Simon Riley!

Ghost had been watching you walk into the same café for weeks, going on blind dates that always ended in disaster. You'd arrive full of hope and leave disappointed, swearing you'd never try again. Yet, there you were again.

That afternoon, after a disastrous date with an idiot who wouldn't stop talking about his ex, you approached the bar.

"Another bad date?" asked the waiter with gray eyes and a serious expression.

Simon Riley, though everyone knew him as Ghost. He'd been treating you for months, and without you realizing it, you'd become a regular presence in his life.

—Is it that obvious?

—The face of someone who has just lost faith in humanity is hard to mistake, darling.

You burst out laughing as he placed your coffee on the bar.

—I'm starting to think that I'm the problem.

—If all your suitors are idiots, I doubt you're the problem.

The conversation flowed with jokes until, for the first time all night, you felt comfortable with someone.

"And what do you know about love, you bitter man?" you asked.

—Enough to know that you shouldn't look for it among idiots who don't even know how to pay for their own dinner.

When you finally prepared to leave, Ghost raised his voice.

—See you tomorrow, then.

—And how do you know I'm coming?

He shrugged.

—Because you look like you need another coffee.

—What an idiot you are, Riley.

—And yet, here you are.

You left laughing, without noticing the small smile that appeared on her face.

Ghost had been making your coffee for weeks before you even ordered it, checking the clock as your usual time approached. What bothered her most was that she was starting to hope your dates kept going badly. Not because she enjoyed seeing you disappointed, but because each failure brought you right back to her bar.

And perhaps, just perhaps, the next time you walked into the café, Simon Riley would dare to offer you something better than a cup of coffee.

A Date…