Against the Odds

Part 5 | Strength

My shift at the cafe was a slow one today. There were only a couple of customers scattered around, most of which were working away on their laptops or chatting with friends. My teaching career hadn't taken off yet, so I was stuck here until then.

I glanced up at the clock on the wall. It indicated that there were still ten minutes until my break.

I sighed softly then leaned my hands on both sides of the cash register. I rolled my head to the left to see my coworker Claire cleaning out a blender. She noticed my gaze on her and looked up at me. A brief smile graced her lips before she spoke up.

"So, are you doing anything interesting this weekend?" She finished wiping down the blender and turned to fully face me.

After thinking it over, I shook my head. "Nah, not really. Maybe go shopping with my roommate, but that's about it. You?"

Our small talk was interrupted by the ring of the bell above the door. My attention was brought back to the front of the store as a tall and handsome man walked in. He seemed to be about my age and had a light caramel complexion.

His radiant smile lit up his entire face as he stood in front of me, the counter between us. "Hi." My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat and continued. "What can I get for you today?"

He appeared to be slightly amused as he watched me. "Just a blueberry muffin."

I punched his order into the cash register. "Is that all?" He nodded. "That'll be a dollar seventy."

As I moved to the side to place his muffin in a small bag, Claire started excitedly answering my question from earlier. "I'm going to the art exhibit they're going to be setting up downtown. I heard that it's only going to be up for this weekend."

The customer was putting his debit card away after paying. "Actually, the art exhibit is two weekends from now, starting on May ninth. And there are a couple of other activities planned too. You should totally come if you're free." His contribution to our conversation caught me by surprise and I gave him a questioning stare. "I'm volunteering at the exhibit."

My interest was piqued at this point. "So what are the other activities you were talking about?"

He sent me another dazzling grin. "That's supposed to be a secret I'm afraid, so my lips are sealed. Why don't you come on down to the exhibit when it opens and see for yourself?"

I considered his proposition for a second. "Maybe I will."

"Great. I'm Ishaan, by the way."

"Vanessa," I replied while handing him his muffin. His fingertips grazed atop of mine for a moment but retreated back with the bag just as quickly. The warmth of his touch still remained there though.

"Well, I hope to see you folks again soon." His gaze lingered on me before he spun around and exited the cafe.

Not a minute later did Claire begin squealing. "He was so checking you out!"

I didn't know if he was, but I sure was checking him out.

"No, he wasn't," I denied. Seeing as it was finally time for my break, I started heading back towards the staff room. Truthfully, I was still a bit flustered from the whole interaction and needed some space.

Ishaan was extremely good-looking, with half a foot more height than I had and brown eyes that shone as bright as stars. Not to mention he was very sweet. But was I really ready for another relationship - or any kind of romantic involvement - yet? It had been a month since James and I had broken up and even though I was pretty much over him, I didn't want to jump into something that I was not ready for.

It wasn't as if I had lost all hope and expectations for romance; I just thought that I needed to take a break from it all for a while and focus on myself.

If this thing - if there even was a thing - with Ishaan was meant to be, then it'll happen on its own time in the future.