Maddie's morning was already on a slippery slope. Her carefully color-coded planner had somehow turned into a soggy mess, and her phone buzzed with three emails marked *urgent.* The last thing she needed was a caffeine catastrophe.
So when she walked into *Java Junction*, juggling a stack of papers and her oversized laptop bag, she wasn't exactly paying attention.
"Watch out!" a voice called, but Maddie's reflexes betrayed her. The coffee cup in her hand tipped—and a tidal wave of steaming, dark espresso cascaded down the front of a guy's crisp white shirt.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Maddie blurted, mortified, fumbling for napkins. The guy blinked, then looked down at his ruined shirt.
"It's... actually pretty impressive," he said, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "Most people just spill on themselves."
Maddie glanced up, meeting warm brown eyes that somehow managed to look both amused and patient.
"I'm Maddie," she said, holding out a trembling hand.
"Alex. And you've officially made my day more interesting," he replied, shaking her hand. The lingering smell of coffee mixed with something else—something that made Maddie's heart skip.
She dropped the napkins and cursed her clumsiness. "I promise I'm not usually this much of a walking disaster."
Alex laughed, a sound that was equal parts genuine and teasing. "I like a bit of chaos. Makes life less boring."
Their awkward first encounter might have been a disaster by any logical standard, but as Maddie looked at Alex's easy grin, something unspoken clicked between them.
As she gathered her things, ready to escape before making any more messes, Alex called out, "Hey, maybe next time you can spill coffee *on me* on purpose?"
Maddie blushed but smiled. "We'll see."
She walked away thinking, Maybe this day isn't so bad after all.