You Series Book 1: Until I Met You

ASHLEY

I couldn’t stop thinking about Jake on my way back home. I really didn’t want to pursue any kind of relationship right now. But still…Jake was so hot, and I wanted to kiss him so badly.

When I got home, Emma was still out with her boyfriend, Justin. They’d been together for almost three years, and he’d applied to Columbia as soon as he’d found out that was Emma’s top-choice college.

Emma and Justin were so romantic together. Why couldn’t I have gotten a high school relationship like that instead of stupid Alex, who basically messed me up for life?

I tried to keep myself occupied by reading the five chapters of The Great Gatsby assigned for tomorrow. No way was I going to let that mean professor embarrass me again.

Gatsby was just pressuring Nick to invite Daisy to tea when I heard a ping from my phone. An Instagram request from Chad. I smiled and accepted.

He was a sweet guy, and we’d been getting along well these past two days. It turned out that he wanted to be an English major too, so we had a couple of classes together. I was glad I didn’t have to be completely alone at college.

How dare you talk to any guy who isn’t me? growled my inner Alex-voice.

Shut up, I told it. ~Chad is just a friend. And anyway, you’re not in my life anymore. You don’t get to tell me what to do~.

I just wished I could believe myself.

***

Soon it was Saturday, and I decided to go out and look for a part-time job to take care of rent and food. I didn’t want to depend on my parents, since they were already paying for my tuition.

That reminded me. I hadn’t talked to my mom all week. I pulled out my phone.

“Hey, sweetie,” said Mom over the phone. “How’s college? Do you miss us yet?”

“Not at all,” I joked. “In fact, I totally forgot I even have parents. But yeah, things are good. I just wanted to check in.”

I put it on speaker so I could get Mom’s updates about work and the church rummage sale while I got dressed.

I opted for a simple white tank top and jean shorts, letting my hair flow down to my waist. I also applied some lip gloss, wanting to look cute for potential employers.

“Sounds like everything’s great there,” I said, pulling the phone back toward my face. “Listen, I gotta go. Love you.” After sliding my bag across my shoulders, I rushed down the stairs in a hurry.

“I’m gonna go look for a job, Em,” I shouted as I shoved my feet into my sneakers.

“You better come back soon. We need to go to the mall,” Emma called back from her room, still sounding half-asleep.

“Of course; how could I forget?” I grinned and headed out.

I walked down the streets near our house, admiring the beauty of the city. New York was so different than LA. The streets were crowded with pedestrians, a huge variety of different races, clothes, and expressions.

It felt like people lived their whole lives out in the open here. Maybe that would change once the weather got cold, though. I wasn’t looking forward to my first New York winter.

After an hour of wandering aimlessly, I came across a little coffee shop with a board outside that said “hiring.” I’d never done barista work before—but then, I’d never really had any job before aside from some babysitting for my neighbors in high school.

I peered through the glass door and decided that the old lady behind the counter looked friendly enough that she probably wouldn’t kick me out for asking about the job.

I could do this. I took a deep breath and plastered a bright smile on my face to seem confident, then swung open the door.

“Hello, I saw your board outside and I was hoping to get a job,” I said softly. The old lady looked up from the counter and smiled at me kindly.

“Hello, dear. That’s wonderful to hear; I’m in charge of this place, and I could use an extra hand. One of my employees quit recently when she moved down to Brooklyn. I’m Grace Willow.” She smiled at me politely and extended her hand.

“I would be happy to help out. I’m Ashley Albright,” I replied excitedly and shook her hand. After we discussed my qualifications and working hours, just like that, I was set to start on Monday!

Afterward, riding the high of landing the first job I’d applied for, I decided to explore some of the other shops nearby. I was checking out the window display at Macy’s when I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

I stopped dead in my tracks, turned around slowly, and saw those gorgeous brown eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

Jake’s eyes roamed all over my body, and I started to feel self-conscious and exposed. Why didn’t I wear jeans?

“What are you doing here?” I asked after what felt like forever.

“It’s a free country, Ashley. I was just heading out to get a cup of coffee. Would you mind joining me?” He grinned, showing his dimples. Fuck me already!

