Chapter One

"Shit!" I grumbled as my phone rang. I glanced at the time before answering my phone. 7:55am.

"Hello?" I mumbled through the receiver to whoever was calling me at this time of the morning. I was supposed to be up 10 minutes ago but I had slept in. Again.

"Rose? Get up sleepy head. Seriously, where are you? I may be your best friend but I'm also your boss."

After high school, my best friend Lissa went off to college to study medicine where as I decided to travel the States and I had even trekked over to Europe for a few weeks to sight see. We'd known each other since kindergarten and were practically sisters. When her parents died during our senior year, my mum let her stay with us. I had gotten my own apartment once Lissa went off to college where she lived on campus. That's where she met her boyfriend Christian. He was nice enough, we have had our fair share of debacles but he loved Lissa and made her happy and that's all that matters. Once Lissa had finished her degree she had opened her own surgery and when I lost my job, she gave me a job at the front desk as a receptionist.

"Yes, Liss, I'm up. Calm down. I'll grab your usual and I'll be there soon." I hung up and quickly pulled on some clean work clothes. I didn't bother showering because I had had one the night before to wash my hair. I bound my still damp hair into its usual bun and grabbed my keys. I rushed down the three flights of stairs and into the basement car park. The coffee shop was only a block away but it would take me a solid 15 minutes to get to the surgery.

I pulled up out the front and I sighed to myself. I checked my watch. 8:07 Am. Good, I thought to myself. I jumped out of the car and jogged inside.

"Shit! Not again. That's the second time this week" I grumbled. The line was almost at the door. Apparently I was too loud as the guy walking past me stopped and turned.

"Did you say something Miss?"

I spun around and expected to stare straight into the face of the guy who had stopped but I found myself looking up. This guy was tall, and I'm talking like 6'6-6'7. Don't get me wrong, I liked tall guys but this guy was TALL. Most guys I had dated in the past were usually only a tiny bit taller than me, although there was one guy that was shorter than my average 5'7 height.

I peered up at him. He was gorgeous. He had deep brown eyes and his dark brown hair was visibly tied in a tiny ponytail at the back of his neck. He was in work out gear and carried a tray filled with two coffees.

"Oh. Nothing. The lines just long today, that's all."

"Are you in a hurry?" His thick accent rang through in those small four words and I couldn't pick up on where he was from. My guess was somewhere in Europe.

I nodded. "Yeah, my boss will kill me if I'm late again."

He smiled and extended his free hand to me. "Dimitri." I shook his large and sturdy looking hand and returned the smile. "Rose."

"Well Rose, you can take my coffees. Just because you're pretty," his smiled widened. "I have time to wait in line again. They aren't expecting me at work til 9:30am."

I felt a warmth spread to my cheeks and I prayed to god he wouldn't notice.

"No, honestly, it's fine. They're your coffees. I can wait. It wouldn't seem right, I mean, I just met you."

"Trust me, take them. I can wait. You may be waiting a while, there's a new guy on the counter."

His smile reassured me and I sighed.

"Ok, thanks, uh, Dimitri." He smiled when I used his name for the first time.

I returned the smile and he was about to hand me his tray when he suddenly jerked it away. I was confused but that confusion disappeared when he turned back to me and the handed the tray over. I looked down at the order slip. Thank god, Lissa's usual plus a hot chocolate. At the bottom was his name and number, but it wasn't a mobile. I decided not to question it.

He smiled. "Better get a wriggle on Rose, wouldn't want to be late again." He chuckled.

"See you. Thanks again," I held up the tray. "I appreciate it." I smiled and headed for the door.

"See you around Rose."