I throw my book on to the floor confused about what I was even doing. The beach was not the best place to get work done, especially now that it was autumn.

Someone sprinting passed me, kicked sand onto my book, burying it. His sandy blond hair was the only thing I could see as he makes his way toward a small group gathered around a bonfire.

I roll my eyes frustrated, not only was I unable to concentrate on reading, I also had some jerk bury my book in sand. Dusting off the sand on my , I make my way to my car. Suddenly the sweet smell of coffee stopped me in my tracks.

There is was, a beautiful cafe that I had not seen when I was walking to the beach. I give into my cravings and cross the street. Not only was the cafe filled with the smell of coffee, the pastries also greeted me.

A beautiful woman in her mid 40’s greeted me with soft eyes. “Hello, what can I get for you?” She asked, her voice sounding as sweet as the smell of the cafe. I glance at the menu and order, “One caramel macchiato and a croissant please.” The entrance door opens and a cold breeze softly blows my hair to my face.

Handing the woman the money, I find a vacant seat near the window. As I read my book, a sudden shadow hovers over me. “Thank you for the coffee…” I say, only to be surprised to see a man around my age standing over me.

He slightly tilts his head to the right, as though he was observing me. “Anthony, can you give this order to that young lady with the long black hair?” The woman from the counter asks. Instantly the man moves toward the counter and grabs my order.

As he walks back over to me, I see his face more clearly. He’s wearing a kind smile on his face, which makes his green eyes even more enticing. “Here’s your order…” He says. “Anna.” I reply. His smile widens, “Here’s your order Anna.” He makes my name sound nicer than it actually was.

Not knowing what to say I smile and reply, “Thank you… Anthony.” He seats in the empty chair in front of me, which causes a fluttering sensation to occur in my stomach. Against my will, Anthony was giving me butterflies in my stomach.

Neither of us say anything. As he sits there, I try to get back to my reading but I knew it would be impossible. Unable to concentrate, I close my book, his eyes were already on me; now my heart is racing. “You were that girl from the beach right?”

I take a small deep breath and reply, “Yeah that was me and this was the book you buried in sand.” He furrows his eyebrows together and runs his hands through his hair, “Sorry about that. I swear I’m not a bad guy… I just… I wanna show you something… Will you go with me?”

His question catches me off guard because even though I wanted to go, why would I give in so easily? This sense of thinking is so unlike me. “Don’t worry sweetie, he may seem immature but he is a good boy.” The woman from the counter chimes in, her smile looking sweeter than the cakes on display.

I nod my head, “Alright.” He grabs my book off the table and takes a bite of my croissant. Even though I usually find people like him a nuisances, I couldn’t dislike him.

He guides us outside, where it was no longer just cold, it was freezing. He moves closer to me, attempting to warm me up. “You don’t have to stand so close… I’m fine, I’m not that cold.” I lied. “Well I want to be this close.” He replies.

My cheeks turn pink and I bite my lip to prevent myself from smiling. We finally stop and I find myself staring at a blank wall. Confused I look at him, he was smiling at something I couldn’t see. “So…”

“Hold on.” He says confidently. He turns off the lights of the building and a large glow in the dark art piece forms in the once blank wall. “Wow.” I gasp in amazement, it was a detailed painting of a japanese garden.

With the lights so dim I barely see him when he asks, “Do you like it?” I look at the painting again, and there was no other answer, “It’s beautiful.”

He laces his hands with mine, “I know.” He replies. I search for his face in the dark, and he was looking at me. He kisses me on the forehead, the smile I held back was now proudly displayed on my face.

He made me see the beauty in places I never would have imagined. Everyone starts off as strangers, it’s up to us to see their beauty.