AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you mind?” He sat down. “Sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
Because I didn’t give it to you. I swallowed the words.
“I’m Aurora.”
“Ah, the goddess of dawn.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes.
“Sorry, what?”
“Your name. It means ‘goddess of dawn.’ The Aurora Borealis is a spectacular natural light phenomenon in the arctic. I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Oh, okay.” My brows knitted. “I’m not sure that was my mom’s inspiration.”
“Still, it’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
“I… thanks.” My cheeks flamed. Despite his genuine smile, I couldn’t believe his words. Because I didn’t feel them.
“I like your t-shirt.” Ryan nodded toward my chest. “Avid reader?”
“You could say that.”
“Favorite author?”
“I like the classics. Austen, Brontë, Hardy…”
“You’re a romantic.”
“I wouldn’t call Hardy a romantic.”
“Granted, Hardy leaned more toward realism and a critique on societal norms at the time, but his works still contain a lot of romantic elements.”
“You’re an English major?”
“Third year.”
“And who is your favorite author?”
“It’s a toss-up between Tolkien and Martin.”
“Do you prefer books or the adaptations?”
“Is that even a question? The books. Every single time.” He grinned, and I found myself grinning back. “Would you like another coffee?” He motioned to my empty mug. “I don’t have a class for another forty minutes.”
“I…”
What had Harper said about embracing freshman year and living a little?
But could I do it? Set myself up for what would only be an inevitable disappointment?
I took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay.”
“Great, what are you having?”
“A vanilla skinny latte, please.”
He got up and smiled down at me. “One vanilla skinny latte coming up.”
“So…” Ryan hovered as we stood outside the coffee shop.
