Maya's POV
The coffee cup slipped from my fingers.
Everything happened in slow motion. The cup tumbled through the air, spinning like a brown tornado. I reached out, trying to catch it, but my hand grabbed nothing but air.
SPLASH!
Hot coffee exploded all over the man standing next to my table.
"Oh no!" I jumped up so fast my chair fell backward with a crash.
The man stood frozen, arms out wide, staring down at his white shirt. Coffee dripped from his chest like he'd just walked through a waterfall.
"I'm so, so sorry!" My voice came out as a squeak.
Everyone in the coffee shop stopped talking. They all turned to look at us. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
The man looked up. His dark eyes met mine. I held my breath, waiting for him to yell.
Instead, he smiled.
"Well," he said, "that's definitely a first."
I grabbed every napkin I could find and shoved them at him. "I'm such a klutz. I didn't mean to—I was just reaching for my charger and—"
"Hey, it's okay." He took the napkins and dabbed at his shirt. "These things happen."
"Not to normal people!" I wanted to cry. "Today has been the worst day ever, and now I've ruined your shirt."
"What made it so bad?"
I pointed at my laptop on the table. The screen was black and dead. "My computer died this morning. All my writing is on there. Two years of work. Gone."
The man's smile faded. "That's rough."
"I came here to use the Wi-Fi and figure out what to do, and instead I attacked you with coffee." I covered my face with my hands. "I'm so sorry."
"I'm Sebastian." He held out his hand.
I peeked through my fingers. "You're not mad?"
"Life's too short to get upset over coffee." He wiggled his fingers. "Come on. Shake my hand. Let's start over."
I lowered my hands and shook. "I'm Maya."
"Nice to meet you, Maya. Even if you did try to drown me." Sebastian grinned. "How about this—you let me buy you a new coffee, and we call it even?"
"What? No! I should buy YOU coffee. And a new shirt. And maybe pay for therapy because I traumatized you."
Sebastian laughed. It was a nice laugh, warm and real. "I promise I'm not traumatized. Come on. Let me buy you coffee. Please?"
Something about the way he said it made me nod.
Ten minutes later, we sat across from each other at a corner table. Sebastian had ordered me coffee and a chocolate muffin even though I said I wasn't hungry.
"So tell me about your writing," he said.
"You really want to know?"
"I asked, didn't I?"
So I told him. About the stories I'd been writing since I was twelve. About my dream of becoming a real author. About the portfolio I'd spent months creating, now trapped in my dead laptop.
"I've sent my work to twenty publishers," I said, breaking off a piece of muffin. "Twenty rejections. This portfolio was supposed to be different. Better. And now it's probably lost forever."
Sebastian listened to every word. He didn't check his phone or look away. He just listened.
"Have you taken it to a repair shop?" he asked.
"I can't afford it. I work three jobs just to pay rent."
He was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he pulled out his phone. "I know someone who might help. A tech guy named Marcus. He's really good."
"I don't have money for—"
"He owes me a favor." Sebastian was already texting. "Let me ask him."
I watched, stunned, as Sebastian sent messages back and forth with someone. After a minute, he looked up and smiled.
"Marcus says bring your laptop tomorrow morning. He'll take a look. No charge."
My jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"
"Completely serious."
"But why would you help me? You don't even know me. I threw coffee on you!"
Sebastian shrugged. "Maybe I like helping people. Or maybe I think your stories deserve to be read."
Something warm bloomed in my chest. "Thank you. Really. Thank you so much."
We kept talking. And talking. Sebastian told me about his job—something with business and investments that sounded complicated. But mostly we talked about normal stuff. Favorite books. Worst movies we'd ever seen. The time I tried to cook pasta and somehow set off the fire alarm.
"You burned pasta?" Sebastian's eyes widened. "How is that even possible?"
"I'm talented." I grinned. "I can ruin anything."
"Clearly. My shirt is proof."
We both laughed.
I checked my phone and gasped. Three hours had passed. "Oh my gosh, I have to go. My shift at the bookstore starts in twenty minutes."
We stood up. Sebastian walked me to the door.
Outside, the sun was setting. The sky looked like someone had spilled orange and pink paint across it.
"Can I ask you something?" Sebastian said.
"Sure."
"Can I have your number?"
My heart jumped. "My number?"
"I want to know if Marcus can save your laptop." He smiled. "And maybe we could do this again? Without the coffee attack?"
I couldn't stop smiling. "I'd like that."
We traded numbers. As soon as I typed mine in, Sebastian's phone exploded with notifications. Messages and missed calls lit up his screen.
"Wow, you're popular," I said.
Something weird crossed his face. Just for a second, he looked... different. Cold. Then he smiled again.
"Work stuff." He glanced at the screen and his whole body went stiff. "I should take this."
"Okay. Thanks again for everything."
I started walking toward the subway. Behind me, I heard Sebastian answer his phone.
"I told you never to call this number." His voice was sharp. Angry. Nothing like the nice guy I'd just spent three hours with.
I slowed down, glancing back.
Sebastian had turned away, but I could still hear him.
"The deal is finished. Don't contact her. If you go near her, I'll ruin you. Do you understand me?"
My stomach twisted. Her? Who was he talking about?
Sebastian turned slightly. For just a second, our eyes met.
The look on his face made me freeze. His eyes were cold and hard. Like ice. This wasn't the same person who'd bought me coffee and made me laugh.
This was someone else. Someone scary.
Then he blinked, and the coldness vanished. He covered his phone and called to me. "Maya? You should go. It's getting dark."
Something in his voice made my skin prickle. I nodded and hurried down the subway stairs.
My phone buzzed.
A text from Sebastian: "Sorry about that. See you soon. -S"
I was about to reply when another text came through. A different number. Unknown.
"Stay away from Sebastian Crane. He's dangerous. You're not safe. -A Friend"
My hands started shaking.
Who was Sebastian Crane? And who had sent me this warning?
I looked back up the subway stairs. Sebastian was gone.
But I could still feel those cold eyes watching me.
What had I gotten myself into?