Page 1 of When Love Becomes A Need
CHAPTER 1
Fatima
Beep.
Beep.
A deep, aggravated groan escaped my mouth.
Grabbing my pillow, I dug my head under it, not wanting to get out of the comfort of my bed.
Finally tired of hearing the beeping of my alarm clock, I reached over and hit it a few times until the alarm stopped.
Sighing deeply, I stuck my head from under my pillow and stared at my ceiling. Every day was the same thing; my life was slowly passing me by, and I felt like I had done nothing exciting to brag about in my twenty-four years of living.
Slowly, I dragged out the bed so I could shower and get ready for my day.
While in the shower I thought about my job. Although I enjoyed it and I met a lot of different and interesting people, it wasn’t my passion. It paid the bills and I could have flexibility, but it wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing right now.
Once I was showered and dressed, I went through my hair routine. Since I was running late, I didn’t go full out. I slapped some product in it and threw it into a natural bun on the top of my head. Giving myself aonce over before walking away from the mirror, I grabbed my keys, phone, and camera bag before walking out the door.
When I got outside, I had to pause.
A moving truck,I thought. My next-door neighbors had moved a few months ago and it seemed they had finally found someone to move in.
Not having time to meet the new neighbor, I hurried to my car so that I could make it in time to open the shop.
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I sighed as I turned the ‘closed’ sign around, indicating the coffee shop was now open. I’ve been working here for the past five years ever since I started college.
Soon after getting hired, I was promoted to manager. I had been coming here since high school and grew close to the owners. The fact that it was a family-owned business was beneficial. They gave me a lot of leeway and pretty much let me make my own schedule. I usually chose to open in the mornings so that I could have the rest of the day to myself, minus the one day a week I closed.
I sat behind the counter, knowing I would be the only person here until eight.
Reaching down, I went into my camera bag and grabbed my camera. Since there was no one in the building but me, I decided to look through the pictures I had taken yesterday. I had gotten some really good shots at the fountain downtown.
Smiling to myself, I admired my work. Photography was more than a hobby to me. It wasmy passion, something that fired my soul. I often got lost in my camera for hours. I’ve always had this passion since I was a kid and was given my first camera by my grandfather. He was also into photography.
The door to the coffee shop opened, and I heard the bell ding from above it, but I was so lost in my pictures that I tuned it out.
Someone cleared their throat, gaining my attention.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I said, looking up from my camera. I paused as my breath got caught in my throat. The man in front of me was gorgeous.
I wasn’t sure who the man was. We got a lot of regulars being that this was a small city and they supported local businesses.
His skin was the color of a gingerbread man: brown and smooth looking. He had hooded, black eyes that seemed to be boring intensely into me. The man had dark brown dreads perfectly braided into two French braids down to the middle of his back.
I licked my lips as my eyes moved down his body. His body was athletically built; it didn’t seem to have an inch of fat. The t-shirt he wore, showed off his muscular, tattoo-filled arms. His chest seemed to poke out slightly, showing how solid he was up top. He wore some basketball shorts, and from what I could see, he was fit on the bottom too. This man’s body looked like it was sculpted to perfection.
“Aye, little mama, you gone take my order?” My eyes snapped back to his face. His voice sent an odd spark through my body. It was deep yet raspy.
His square jaw was covered with a well groomed beard that surrounded his full pink lips. Finally, my eyes met his and I detected a hint of annoyance in them.
Letting a nervous laugh off, I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. How can I help you?” I asked, setting my camera on the counter and wiping my sweaty hands on my apron.
“Yeah, let me get the Wake Me Up smoothie.” His bushy eyebrows were scrunched together. “And a croissant… toasted.”
