Chapter 4: Coffee and something more
1055 Words
The morning sun cast a soft golden glow over the city skyline as Emily adjusted her apron, her thoughts still a tangled mess from the previous night. She hadn’t slept a wink. Logan’s presence, his lingering touch, his arrogant smirk—all of it kept replaying in her head like a scene she couldn’t skip.
She tried to convince herself it was nothing. A moment of weakness. A kiss that shouldn’t have happened. But deep down, the way her body had responded—every nerve lit like wildfire—told her otherwise.
“Good morning, sunshine,” said Amara, her coworker, as she breezed into the staff room. “You look like you wrestled with your sheets all night.”
Emily forced a chuckle. “Yeah, something like that.”
The café buzzed to life with the usual morning crowd, the smell of espresso mingling with warm pastries. Emily threw herself into work, hoping to silence her mind. She was halfway through prepping the cappuccino bar when the bell above the door rang, and in walked the last person she expected—or wanted—to see that morning.
Logan.
He wore a grey knit sweater that hugged his frame, paired with dark jeans and aviator sunglasses pushed up on his head. His tousled hair and that annoyingly confident gait drew every woman’s eyes to him. But his gaze? It was locked solely on her.
He sauntered up to the counter, leaned in, and smirked. “Morning, Emily.”
Her heart stuttered. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I was craving coffee,” he said casually. “And maybe… something more.”
Her fingers tightened around the milk jug. “You need to leave.”
“I just want to talk,” he said, lowering his voice. “Ten minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”
Emily glanced around. The café was busy, but Amara caught her eye and nodded toward the break area, silently offering to cover her for a moment.
Reluctantly, Emily gestured for Logan to follow her to the outdoor seating section. It was quieter there, with fewer ears.
He slid into the booth opposite her, resting his arms on the table. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“Can you blame me?” she asked sharply. “You kissed me. That was wrong. I have a boyfriend.”
Logan’s expression darkened slightly. “So you regret it?”
“I…” She hesitated. “I regret letting it happen. But I won’t lie and say it didn’t feel… something.”
He leaned forward, eyes intense. “Emily, I’ve thought about you for years. And now that I’ve found you again, I’m not just going to walk away because it’s ‘inconvenient.’”
“Logan, I’m with Daniel. He’s good to me. We’ve built something.”
“But does he make you feel alive?” Logan challenged. “Does your heart race when he looks at you? Do you dream about kissing him the way you did with me?”
Emily opened her mouth, but no words came. Because Logan was right—and he knew it.
“I’m not asking you to run off with me,” he continued. “I’m asking you to admit that what happened between us wasn’t just a moment. It was real.”
She swallowed hard. “I can’t do this right now.”
He nodded slowly. “Fine. But I’m not going anywhere.”
Just then, her phone buzzed. A message from Daniel: Lunch at the usual spot? Miss you.
Guilt slammed into her. She quickly replied: Sure. See you then.
Logan watched her reaction. “You going to tell him?”
“No,” she said quietly. “Not yet.”
“Then you’re already choosing,” he whispered, standing. “And it’s not him.”
He left her sitting there, torn between two worlds.
Later that afternoon, Emily met Daniel at their favorite corner bistro. He was already waiting with a rose tucked beside her glass of wine.
He stood and kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she said, forcing a smile as she sat.
Daniel was everything Logan wasn’t. Gentle, patient, kind. But as he talked about his day, his promotion at the law firm, and their upcoming anniversary, Emily’s mind wandered.
To Logan’s touch. To his words. To how alive she felt around him.
Daniel noticed. “Are you okay?”
She blinked. “Yeah. Just tired.”
“You’ve been off lately,” he said, reaching for her hand. “If something’s wrong, you can tell me.”
Emily’s throat tightened. She hated lying to him. But she wasn’t ready to shatter their world—not yet.
“I promise, I’m fine.”
He nodded, squeezing her fingers. “You know I love you, right?”
Her eyes stung. “I know.”
And yet, as she leaned in for a kiss, all she could see was Logan’s face.
The days that followed were a torment of temptation. Logan kept coming by the café. Sometimes he left notes. Sometimes flowers. Once, a book of poetry with a highlighted line: “She was a storm he couldn’t help but chase.”
Her body betrayed her every time she saw him. The ache deepened. The longing. The guilt.
Then one rainy evening, he waited outside the café with an umbrella in hand.
“I’ll walk you home,” he offered.
Emily hesitated but didn’t resist. They walked in silence, the city lights blurring in the rain.
When they reached her apartment, she turned to thank him—and he kissed her.
It wasn’t tentative. It was claiming.
This time, she didn’t pull away.
They stumbled into her apartment, wet clothes and tangled breaths, lips desperate and hands seeking. It was a blur of passion, of need long denied.
He laid her down gently, worshipped her like a man who’d waited a lifetime. And in that moment, under the soft glow of city lights spilling through her window, Emily let go of every reason not to love him.
When morning came, Logan was gone.
But his scent lingered on her sheets. And the guilt clung to her skin like smoke.
Daniel called. She didn’t answer.
Because something had changed. And nothing would ever be the same again.
- Writer
