Chapter 2

Aria went through what she had for the day. It wasn’t a lot, but it would have to do. She had never been good at Biology in high school, but somehow she had nailed it. Now, explaining it was like second nature to her. Aria loved teaching right from an early age when she would teach her friends—Tiffany and Justine—how to sing.

After a few minutes, the nutty smell of her coffee order danced through her nostrils, and her stomach quickened with excitement. Aria placed the cup to her lips slowly and tilted her head to allow the liquid to fill her mouth. Taste exploded on her tongue, filling her mouth with the clashing tastes of bitter, nutty, acidic, and sweet all at the same time.

Aria smiled as she placed the cup on the counter and held the liquid in her mouth for another moment, letting the heat and flavors stimulate her mouth. Aria savored the taste of every mouthful of the latte she had at Kevin’s, liking the warmth and sense of security it gave her.

“It’s good as always, Kevin!” Aria almost yelled from the excitement. Ever since she found out about how great Kevin’s coffee was from Kate, there was no day that went by without a taste of heavenly goodness. Kevin had served her the drink of the gods, and she was glued to it, wanting to feel the taste in her mouth every single day.

The man at the far end of the cafe lifted his head to look at the squealing woman. But Aria didn’t mind that the very debonair man was looking at her like she was missing a hand. She waved him off with a smile and went back to her notes.

Aria’s phone vibrated on the countertop.

7:37 AM.

Aria’s mouth hung open at the sheer amount of time she had spent at Kevin’s. Normally, during a cup of coffee, it would take about fifteen minutes to revise her notes for the day, but this time, she was unprepared. She was even just making the notes for the class she had by eight.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered, but her words seemed to bounce around the walls, echoing as they reverberated.

“That’s a very uncouth thing for a woman to say,” the suave man’s voice rang out, deep and clear. The deep baritone sank into Aria’s bones, sending shivers up her spine. From what he had said, he must have been some sexist wealthy man whose whole life was held up by the pillars of patriarchy. It was one of the things that she always liked to talk to her students about, even if it wasn’t on the subject matter.

“It’s people like you that prompted the idea of feminism,” Aria shot back, not bothering to hold her tongue at the stranger.

The idea of determining what one gender should say and shouldn’t irritates her to no end. That was also her problem with Paul. He had wanted her to be at his beck and call, always there at a whim’s notice. And when she wasn’t there when he wanted her, the pain started. Minutes dragged by slowly as he abused her, inflicting pain until her voice was hoarse and her throat was raw with agony.

Gathering up her notes and stationeries, she shoved them into her bag and prepared to go. Her class was going to start at eight, and she wanted to be there early to set a good example. And it was getting pretty late. The bombolone stayed at the bottom of her bag, uneaten.

Aria was tired of people that told her what to do. For once in her life, she was finally happy to live by her own rules. And she couldn’t allow anyone to silence her. Not when she was finally free from torment and the false love that came with it.

Aria dropped a dollar bill on the countertop and placed the sugar shaker to hold it down. She couldn’t bear to even sit in the same room as this man anymore. Hearing his words had made her coffee lose its taste, and she wasn’t going to allow some stranger to ruin her day.

As she proceeded to leave, she got stuck on the stool, her sweater held in place by a wood splinter. Aria tugged on it awkwardly, but the sweater didn’t budge. At this, blood crept into her face, and she looked away, embarrassed. Placing all her things back on the counter, Aria started tugging on the stool to let go of her sweater.

Her face felt red hot, and she turned her back to the counter, trying to figure out a way to get out of the mess she had put herself into. Embarrassment crossed her features, and for a moment, she stared blankly at the ground, wanting the earth to open up its maws and swallow her whole.

Heavy, expensive perfume invaded her senses, bringing Aria’s world to a complete stop. Golden cufflinks that reflected the light contrasted starkly with the soft material of the three-piece Italian suit.

A white tie was wedged around his collar, a splash of color against the dark blue suit that looked like the twilight sky. Intense brown eyes stared at her like a cup of chocolate, stopping her every movement with their swirls and churns. She stopped in her tracks like a statue, hoping that this stranger would just leave her alone.

“Let me help you,” the stranger said as he bent down behind the stool to remove her sweater that got stuck to a splinter. Sandy-colored hair fell across his pale face in long curls and hid his eyes—the windows of his soul.

Aria wished that her face didn’t get any hotter. But her face started to heat up in embarrassment, and she choked on the words that formed in her throat. Not that she was embarrassed, she was angry at the fact that for once, when she stood up for herself, nemesis stood in her way like an angry warrior.

“That’s it,” the stranger whispered softly as he helped her to remove her sweater. His voice was husky, like he was petting an animal. Whoever he was, he was a very strange person who probably needed psychological help.

The thought of the stranger sitting down in a room and droning endlessly about himself made Aria break out into a smile. He was probably some egocentric narcissist who only cared about himself.

Aria turned to look at the stranger one last time and whispered a hurried ‘thank you.’ She was already running late, and before he could reply, she was out of the door with a cup of coffee in hand and disappeared in the hustle and bustle on the streets of Manhattan.