Chapter 2
Faye had decided that the universe was mocking her.
There was no other explanation.
After the disaster that had been her morning commute, she had convinced herself that things could only get better. The annoying stranger from the bus was nothing more than a random inconvenience, a brief encounter with someone who had managed to ruin twenty minutes of her day and then disappear.
Faye believed that's how life worked, people crossed paths, annoyed each other, moved on, and never looked back, but the universe seemed determined to prove her wrong.
"Hi, welcome to Starbucks."
The words came out automatically, accompanied by the customer-service smile she had mastered after months of working part-time while studying.
Faye wore the kind of smile that looked genuine, promised she was happy to help, and hid the fact that she was silently counting down the hours until her shift ended, a skill she'd perfected working at Starbucks.
Working there had taught Faye several important things.
One: People were far more complicated when they were ordering coffee.
Two: Everyone believed their caffeine emergency was somehow a life-or-death situation.
Three: She was not nearly as patient as she thought she was.
She could handle difficult assignments. She could survive stressful exams. She could even tolerate professors who assigned impossible workloads and called them "simple exercises."
But customers who changed their orders three times after she had already prepared their drinks?
Those people tested her limits.
Thankfully, her headache from the morning had finally disappeared. After drinking enough water to practically drown herself and surviving her classes, the pounding behind her eyes had faded into something manageable.
Her mood had improved.
Her day was finally becoming normal.
That was true until the café door opened and Faye looked up from the counter, only to freeze. Of all the people who could have walked into Starbucks, it had to be him.
The brown-haired stranger from the bus stood by the menu, looking completely unbothered after stealing her seat that morning. When he noticed her staring, that familiar, irritating smile appeared, instantly making her want to argue.
"Well," he said, leaning against the counter. "This is unexpected."
Faye blinked slowly.
"Is it?"
His eyebrows lifted.
"Wow. No hello?"
"You don't deserve one."
A laugh escaped him, an actual laugh, and Faye frowned, caught completely off guard by the reaction.
Most people would have been offended or at least tried to defend themselves, but he simply looked entertained.
"You remember me," he said.
"I remember annoying people."
"That bad?"
"You stole my seat."
He looked genuinely thoughtful.
"I still think you're being dramatic about that."
Faye stared at him.
"Do you want your drink or do you want to have a debate about your crimes?"
"Crimes?"
"Yes."
"The seat situation again?"
"The seat situation will never be forgotten."
He pressed a hand against his chest dramatically.
"That's heartbreaking."
"Good."
She hated how easily he joked with her.
She hated that she had expected him to be arrogant and unpleasant, but instead, he was just... playful.
He was still annoying, definitely annoying, but somehow... different.
"What can I get you?" she asked, deciding that ending the conversation was the safest option.
"Hot chocolate."
She grabbed a cup.
"Name?"
He paused.
"Ethan."
Faye looked up.
"Ethan?"
"Yes. Ethan Carter."
She stared at him for a moment.
Then she wrote on the cup.
"Flipper."
His expression immediately changed.
"Excuse me?"
"You said Flipper, right?"
"I said Ethan."
"Hm."
She looked at the cup.
"My mistake."
"You did that on purpose."
Faye smiled innocently.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
He shook his head.
"You are unbelievable."
"And yet you're still ordering from me."
That made him smile again.
For some reason, that bothered her more than it should have.
Because every time he smiled, he looked less like the arrogant stranger she had created in her head and more like an actual person.
He was annoyingly easy to talk to, which was very inconvenient, Faye looked at him again and handed him his cup.
"Enjoy your drink, Flipper."
He looked at the name.
Then at her.
"This isn't over."
Faye raised an eyebrow.
"Was that supposed to scare me?"
"No."
He picked up his drink.
"It was supposed to be a warning."
"About what?"
He smiled.
"That I might have to get revenge."
"Good luck."
Faye expected him to leave immediately, but instead, he lingered and looked at her for a second longer.
"You always this serious?"
The question caught her off guard.
"What?"
He nodded toward the counter.
"You look like you're fighting for your life every time someone orders coffee."
Faye narrowed her eyes.
"Are you insulting my work skills?"
"No."
His expression softened slightly.
"I'm saying you look tired."
