Stars Align

chapter six

The aroma of fresh ground coffee beans hangs in the air giving the coffee shop a warm, welcoming feeling.

Walking up to the counter to order, there is a longer line than usual today. It's most likely due to the grand opening of the new book store next door.

"Hey, Stella!" The young, perky barista, Kelly, greets me. "It'll be $3.82," she says, already knowing my order by memory since I come here so often.

While I fish a five dollar bill out of my bag, she takes a moment to throw her light blonde hair up into a high ponytail using one of the many hair ties on her wrist.

"Thank you," she says in a sing song voice once I hand her the bill, smiling brightly.

"It's busy today," I comment out loud.

"Yeah, the opening of the new book store is bringing in a lot of new faces. They're really keeping us busy today."

She closes the cash register drawer with her hip, handing me back my change. I grab it and place it in the tip jar.

"Thanks," she beams in appreciation. "Your coffee will be right up."

"Thanks, Kel." I smile warmly at her and step to the side to wait for my order.

I love this little coffee shop. I've been coming here for a few years now to write. It's quiet and peaceful with just the right amount of background noise.

I can't stand working in the office. There's always too many beeps of the copy machine, rings of the telephone no one seems to answer, and too much chatter that relates to what I'm writing about which causes me to lose focus. I only go there when necessary.

Luckily, my boss for the wedding magazine is pretty chill and he trusts me enough to work outside of the office. His motto is 'I don't care where you write just as long as you get it done and do it well.'

Therefore, I opted for this place to write at. With the exception of today, it's usually quiet and has a slow but steady flow of regular customers.

It's brick walls, chalkboard menu, and younger staff give off a hipster vibe, but not so much so to draw in a bunch of teens and college kids. Most of the regulars are mid to late twenty year olds or those who just passed thirty. It's the perfect place to sit down and write, or just people watch- something I've caught myself doing between articles more often than not.

"Stella," Kelly chirps out, holding my cup of coffee in the air. I quickly take it from her with thanks so she can get to the other customers in line.

Taking my drink, I'm happy to see the tiny two seater table I usually occupy isn't taken. Quickly claiming my usual seat in the corner, I set my coffee down on the table and take my laptop out of my bag, hanging the black satual on the back of the chair once I'm situated.

Opening my laptop, I take a few sips of my coffee before pulling up the last article I was working on. Cracking my knuckles, I pick up where I left off, typing away, completely zoning in on my writing.

Just as I'm wrapping up my last paragraph, I sense someone standing next to my table. Looking up, my breath nearly catches in my throat.

"Mind if I sit down?" They ask, pointing at the empty chair across from me.

With my throat not managing to work, I just simply shake my head.

He pulls out the chair and sits down, setting his coffee on the table. "Funny how small the world really is, huh?" He smiles, adjusting the thick rimmed glasses resting on his beautiful face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, the shock evident in my voice.

"Lauren just opened her book store," Nathan says, thumbing behind him to the wall the coffee shop shares with the new book store. "I've been over there since five o'clock this morning helping her make sure everything's perfect for the grand opening, and I needed a little break. And I definitely need some caffeine," he says lifting the Styrofoam coffee cup to his lips taking a long sip. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here."

He furrows his brows and slightly tilts his head to the side. He looks at me, to the counter, and then back to me, eyes questioning.

"No, I don't work here!" I can't help but giggle. "I come here to write."

"Oh," he drags out the word in realization. "Gotcha. For a second I thought you were a really bad employee." He grins taking another sip of his coffee.

"No," I giggle again. "I just come here to do my writing. I love it here and it's where I'm most productive."

"It's nice," he comments, eyes gazing around the small shop. He absentmindedly nods his head in approval. "I'll have to start coming here when I visit next door."

My stomach twists with both uneasiness and excitement at the thought of seeing him more often. I shouldn't be excited by the news, but I can't help the emotion bubbling up inside me.

Whoever said that guys and girls can't be friends? Sure I may find him attractive and charming, but I'm sure my little crush will fade. I could always use some company every once in a while, and as much as I hate to admit it, I liked talking to him. While talking with him on the plane and in Paris, I felt like I could talk to him for forever. Conversation with him was effortless.

"Well, this is my usual spot so feel free to say hi anytime," I smile.

"Mind if I even sit here?" He gives me a small, shy smile.

"I'd like that," I admit, causing his smile to brighten.

We stayed like this for a while, randomly chitchatting until his phone dings. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he looks at the screen and his face slightly falls.

"I have to go. Laur needs me back at the book store," he announces, standing up and grabbing his empty coffee cup. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here."

He flashes me his perfect smile before walking out of the coffee shop, throwing his empty cup away on the way out, going next door.

As promised, I saw him the next day.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

For the past few weeks, I saw him almost every day. He would come in after dropping Lauren off, order his coffee, and claim the seat across from me as his own until he had to go to class.

When we were at the coffee shop, we would talk about everything and nothing all at the same time. Some days, we would hardly talk at all. I would work on my articles while he had his nose in a book, focusing on his studies. Either way, I enjoyed his company. It was never a dull moment with Nathan.

However, there was one thing that always bothered me about Nathan when I saw him. It was that I couldn't figure out his soulmate mark. Every day, I found myself staring at the mark shaped like an open book with a pen beside it on his forearm, trying to figure it out. I know the book has to correspond to Laurens love of books and owning her own book store, but I couldn't help but wonder where the pen came into play.

Today, I just couldn't take it anymore.

"Tell me about you and Lauren," my mouth blurts out the words before my brain can catch up.

He looks up from his book, completely caught off guard by my bold, random question. "Uhh," he says, leaning back in his chair, fidgeting with his glasses. "We met back in college during our freshman year."

I nod, silently urging him to go on.

"It was the first day of classes," he lightly chuckles in remembrance, running a hand through his chestnut colored hair. "She comes rushing into the lecture hall right as the professor starts to speak, taking the seat next to me. Completely out of breath from running across campus from her last class, she starts freaking out. She ended up forgetting her pencil bag, leaving it in her last class.

"She acted as if the world was about to end, cursing under her breath and muttering on about how this couldn't be happening. It was pretty funny if I'm being honest, but adorable at the same time. To put her out of her misery, I offered her one of my extra pens to take notes with and she acted as if I had just saved her life." He chuckles again, carrying on about their love story that I didn't really bother to listen to.

I got my answer.

He was hers.