Parallel (Travelers Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

advantages of living so close to Old Town is its small-town feel. Not to mention the fact that Battle Grounds is where you’ll find most of the locals, while tourists prefer the predictability of the Starbucks located on the other end of King Street. Then again, its springtime and we always have an abundance of visitors this time of year. The guy’s probably a tourist who stumbled upon the coffee shop hoping to warm up after being out in the brisk cold air.
    My attention goes back to the barista, silently wishing she would hurry up on the drink orders. But my curiosity gets the better of me and I chance another look at the stranger. Bummer. He isn’t standing across the room anymore and I don’t want to give the impression I’m searching for him, so I don’t scan the area for signs of him. Besides, they probably already called his order and he took off.
    Tired of waiting in line, I decide to ditch it and go in search of Jaime instead. The chick behind the counter is taking way too long to pour coffee and I’m annoyed at this point. If Jaime really wants a drink, she can wait herself.
    I find myself going up to the second floor and I check inside the women’s bathroom. I peek under each of the two stalls and find them both empty. Then, after a quick scan of the second floor lounge area, I make my way back down the winding staircase and accidentally bump into the guy I had been ogling from across the room. He’s standing right at the foot of the staircase, blocking my path back to the main section of the café. He hadn’t left after all.
    “I saw you get out of line. I hope you don’t mind.” He waves a second cup of coffee in my direction. “I didn’t know how you liked it prepared, so I made sure they left a little room for cream.”
    The guy is even more gorgeous up close and personal. His weathered jeans and untucked white button-down gives him a rough, but masculine appearance. The stark black eyes that gaze into mine clash against the rest of his features; his sandy blond hair almost demands he have blue ones. I stand there for several seconds, not being able to stop myself from staring back into his eyes. Reluctantly, I snap back from his gaze and notice he’s actually offering me the cup of coffee. I can actually feel my entire face turn red with embarrassment.
    “Are you sure that’s not for someone else?” He probably bought that second cup for a friend, and then decided to give it to me at the last minute. It’s hard for me to imagine anyone being that nice. In my experience, people don’t go out of their way to do thoughtful things—at least that’s what I learned from the folks I grew up around.
    I can’t seem to move from my current position. It’s almost as if his body gives off these little electronic waves that flow directly into my own. I can feel the goose bumps on my arms as I continue to stare up at him like a grade-A dork. This is the kind of thing that happens to good looking girls like Jaime, who are prepared for these types of social interactions, not someone like me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not self-conscious about my appearance that I consider myself unattractive—that’s for girls who lack self-confidence. I’m just plain. My long brown hair lacks luster and my brown eyes are neither exotically dark nor light like toffee. Not that I care, but at this moment, I wish I was more like Jaime when it comes to the looks department.
    “Nope. It’s all yours.” He hands me the tall cup of coffee. “Shall we?” He motions to one of the empty tables up at the front of the shop near the windows. Normally, I don’t make it a habit of taking drinks from complete strangers, nor accepting invitations to accompany them, but with Jaime still M.I.A., I figure I can kill some time before she comes back.
    Sitting opposite each other, I’m able to get a better look at him. He looks older than the guys I go to high school with and if I have to guess, I’d say he’s around twenty,