"It all started when she began working at the bookshop. My butterflies, flushed cheeks, nervous stuttering... I can't get her out of my head. "
Daniel Rivera, a college student fresh out of his parents house, has been working at Golden Latte, the tiny coffee shop in the quaint little bookstore down main street. He was handsome, polite, and a total pushover in class and at work. However, he wasn't used to the spotlight, not at work, not at school, and definitely not in life. He was a small town boy trying to make the most of his tiny paycheck.
Things stay quiet, and life moves in a straight line for Daniel. That all changes when suddenly he's thrown into the world of Lina Granger, a new employee to the bookstore, and a new shift in Daniel's life. Suddenly, he's a lot more than the quiet barista who lets everyone at work step all over him.
The moment Daniel laid eyes on her he knew she was special. He knew she was the only woman who'd ever made him feel like he was the hero in the story. Lina pushed Daniel to speak out, to be extraordinary, and to be a better man.
Follow the tale of two lost individuals. Two halves of the same whole finding their way through something new to both of them, love.
(TW) Mentions of sex, alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]