Chapter 3: Coffee, Storms, and Unspoken Things
733 Words
Leticia never expected to see her boss at the breakroom coffee machine.
Yet there he was….Paul Wellington, sleeves rolled up, tie slightly loosened, frowning at the espresso machine like it had betrayed him personally.
She blinked. He looked human, slightly rumpled, almost approachable.
“You’re holding the wrong cup,” she said, stepping beside him.
He glanced at her, unimpressed. “It’s coffee. It goes in a cup. Problem?”
She bit back a grin. “That cup’s for hot chocolate. The espresso one is shorter, narrower rim, thicker glass.”
Paul raised an eyebrow. “You’re a coffee snob?”
“I worked as a barista for two years to pay my rent,” she replied, grabbing the right cup. “Trust me, you don’t want to offend a machine like this.”
He stepped aside, arms crossed. “Impress me.”
Leticia worked the buttons with ease, navigating the settings like second nature. Within moments, the espresso poured rich and perfect.
She handed it to him. “You’re welcome sir.”
He took a slow sip, eyes narrowing. Then he looked at her like he didn’t quite know what to do with her.
“You’re full of surprises, Miss Sam.”
“You keep saying that,” she replied, leaning casually against the counter. “You should stop being so surprised.”
He smiled barely. A soft fleeting thing.
It was the first time she saw his expression soften.
The moment shattered when his phone rang. His entire face shifted, turning to stone again.
“This is Paul.”
She couldn’t hear the words, but whatever he was being told, his knuckles whitened around the phone.
“No,” he said after a pause. “Push the meeting. I’ll be there in twenty.”
He ended the call and turned to Leticia.
“You’re riding with me.”
“What, Where?”
“Downtown. Legal issue. I need your memory and your mouth.”
She blinked. “Is that a compliment?”
He gave her a sharp glance. “Don’t ruin it.”
The storm hit as soon as they got in the car.
Rain lashed at the windows. Traffic was heavy, horns echoing off buildings as Paul’s driver maneuvered them through the city.
Leticia glanced sideways. Paul’s jaw was clenched, his fingers tapping against the armrest.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I hate legal drama. Waste of time and money.”
She studied him. “Money is what you have and time is what you demand.”
He looked at her then, a quiet intensity in his gaze.
“You think I enjoy being like this?”
She blinked. “You tell me.”
For a long moment, he didn’t answer. The only sound was the rain.
Then he said, “When you run a company this size, you don’t get to feel things. Feelings slow you down.”
Leticia looked out the window. “Feelings also keep you human.”
“I lost the luxury of being human a long time ago.”
His voice was soft, but laced with something sharp. Leticia didn’t press further but her heart tugged toward something she didn’t expect, compassion.
They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, but something had shifted between them.
Not affection, not trust, just something.
At the legal meeting, Leticia was flawless.
She took notes. She whispered reminders. She caught a name that one of the lawyers got wrong and corrected it without making Paul look bad.
When they exited the building, Paul slowed beside her.
“You saved me back there.”
“You didn’t need saving,” she said. “Just a second pair of ears.”
He stopped walking.
“Leticia.”
It was the first time he said her name like it meant something.
She turned to him, unsure what she’d see.
There was no heat in his eyes this time. Just weight and thought.
“I don’t know why I hired you,” he said. “I haven’t regretted it yet.”
Leticia gave him a soft, unguarded smile.
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all week.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Too late.”
They stood there for a moment, rain misting in the distance, silence blooming between them.
Neither said what they were thinking.But they both knew something had changed.
- Writer