I couldn’t believe that he even remembered my name. “You don’t even know me and you want me to hang out with you?” I blurted out.

“Of course. Let’s get to know each other better.” He seemed genuinely interested, and I was jumping up and down inside my head. Okay, play it cool, Ash. Remember the part where you’re not over your asshole ex?

I bit my lip, wondering if spending time with Jake was a good idea. Then his eyes dropped to my mouth, and I blushed deeply. What harm could one coffee do, right?

He walked me to a quaint old café; he even opened the door for me. Quite the gentleman. As soon as I stepped inside, I was hit with the strong aroma of coffee and fell in love with the place.

It was small but beautiful, with intricately carved wooden chairs and tables. The table closest to the window had a perfect view of a maple tree on the street outside, its leaves just starting to tinge yellow like a reminder of autumn.

It would be easy to savor a cup of coffee here for an hour, watching the world go by. I was so busy checking out the place that I didn’t even notice Jake looking at me with amusement.

“I take it that you aren’t from here,” he pointed out.

I nodded shyly. “I’m from LA. What about you?” I asked as we settled in across from each other at the table I’d been admiring, the one with the view.

“Born and bred here.” He beamed like New York was the best place in the world to live. Then he turned to the waitress and ordered a caramel latte with extra sugar.

She grinned at him. “I had a feeling you liked sweet things. You’re such a sweet thing yourself.”

I grimaced at the over-the-top flirting right in front of me. But then again, this wasn’t a date. Jake could flirt with whoever he wanted. He probably flirted with everybody.

Instead, he just threw her a blank look before turning all his attention to me. “What do you want?”

Heart in my throat, I ordered a black coffee; I figured the last thing I needed right now was a sugar high.

“So, how is NY treating you?” he asked once the waitress was safely out of earshot. All I could focus on was his lips moving and how it would feel to kiss them.

“Uhh…so far so good,” I replied breathlessly.

His eyes bored into mine as he took a sip of his coffee, making me feel hot inside. “You’re a freshman, right? Do you know what you want to study yet?”

I forced myself to pull it together and have a normal conversation.

After an hour or so, I was actually having a good time. I learned that Jake was a senior, graduating this year with a business major. I told him how I’d already been nervous about my first day when he bumped into me.

“I must have left one hell of an impression on you, then.” He chuckled, and my cheeks burned in embarrassment. Damn right, you did.

I felt calm and comfortable talking to him now, but I was still hot and bothered physically. Meanwhile, Jake seemed totally calm.

He was probably thinking of this as just a friendly, get-to-know-you coffee. No way a guy that hot was single, let alone interested in dating an awkward freshman. And that was fine! I didn’t want to date him either. Really.

We both reached for the bill at the same time, and our fingers grazed. I quickly pulled my hand back.

“I got this.” He winked. Was he trying to make me blush on purpose? I swear, if he keeps doing things like that, I’m gonna embarrass myself.

“Give me your phone,” he said as we stepped out of the shop. Before I could process, he took my phone from my hand and started typing in his number. Then he gave a call to his phone so that he had my number as well.

“It was interesting running into you, Ashley. I had a great time.” He grinned from ear to ear, his eyes not leaving mine.

“I had a nice time too,” I replied shyly and then broke his gaze, looking at my feet.

“Call me.” He gazed intensely at me and then walked away. I finally let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding.

I wanted to call him immediately. I wanted to call him back from the corner and ask him to kiss me, hold me, press me against an alley wall. But then even the fantasy freaked me out. You’re not ready to date anyone, idiot! Why do you keep forgetting that?

Why should I call him? Just because we had coffee, it didn’t mean I had to call him. This was New York. People here probably had coffee all the time, and then they never saw each other again.

Jake probably gave his number to random girls every day. He was probably a huge fuckboy. I tried to convince myself, but I couldn’t ignore a small part of me that remembered how he’d totally ignored the waitress to focus on me.

My heart fluttered like a schoolgirl’s.

Oh, God, I was screwed for sure.