Chapter 3: Coffee makes everything better

-SIENNA-

Fiddling with my cappuccino, I waited for my fake fiancée to arrive. We spoke briefly on the phone yesterday and arranged to meet after work at my favorite coffee shop near my apartment. The cozy place, decorated with green walls and white furniture, serves the best coffee in the area. But my favorite part is the small garden in the back with the tables arranged around a small fountain. The smell of the flowers combined with the smell of coffee makes everything better. It's like a hidden oasis in the middle of Manhattan. Choosing to meet in one of my safe places was a strategic decision to give me more strength when the nerves fluttered in my stomach.

I put my phone away after checking for any new messages. Nothing. And he's fifteen minutes late. I'm wondering how much longer I'll have to wait before I can officially say I got stood up when I saw Matt walking into the garden.

Before this meeting, I looked up some pictures of him online and thought he was cute, but nothing compares to the man walking towards me. If the pictures show him as a handsome guy with a boyish look, in person, Matt was all man, tall and oozing charm. With chiseled cheekbones, dark hair long at the top and short at the sides, dark stubble, stormy gray eyes, and full lips, the guy is easily the most handsome man I've ever seen.

He stopped right in front of my table, and I had to crane my neck to look at him. Narrowing his eyes, he opened his mouth, "Sienna Madsen?"

I stood up and gave him my hand for a handshake, "Hi. I believe you're Matt Gruber. Nice to meet you in person."

Matt paused for a second and looked down at my dress with a frown. Do I look bad? I've put on a dark green dress with short sleeves and a plunging neckline that's a little sexy without too much skin. The soft, stretchy fabric hugs my figure. Green always makes my red-brown eyes pop. I've only put on a little makeup and pulled my hair back into a ponytail because I haven't had time to wash it. I was feeling pretty until Mr. Hot started frowning. Maybe he thinks my bangs make me look too young. I get that feedback sometimes.

He squeezed my hand briefly, and I felt a small spark of electricity. Matt pulls his hand right away as if the contact was truly unpleasant.

"Let's sit down. Do you want something to drink? They serve a wide variety of coffee drinks. I've tried them all, and I still think the cappuccino is the best. You can't go wrong with the classics."

"Since when is cappuccino a classic?" He asks as he sits down across from me. "Just water for me."

Great, the guy is an i.diot. I signal for the waitress to come over, he places the order, and we're alone again.

"So, Michelle told me a little bit about your situation. Maybe you could fill me in." I try to force a smile, but all I can do is curl my lips in the corner.

He scanned the room to make sure no one was listening. "Are you sure you want to discuss this here?"

This time, I managed to smile. "Yes, we’ll have the garden to ourselves. I made sure of that. I told the owner that I was breaking up with my boyfriend and needed privacy because he cries a lot. It worked."

"Are you crazy?" The frown is back in full force. "Was your best solution to make me look like a crybaby who was going to be dumped?"

"Well, I thought about saying that you had social anxiety or that you were a prima Donna hockey player who didn’t want to be bothered by fans, but the breaking-up plot seemed like a better idea," I say proudly. I still like my solution.

"How about we meet at your place? No need for any crazy schemes, and I could check out the place I’m assuming I’ll be living in for the next year," he said, as if it was obvious.

It’s not. I don’t bring strange guys over to my place. I need to keep my private life as it is, private. But I need to get used to the idea that he won’t be a stranger anymore.

"Let's move on, okay?” I need to suck it up and move forward. "Hank probably told you about the problem with my rent. I need a roommate, have a spare bedroom, and live close by. It'll be easy for you to get to practice. I expect you to be tidy, pay the rent, and half the utilities. We'd live separate lives and be respectful of each other." I hope he doesn't leave dirty sports gear lying around like Hank uses to.

My answer seemed to relax him a bit. "I'll pay all the rent plus any related expenses until the end of our agreement at the last hockey game of the season. I understand you're facing financial troubles, and I'm prepared to pay all of your mother's medical bills."

Now it's my turn to frown. No way I'd let this guy throw his money at my face like this. "That's too much. I just expect you to pay the rent, the rest is on me. And also, can we be honest here? Why don't you get a visa?"

He exhales softly. " When I was playing for my old team, we had a game here in the US that we lost. After the game, we were all in the parking lot when one of my teammates started yelling at me, saying that it was all my fault. That's nothing new. The goalie always gets most of the blame, and I didn't respond to the verbal attacks. The guy got so worked up that he insulted my ex-girlfriend. So I punched him in the face and broke his nose. After that, he accused me of assault, and I had to answer the lawsuit. Everything was resolved, but now I'm not able to get a work visa after this assault on American soil, especially because I was born in France."

A shiver runs down my spine. Am I going to bring someone with anger management issues into my home?

Matt seems to sense the fear taking hold of me and manages a sad smile. "I guess this is hard to believe, but I'm a pretty calm person. This is the only event like this that's ever happened to me. Also, as part of the lawsuit, I had to take anger management classes. If that doesn't convince you, you can even check the statistics to see that I don't get into fights on the rink."

"Okay. Let's say I agree with the arrangement." I still can't bring myself to say the word marriage out loud. "What would be the terms? You don't expect any physical relationship between us, right?" I say it like the idea is completely absurd. The last thing I need right now is some cocky hockey player thinking I'm some kind of puck bunny.

And that sexy scowl is back again. Oh my God, there is something seriously wrong with me finding him incredibly hot right now. "No, as you said, we would have separate lives. But we'd live together, and it would not be acceptable to have other people to sleep over." The idea of ​​him bringing a girl makes me feel funny. "If you’re okay with it, I can talk to the team’s lawyer today, and we can get the contract drawn up by the middle of this week."

After a brief pause, I replied. "Okay. Let's do this. When do you want to get married?"

For the first time, Matt smiled. And he has a magnificent smile that makes you want to smile along with him. "This Friday".

"In three days?"