For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
Most people only saw the employee behind the counter. The person who smiled, handed them their drinks, and wished them a good day.
Not someone who looked closely enough to notice anything else.
"I'm fine," she said quickly.
Flynn shrugged.
"Didn't say you weren't."
Then he picked up his drink.
"See you around, Faye."
She watched him walk away and hated the strange feeling that settled in her chest, not because he had teased or annoyed her, but because, for one brief moment, he had actually been kind.
She quickly shook the thought away and reminded herself that he was just a random guy, an irritating random guy, and nothing more.
The next morning, Faye sat through class, completely unaware that one of her friends, Camille, had been quietly watching her until she finally spoke.
"Okay, explain."
Faye looked up from her textbook.
Camille dropped into the chair across from her at the campus courtyard, immediately placing her iced coffee on the table.
"Explain what?"
"The fact that you have been staring at that textbook for ten minutes and haven't turned a single page."
Faye frowned.
"I was thinking."
"You were thinking about him."
Faye nearly choked.
"What? Who, Ethan?"
Camille smiled knowingly.
"The guy from work last night."
"There is no guy."
"There is always a guy when you react like that."
Faye rolled her eyes.
"I don't react any way."
"You absolutely do."
Camille leaned closer.
"Who is he?"
"No one."
"Faye."
"He is literally nobody."
"Then why do you know his name?"
Faye froze because, unfortunately, Camille had a point, and she hadn't even realized she remembered Ethan's name until it slipped into her mind.
"Because he ordered coffee."
Camille raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"And nothing."
She looked back down at her textbook, but the words blurred as her mind replayed every little detail she had no reason to remember, from his teasing smile and easy laugh to the way he had noticed she was tired.
Faye hated that she noticed any of it and quickly told herself she didn't care, even if she wasn't entirely convinced.
"He's annoying," Faye said.
Camille smiled.
"You noticed."
"Because he's annoying."
"You noticed enough to describe him."
Faye opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again because she hated when Camille was right.
By the end of the day, Faye had successfully convinced herself that Flynn Eastwood was not worth thinking about.
She had assignments.
She had exams coming.
She had enough problems without adding a frustrating basketball player with an ego problem into the mix.
As she walked across campus, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Careful, Faye."
She stopped and slowly turned around, only to find Ethan standing near the library steps, looking far too pleased with himself.
"What are you doing here?" Faye asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I could ask you the same thing," Ethan replied with a grin.
"Don't dodge the question."
"Fine. I'm going to the library."
She glanced at the building behind him before looking back at him. "You? Studying?"
"Wow. You really don't think highly of me, do you?"
"I'm just working with the evidence."
He let out a dramatic sigh. "That was unnecessarily cruel."
"And yet, completely accurate."
He laughed again, and despite herself, Faye almost smiled before quickly hiding it, though Ethan clearly noticed and wisely chose not to mention it as he held up a notebook instead.
"I need a favor."
Faye folded her arms. "That's already suspicious."
"I need help with math."
She blinked, then let out a short laugh. "You came to me?"
"You're the smartest person I know."
"That compliment sounded like it physically hurt you."
He chuckled. "A little."
She shook her head. "You're unbelievable."
"Maybe." He flashed that familiar grin. "But you're still standing here talking to me."
Faye opened her mouth to argue, but no words came because, annoyingly, he was right; she could have walked away, yet she had stayed.
That realization irritated her more than anything as Ethan glanced down at the notebook in his hands.
"I honestly thought you'd say no."
Faye frowned. "Why?"
"Because you don't strike me as the type who helps people she can't stand."
She crossed her arms. "Maybe I don't."
"Then why are you still here?"
Faye looked away with a scoff. "I was already headed this way. Don't read too much into it."
Ethan smiled like he'd just won an argument. "Whatever you say."
She hated that smile, especially because she wasn't entirely sure she believed her own excuse.
Ethan took a few steps toward the library entrance. "See you around, Faye."
She watched him leave.
And for reasons she refused to understand, she had a strange feeling that this would not be the last time she heard that name.
Ethan Carter.
The annoying stranger from the bus.
The arrogant guy from Starbucks.
The person who had somehow managed to become memorable in less than a day.