Amaria's POV

Sitting down at my table, I sipped on my hot chocolate while rehearsing in my head what I would say during my interview. Normally, I wouldn't be this nervous. However, since I was being interviewed for a job as the CEO's assistant for Cornerstone, the most prestigious architecture company in the United States, my nerves were starting to get to me. This position was recommended to me by a close family friend that works in that same company. As a woman who was aspiring for a career in the architecture business herself, this position would certainly give me a head start in my desired profession. I took a quick sip of the hot liquid before re-rehearsing potential interview questions while going over my credentials again for why I would be a good fit for the job.

"Maybe I should give it a rest before I stress myself out too much. If it happens it happens. If not, there's always other opportunities." Letting out a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and looked out the coffee shop window to observe the people on the street going about their busy lives.

I was so lost in thought that it wasn't until someone cleared their throat that I snapped back to reality. There stood a tall man with light skin and inky black curls pulled back into a ponytail, a few strands let loose to perfectly frame the most beautiful face I had ever seen. With the perfect balance of masculine and feminine features, he sure was a sight for sore eyes. A fancy yet simple suit complimented his slim figure with black penny loafers to finish off his sharp look.

"Um, you left this on the counter miss." I looked at his outstretched hand to see my phone. My eyes widened in surprise as I thought I had put it back in my purse, but apparently not.

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I had no idea I left it there!" I took the phone from his hand and placed it back in my purse.

The man chuckled a little bit. "It's no problem! We all have those moments, especially when stressed."

"Very true!" I huffed out a breath of air and leaned back in my seat a bit. "I have a huge job interview today and I can't seem to calm my nerves no matter how hard I try!"

"Well, usually distracting yourself by talking to someone else can be of aid. Would you mind if I provided that distraction for you?"

I looked up at him and pondered over his suggestion before agreeing. Smiling, he sat down in the chair and clasped his hands together on top of the table before saying, "If you don't mind, I'd like to get to know you better. Just as an acquaintance, nothing more."

I scoffed and raised my brow. "Yeah, riiiiight"

"No, I seriously mean that miss. I haven't had much luck with relationships in the past and I'm not that eager to dive into the next one" He looked away and brought his hand to his nose, biting his lip. I instantly started feeling bad for him when I saw his eyes tear up a bit. Reaching over, I put my hand on his. He visibly jerked a bit from my touch but started to relax when I gently rubbed my thumb over his smooth skin and smiled at him. He smiled back before composing himself again, apologizing repeatedly.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to keep apologizing like this. You got hurt and you need time to recover. I certainly understand that. There's nothing to be sorry about." His lips formed a small smile at my words, seemingly taking some comfort from my words.

"Thank you miss! You don't know just how much that means to me."

"It's alright! And please, call me Amaria!"

"You have a lovely name Amaria! Mine's Michael."

"Thank you. And I like yours too! Suits you perfectly."

"Why thank you miss Amaria!" He did a small gentlemanly bow in his seat. I laughed at his gesture before glancing at the clock and realizing I should get going if I didn't wish to be late.

"Well Michael, as much as I loved meeting you, I'm afraid I need to get to that interview now."

"Can we meet again?"

"I don't see why not! Same place same time?"

"Yes, that's perfect!" He smiled and I smiled back before heading out the door to the interview of my life.