Chapter 1

I rushed into Starbuck’s and caught Katie sitting at a table staring into her laptop screen. I could barely sit down before she says, “You’re late Molly. Again.”

“I know, Katie,” I said, “but you know it takes forever for my mom to make up her mind that I could even come.” I studied her really hard to see if she was mad at me.

She must’ve sensed my worry because she looked up from her screen and smiled. I knew she wasn’t mad at me. We’d been friends since we were 5. Now we were seventeen and still close. “Whatever. I’m about to die of dehydration. Get. Me. Coffee. Now.”

“Peppermint Mocha, with two extra pumps of chocolate syrup?” I asked, like I didn’t already know.

“Duh,” she said, flipping her long hazelnut brown hair over her shoulder. She was prettier than I was. Tan, tall, and athletic. I was just average height, pale, with shoulder length dirty blonde hair, that never seemed to stay in place.

I smiled and turned to the register to order the coffees. I got my usual vanilla latte with three pumps of vanilla syrup.

While they were getting the coffee ready, I went back to the table to start working on my story. I loved writing. It was my way to escape. Katie and I had been meeting at Starbuck’s at least three times a week to work on our stories. I was writing a One Direction fan-fic and planned on posting it on Wattpad. One Direction to me equals life. Katie knows that. Sometimes she seems to get annoyed. But she loves me anyway. She’s always talking about how I’m always gushing over Zayn.

“Peppermint Mocha and Vanilla Latte!” the cashier shouted. Coffee was ready. It was time to get started.

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Around two hours later, I had 3 chapters completed. They weren’t edited, but it was progress. I got up to order my 7th cup of coffee. Oh, I am caffeinated baby.

“Molly, don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Katie asked. She was just on her second.

“Last one, I promise,” I said. That’s if we leave right when I finish this cup, I thought.

I ordered my latte and sat back down.

I was starting to edit chapter 1 when this guy walked in. He was around 5‘9“ with tanned skin. He looked around the cafe as if he was nervous. Obviously a passing byer. Definitely not a tourist. No one ever comes to Mississippi.

I ignored him and went back to my work.

“Vanilla latte!”

Okay. 7th cup of coffee. I will not be going to sleep tonight.

I got my latte, and as I turned around to go back to my seat, I walked right into the strange guy and spilled my coffee all over him.

“I am so sorry,” I said. I was so freaking nervous.

“It’s fine,” he said. Then he stopped like he’d caught himself. Wait, was that a British accent?

We were looking down at his now coffee-stained white Nike’s when we both looked up and met each other’s eyes. His eyes were chocolate brown and looked as though they were astonished. I could have sworn I’d seen though same big, brown, cuddly eyes before.

For a split second, a thought entered my mind, but I erased it. I was hallucinating from all that coffee.

“I, uh, bumped into you,” he said. “I’m sorry.” Then he smiled. His smile was so beautiful, so perfect.

I couldn’t say anything. I just studied him. I looked at his golden-brown hair that was quiffed in the front and the way his plain white T-shirt fit his chest.

“Uh, are you okay?” he asked. Perfect American accent. Oh yeah, the coffee had taken over me. He was probably from up North.

"Yeah, I uh,,,"

“Molly, is everything okay?” Katie asked out of the blue. I hadn’t even realized she’d came up. She looked at the guy, then back at me and smiled.

“Yeah everything’s fine,” I said nervously.

“Well, I have to go. You know, church and everything. I’ll see you later,” she gave me one last smirk and left.

I watched her leave and wondered why the hell she had left me alone with this guy when he interrupted my thoughts.

“So your name’s Molly, huh?” he asked, eyes dancing. Him saying my name made my heart skip beats. “My name’s...uh..Jared.”

I was going to ask why he had think about his own name. But I decided not to. Instead I said, “It’s nice to meet you, Jared. I’m sorry about the coffee spill. I’m such a klutz.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “You wanna sit down?” He smiled his dazzling white smile.

“Sure,” I said. I was trying so hard not to look nervous.

I was intending to get me another latte but I forgot all about it. After we say down and he got the green tea he’d ordered. We talked for two hours.

I had learned that he was 20 as of January and that he was from New York. Both of his parents were criminal lawyers and he had 3 brothers and sisters. He’d come to Mississippi just to look and see something different, and to see if us “southerners are as weird as they say we are.”

We talked for so long, I didn’t notice the time. It was freaking 9:24. I am so dead.

“Omg, I have to go,” I said. “My mom’s gonna kill me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for keeping you so long,” he said. “Before you go, do you mind if I call you, maybe we can talk again tomorrow.” He smiled.

“Sure,” I said, and gave him my number, while he gave me his.

He walked me to my car, which was embarrassing because it was so junky, and we said goodbye.

As I drove home, I couldn’t help but think of how much he reminded me of someone. I just couldn’t think of who. I deleted the thought completely from my mind.

“He’s Jared,” I said to myself aloud, and turned up the radio to find Little Things by One Direction playing.