CHANCE AT LOVE

KASY. At twenty-two, Kasy had never been in love. She had never understood why people were so desperate to find it either. Everywhere she looked, people were falling in love, getting married, making promises and swearing they would stay together forever. Kasy had heard those promises before. She had watched them break. Her father had once been the kind of man who made her mother believe in forever. He used to come home with flowers. Sometimes he brought her mother's favourite snacks. Sometimes he would take her out for dinner and return home laughing with her. He had promised her everything. "I'll give you the world." "I'll never hurt you." "You and Kasy are all I need." Kasy remembered believing him. She was only a child, but she believed her father was the strongest and kindest man in the world. Until he wasn't. One night, she woke up to the sound of her mother crying. At first, she stayed in bed. Then came her father's shouting. Kasy slowly opened her bedroom door. She couldn't see everything from where she stood, but she could hear enough. Her father was angry. Her mother was apologizing. Then came the sound that made Kasy's little heart stop. A slap. She froze. The man who had once promised her mother the world had become the very person she needed protection from. And it didn't happen just once. The arguments became frequent. So did the beatings. Kasy learned to recognize the warning signs. The way her father's voice changed. The sound of his footsteps. The silence that filled the house before everything exploded. She learned to hide in her room. She learned to put her hands over her ears. She learned not to cry too loudly. Her mother always tried to pretend everything was fine afterward. But Kasy saw the bruises. She saw the tears. She saw the woman who had once laughed so freely become quieter and quieter. Then, one morning, her father left. No dramatic goodbye. No final explanation. He simply packed some clothes, picked up his suitcase and walked out. Kasy stood at the top of the stairs watching him leave. She had expected him to turn around. He didn't. She waited for him to say goodbye. He didn't. He never came back. For years, Kasy wondered if he had ever loved them at all. Eventually, she stopped wondering. Her mother gave her the answer one evening while sitting beside her on the edge of her bed. Her voice was tired. "Love is just a pretty lie men tell before they hurt you." Kasy never forgot those words. Her father had promised her mother the world. He had hurt her. Then he had left. What else was she supposed to believe? That men could love? That love could last? That one day someone would choose her and stay? No. Kasy had seen what happened when women believed promises. So she made one of her own. She would never depend on a man. She would never give someone enough power to destroy her. And she would never fall in love. At twenty-two, she was still keeping that promise. Until a completely ordinary Monday morning decided to ruin it. Kasy pushed open the café door and immediately checked the time. 8:16 a.m. She was late. Again. Her phone was hanging on to five percent battery, her hair wasn't cooperating, and she hadn't had enough sleep. The only thing capable of saving her morning was coffee. She walked to the counter. "One latte, please." A few minutes later, she collected her drink and turned around. She barely took two steps. Someone walked straight into her. The cup slipped from her hand. Hot coffee splashed across her blouse. Kasy stared at herself. Then slowly looked up. The man standing in front of her looked horrified. "I'm so sorry." Kasy blinked. "Are you?" He frowned. "Yes." "You don't look sorry." "I am." "You look like you're trying not to laugh." His lips twitched. "I wasn't going to laugh." "You were." "Okay. Maybe a little." Kasy stared at him. He looked annoyingly handsome. That was irritating enough. His dark hair was slightly messy, his sleeves were rolled up and he had the kind of smile that made people want to forgive him. Kasy wasn't one of those people. He immediately removed his jacket. "Here. You can use this." She didn't take it. "No." "You have coffee all over your blouse." "I noticed." "I can pay for the cleaning." "No." "Then let me buy you another shirt." "No." He looked confused. "Do you normally reject help this aggressively?" "Do you normally spill coffee on women?" "Only accidentally." "Sure." He laughed. Kasy picked up her bag. "Have a nice day." She started walking away. "Wait." She stopped. "If I wanted your number, I would have just asked." Kasy turned around. "Is that how men do things now?" "What?" "Intentionally spill latte on a woman and charm her into giving you her number?" His eyebrows shot up. "Intentionally?" "Yes." "I promise it was an accident." "Whatever helps you sleep at night." She turned and walked away. The stranger stared after her. He couldn't remember the last time someone had been that unimpressed by him. And strangely, he liked it. EDWARD Edward watched the café door close behind her. "Wow." He looked down at his empty coffee cup. Then back at the door. He smiled. "That went terribly." And yet, for some reason, he was still smiling. He had no idea what her name was. He didn't know where she worked. He didn't know why she looked at him like he had personally offended her entire bloodline. But he was curious. Very curious. Unfortunately, curiosity was about to become his problem. Because less than an hour later, Edward walked into his new office for his first day at the company. His manager welcomed him before introducing him to the rest of the team. "Everyone, this is Edward. He'll be overseeing the new project." Edward smiled politely. Then he saw her. The woman from the café. Kasy. She was sitting at her desk, staring at him like she'd just seen a ghost. Edward almost laughed. His manager looked between them. "You two know each other?" Kasy opened her mouth. Edward answered first. "Not exactly." He looked at her. A slow smile appeared on his face. "We've only just met." Kasy's eyes narrowed. Edward knew immediately that his new job was going to be interesting. And Kasy had absolutely no idea that the man she had just decided she wanted nothing to do with was about to become a permanent part of her life. Neither of them knew it yet, but that coffee stain was the beginning of everything.