3

Evelyn walked out into the alley and breathed some fresh air. She was tired. Luckily there were fewer customers at this time in the cafe.

She leaned against the door and sipped some water from the bottle. She heard a cat and her eyes lit up snapping in the direction of the little kitty. She walked after the kitty out of the alley onto the street.

It was evening and the street was buzzing with people. Evelyn crouched down as she patted the kitty while smiling. The kitten meowed and Evelyn was in awe as she played with the kitten when she noticed a shadow looming over her and sleek black boots came into her line of vision.

She craned her neck up and the person was tall. When her gaze collided with those grey spheres, she gasped and fell back on her butt on the floor with wide eyes.

The kitten seemed scared of the huge man as the kitty scurried away leaving Evelyn behind. Her cheeks tinted red in embarrassment as the man extended his veiny hand forward for her to take.

She hesitated but he was only being hospitable. She placed her hand in his as his large hand engulfed her small one and he pulled her back to her feet. She was quick to pull her hand back. "T...thank you," She mumbled.

"No problem," He said in that thick voice.

Though she was standing. But next to him she felt so small. She was 5'6 and still looked tiny standing beside him. 

"Are you the barista from this shop?" He said pointing at the coffee shop behind them.

She bobbed her head. He was the same man from a month ago, the one who gave her his latte and also saved her from the thugs. He might've forgotten her but how can she forget him? He has saved her life.

She still hasn’t told Josh what happened that night because he would’ve gotten worried for her. She also got cold because of the rain but she couldn’t stop thinking about the man who saved her. She thought she would never see him again but here he was.

"You're on break?" He queried while shoving his hands in his pockets as a puff of his breath was visible in such cold weather.

"No, I just came out for a breather," She mumbled.

It felt odd talking to him outside the coffee shop. Because in her mind, he was a hero who saved her.

"Hmmm," He hummed in response.

“Did you get home safely that night?” He asked and she instantly knew what he was referring to, this meant he remembered.

“Yes. Thank you again,” She said.

“No problem,” He inhaled deeply.

"The weather is good," He said out of the blue and she stifled a smile.

"Are you trying to start a conversation with me?" She asked, trying to ease the tension while looking up at the sky as they both faced the road.

A small smile cracked on his lips and he sighed. "Is it bad?" He questioned and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you here again because of me?" She asked, stealing a glance at his side profile.

"No, I liked the Latte of this place," He said with a shrug of his shoulder and a giggle bubbled out of her lips.

He glanced at her and then kept looking. She looked more alluring while smiling.

"You didn't even touch it." She pointed out, controlling her smile.

He couldn't help but smile back at her and she was taken aback at how good he looked while smiling.

She lowered her gaze and fidgeted with her fingers. This man was too good-looking to be true. He also has a good gentleman personality and it seemed he was interested in her. But he seemed the same age as Josh. And obviously, he was super rich.

Josh wouldn't approve of her dating that kind of guy. If it was up to him he wouldn't even approve of her dating at all. But he wasn't one of those brothers who would restrict her from dating. It was just, he was very protective of her.

She was allowed to date but she never had time to go out with anyone nor she was interested also, she never expected such a handsome young man to show interest in her and that too when she was working as a barista.

"You have a nice name, Evelyn." The way he said her name in that deep voice made her shiver. 

She knew he had read her name from the nametag.

That night it was so tense that she didn’t even remember to ask for his name.

"You want me to ask you your name?" She asked mischievously and his eyes widened slightly before a throaty chuckle reverberated from deep within his chest.

She blushed and scolded herself. She always speaks without thinking much and she knew it would get her in trouble one day.

"What if I say yes?" His tone was calm. 

He seemed like a jolly person. She could've never expected him to be so easygoing with that scary aura and intimidating personality.

She noticed a new sleek black Mercedes parked down the street. She didn't know why but she had a gut feeling that the car belonged to him. Oddly she thought that car suits his personality. But the car that night was a different one.

"I'm Evelyn Brown," She chirped and forward her hand for a shake.

"I'm Axel Knight," He rasped, engulfing her small hand in his huge one as he gave her a firm shake.

His name was as good as him.

She noticed him inhaling deeply as she pulled her hand back while tucking a hair strand behind her ear.

The hand that he held just seconds ago felt so warm. Even her cheeks felt warm. She breathed in deeply, hoping that she wasn't blushing and looking like a tomato.

"You're blushing, are you cold?" He asked and she felt like disappearing. He caught it. She must be looking like a tomato for sure.

"N..no. I'm okay," She whispered.

She noticed that she was out for too long. Mrs. Smith would get mad. She turned around to glance at the counter only to find Susan and Mrs. Smith gaping at her with wide grins on their faces as they gave her a thumbs up and she abruptly straightened and faced the road while trying her best to stay calm and not to blush like an idiot.

"Can I get your number then?" He asked and she bit her bottom lip contemplating.

"I uh... Can I think about it first? Please don't mind," She said hurriedly.

"Sure. I don't mind. Take your time," He rasped.

And she breathed deeply to calm down. "I've to go. I'll see you again, ``he said. 

His grey eyes were soft as he looked down at her. She passed him a gentle smile. "Bye," She whispered as he walked away. And just as she had predicted, he got into that posh-looking Mercedes and drove away.

As soon as Evelyn stepped back into the coffee shop. Susan and Mrs. Smith bombarded her with questions making her even more flustered.