Lana Hayes believed in two things.
Coffee could fix almost anything.
And love could survive anything.
At least, that's what she told herself.
The morning rush at Rosewood Café was already in full swing when Lana rushed behind the counter, nearly dropping a tray of cups.
"Careful!" her coworker, Emma, laughed.
"I'm careful every day," Lana replied.
"Exactly why I'm worried."
Lana rolled her eyes and continued working.
The café was small, warm, and always smelled like fresh coffee and cinnamon pastries. It wasn't where she imagined she'd be at twenty-two, but it paid the bills.
For now.
"Table six wants another latte."
"Got it."
"And table three says you're too nice."
Lana laughed.
"That's not a complaint."
"It is if they start flirting."
"Emma!"
Her friend only grinned.
The hours passed quickly.
Customers came and went.
Some smiled.
Some complained.
Some never looked up from their phones.
Normal.
Safe.
Predictable.
Exactly the kind of life Lana preferred.
Because predictable people couldn't hurt you.
Or so she thought.
When her shift finally ended, the sky outside had turned gray.
Rain clouds gathered above the city.
Lana stepped outside and pulled her jacket tighter.
Her phone buzzed.
Lily Calling.
She answered immediately.
"Tell me you're free tonight."
Lana smiled.
"Hello to you too."
"I'm serious."
"What happened now?"
"Movie night."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because the last time you planned a movie night, we ended up lost in another city."
"That happened once."
"It happened twice."
Lily gasped dramatically.
"You promised you'd stop bringing that up."
Lana laughed.
A real laugh.
The kind that made strangers glance over.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Easy.
The future stretched ahead of her like an open road.
She didn't know that life was about to change.
She didn't know that one meeting...
One accident...
One person...
Would turn her entire world upside down.
And somewhere across the city, a man named Leo Ayden was walking into a café he'd never noticed before.
Unaware that fate had already started moving the pieces.
To be continued...