in my teeth or whether I'm just having a really bad hair day"
Taylor tilted her head to the side and made a show of looking him over causing the lip twitch to grow in to a smile the likes of which Taylor had never seen before, one she was sure had the ability to impregnate the entire human race, both men and women alike.
"Well, 'Travis from table 14', I am happy to report that your face is clean, your teeth are spinach free and your hair day is good"
"Good... Mess free and handsome as hell, just how I like it" he winked at her and she felt her heart begin to hammer against her ribcage
"There is one thing you got wrong though, I wasn't staring at you I was staring at your beautiful guitar"
"Yeah, yeah that's what all the girls say. You know, I seem to have amassed a little pile of telephone numbers over there, if you want to give me yours I'd happily add it to the pile and then consider them at my leisure"
"And why would I want to give a complete stranger my telephone number?"
"Well I thought maybe you'd like to see my...guitar again sometime"
"Oh really? You guitar eh? Well I suppose, since it's such a pretty one"
"Taylor!" the voice of Taylors best friend Sara cut like a knife through the sexual tension that was sizzling through the coffee Cafe and threatening to burn it to the ground.
The short, Asian girl with glossy black hair and glasses plopped herself down on to the wooden chair next to her friend, completely oblivious to the conversation she had just interrupted or the man Taylor had been so happily conversing with.
"We have 5 minutes to get to school and you're just sitting her drinking coffee like you are some lady of leisure?" Travis huffed out a small laugh at the accusation whilst Taylor moved uncomfortably in her seat.
"No Sara I'm not 'just sitting here', I'm actually..." Taylor motioned towards Travis "I'm actually talking to someone right now, this is Travis, from table 14"
"Talking? Taylor you don't have time to talk, in fact you barely have time to breath. We have Ms. Abraham first period, she already has you on a warning due to your time keeping, or lack thereof, if you don't want detention for the rest of the month say goodbye to your new friend and let's go"
Sara's hand wrapped around Taylors forearm and attempted to pull her up as Travis' voice broke through their conversation
"Ms. Abraham?" Taylor and Sara nodded
"As in Ms. Abraham the English teacher?"
Again Taylor and Sara nodded in unison
"As in high school English teacher?" this time only Sara nodded as Taylor looked at the man, her face a picture of confusion
"Is that a um...a problem?"
Travis nodded whilst taking a step away from the table"
"Major problem. Look I'm sorry, I should have asked your age or something first..."
"Why? What does my age matter it's not like I'm a little kid"
"Maybe not but look, all the same, thanks for chatting with me, thanks for being really cool but I don't mess with high schoolers. It's a rule" and without further conversation he turned from the table and headed back to his, picking up his guitar and exiting the coffee Cafe without even looking back.
"What does he mean he doesn't 'mess' with highschoolers, OMG, Tay, was he coming on to you, he's got to be in college right???" Sara's eyes were wide as she waited with baited breath for her friend to tell her all about the tall, handsome stranger that had just bolted from them
" So was he coming on to you or not??? "
"No, not really"
"Was he asking you out?"
"Um... Not really, it was just some innocent flirting"
"You were going to give him your number"
"Sara did you see him he is sooo cute"
"He's old!"
"He's hot!"
"Well, good job he doesn't 'mess with highschoolers' now come on, you have detention for the next month for sure" hesitantly Taylor allowed her friend to pull her up from her seat
"And it's Friday and you know what that means"
Both girls looked at each other and burst in to fits of giggles
"Jason Kelce!!" they said at the same time before giggling loudly once more, linking their arms together and exiting the coffee shop, Taylor glad that Jason would undoubtedly take her mind off of the rejection she had just endured from the super hot 'Travis from table 14'
