Jason Rook had just walked out of the coffee shop like he was in a slow-motion perfume ad, leaving behind a trail of caffeine, curiosity, and chaos.
Emily sat frozen in her chair, holding her latte like it was a life preserver (In pure disbelief and cringed).
(Author's Note: This is a key moment in rom-com physics — where the heroine tells herself "I'll never see him again" and we, the audience, know she's lying through her perfectly caffeinated teeth.)
Barista #1 leaned over the counter.
Barista #1: "Do you need a paper bag? You look like you just got hit by a celebrity truck."
Emily: "I'm fine. I'm… fine."
Barista #2: "You're not fine. You just accidentally negged Jason Rook for ten minutes straight and he liked it."
Emily rolled her eyes, stuffed her laptop back into her tote, and told herself she'd forget about this by tomorrow.
(Spoiler: She would not.)
---
Three days later
Emily was power-walking down the sidewalk, late for her shift at Book Ends, the only independent bookstore in the city that both underpaid her and expected her to alphabetize the romance section by trope.
She was rehearsing her excuse for being late ("I was helping an old lady find her lost cat," which, okay, was technically a TikTok video she saw, but still plausible) when she slammed into something — or rather, someone.
Very Tall Someone.
With sunglasses.
Again.
Emily: "Oh, come on. What are the odds?"
Jason (grinning): "Statistically? Not great. Rom-com-ically? Extremely high."
Emily stared. "You again?"
Jason: "Me again."
He was holding a small bag from the bakery next door, and — of course — he looked like he'd stepped out of a magazine spread titled 'Effortlessly Cool Men Who Don't Know They're in a Love Story'.
Emily crossed her arms. "Do you just… wander around the city waiting to bump into women you've already mildly annoyed?"
Jason: "Only the ones who call me Edward Esquire."
---
(Author's Note: You can hear the banter setup here, right? This is what we rom-com writers live for. It's like watching two cats circle each other before they inevitably curl up in the same sunbeam.)
---
Jason glanced at her tote bag. "You work at the bookstore?"
Emily: "Unfortunately."
Jason: "I like bookstores."
Emily: "Yeah, well, I like men who don't wear sunglasses indoors, but here we are."
He laughed, and before she knew it, they were walking in the same direction.
Jason: "Mind if I stop by later? I need a book recommendation."
Emily: "You? A book? What, is it research for a role?"
Jason: "Maybe. Or maybe I just want to see if you're this sarcastic in every customer interaction."
Emily opened her mouth to tell him "absolutely not" — but something about the way he said it made her suspicious. The kind of suspicious that belongs in Chapter 2 of a rom-com.
(Author's Note: And yes, dear reader, you already know he's going to show up. Probably holding something ridiculously charming, like coffee or a puppy. Don't pretend you're not going to enjoy it.)