Elise, music still playing in her head, thought that her day would get better. After the whole valentines' scenario in campus, she wanted to hide somewhere quiet. Even if she has Octavia ranting about it and some noisy coffee workers, the café is a good place to relax.

"Oh! Lookie here! Elise Hailey Watson!"

That is until she heard the voice of someone she despises.

The melody stopped playing in Elise's head and she groaned loudly. She looked at who called her by her full name. "Hello, William." She said weakly.

William Richards, blonde short hair that's styled in a man bun that complimented his rugged look, blue colored eyes that twinkled under the light, strong physique, and a member of the college basketball team. He showed a charming smile at Elise and approached the brunette. "C'mon ‘Lise, I have been wooing you for the past two years and you're still calling me 'William.' Call me Bill, babe."

For the past two years, William have been pursuing Elise and asking her to be his girl. The blonde even asked permission to her parents if he can be their daughter's boyfriend. Her mom agreed while her father told him that he didn't like him one bit.

Elise looked at Rick and silently signaled him to take her cousins away from William and look for a table. The dark-skinned male nodded silently and took Claire and Octavia away from her. It was a good plan because if Octavia were to face William, there be flying mugs and coffee beans everywhere.

With her friends away, Elise faced William with a forced smile and hoped that the man would stop flirting with her. Even if the guy insisted to be called by his nickname, she dismissed it. The thought of egging the ego of William by calling him by his nickname just bring shivers to her spine. And it was not the good kind of shivers.

"Babe-" William placed his right arm around Elise's shoulders and pulled her close to him. Elise scrunched her nose upon smelling his manly cologne. It was too strong for her sense of smell and it was making her nauseous. "When will you be swayed by my manly charms?" He flashed another dashing smile at Elise.

The brunette ducked and slipped away from William's arm, still holding her breath and stepped away from him. She shyly looked away from the blonde male, avoiding his stares that makes her feel like he's undressing her. "Uhm, I told you before William. I'm not used to calling guys by their nicknames. And I, uhm, don't want any boyfriends yet." She explained.

The blonde nodded his head, understanding Elise, and still eyed her like a piece of meat. "I know babe. You have told me tons of times. But seriously, your mom adores me and wants us to be together."

'Mom only want you because you're a freaking charmer.' Elise had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "My dad doesn't want me in a relationship yet." She looked away from William and looked for her friends. By the table at the corner of the shop, near the bookshelves, her friends were watching her carefully. Claire has a worried look on her face, Rick still as stoic as ever, and Octavia's giving her a slitting the neck gesture. She was unsure if her brunette cousin was telling her to kill William or just scratching her neck. She hopes for the latter.

"Your dad's such a killjoy babe. It's not like he's the one to talk." William laughed loudly. His words have been heard by all of the customers, and Elise balled her fists because of this. "He and your mom got hitched at a-"

William's words were cut short when something sharp flew past Elise and grazed his left cheek. A sound of metal digging to a wooden counter. His sights looked at the counter and couldn't hold back a surprised gasp upon seeing a metal knife embedded on the wood. He whipped his head and checked who threw the said sharp object.

"You missed! How could you missed?! He was just ten feet away?!" Octavia's voice rang loudly along with a continuous slamming of the table.

Elise turned to her cousin and found her pounding on the table and flailing it around after the pounding while Rick's trying to calm her down. Her sights averted to her other cousin, Claire, and found her blonde cousin's light blue eyes staring hotly at someone while her right hand hung in the air as if it threw something.

Tracing what Claire was murderously glaring at, it was not a surprise to her to see it was directed at William who was still stunned and holding his grazed cheek. She now has an idea who threw the silverware. "Let me just check my cousin," she told William and left him in a hurry.

Arriving at the table, Claire's lethal glare changed to a mellower one and a smile replaced her deathly curled lips. All Elise could do was sigh in defeat and sat beside her dark blonde cousin and took Claire’s hand on her own. Placing Claire's hand over her right cheek, she stared at her light blue eyes and showed her a comforting smile. "I'm alright Claire," she whispered, pressing her cheek on the warm palm.

Claire's tight smile melted and she caressed her cousin's soft cheek.

Elise could only sigh in relief upon seeing Claire relax. It was something she appreciate with her cousins the most. Their protective nature since they were children is what drove her to stand up and face the changes. That Claire and Octavia taking revenge on the boys and girls who teased and hurt her should stop. That Claire and Octavia should no longer get hurt because of her. "I'm fine. He didn't hurt me."

"He better! Else, his tiny junk will be tinier than it already is." Octavia scoffed, crossing her arms and leaning against Rick. The brawny man wrapped an arm around her and held her securely to his body.

"Better behave," Rick added. showing a grin towards Elise.

Elise nodded and waited for the coffee that was ordered for her by her feisty cousin.

All throughout their stay in the café, the brunette fine arts student was glad that William already left after the whole knife dart scene. She was able to have her hot cappuccino with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles in peace. With both hands holding the warm glass mug, fighting the cold that the air-conditioner brought in the shop, she savored her quiet time that she now rarely has.

Elise was thankful with her cousin and aunt for the whole transformation, it stopped the bullying and the teasing so there was a pro to it, but she hated the new attention. The flirtatious comments, the continuous stalking, and even the faux kindness given to her. Then there's her mother's insistence for her to pursue love. 'How can I pursue it if in the first place there's no one who loves me for me?' She mused, focusing on the smell of her warm beverage. 'How can someone even capture my attention if all they want from me is my looks?' She sighed heavily and took a sip of her drink. The rich taste of coffee made her smile and the warmness of the mug helped in calming her down.

"Hey Elise," Claire called for her cousin's attention who was lost in her coffee haven. But with Elise being indulged in her coffee, she opted to tap her cousin's shoulder a few times.

The brunette looked at her cousin with deep blonde colored hair. With a smile, she asked her cousin why her attention called so suddenly.

"Well Octavia needs to be home before six; you know how aunt Trixie is strict with curfew." Claire said, pointing at Octavia who was now on her mobile phone, talking politely. They can all assume that it was Octavia's mother who the feisty brunette was talking to.

"I'll drive," Rick offered with a lazy grin.

Sometimes Elise wondered why Rick chose to speak with minimal words. The tall, dark-skinned athlete, seldom speaks and always chose his words when he needs to talk. The last time he heard the football player speak in more than five words is when someone tried to retaliate on Octavia. And it was not a good sight. The combination of Rick hauntingly telling the different ways of inserting a football, the ball that is, inside the unfortunate fool who wanted to hurt her cousin. It look sadistic and terrifying.

"Yes, yes. YES!" Octavia said in frustration and ended the call. She turned to her cousins and boyfriend who've been watching her the whole time. "Mom wants me to be home before curfew. Seems that she wanted me to try her new recipe." She shivered, and so as her cousins and Rick.

"I would pray for your health." Claire said, making a sign of the cross.

"May the gates of Valhalla opens for you, brave young maiden." Claire added with a fake sadden expression.

Rick's usual stoic expression cracked and he patted Octavia's head. "I'll be ready."

The reaction of the three irritated Octavia further and she grabbed the breadsticks on the table and threw it to her cousins and Rick. "Go to friggin hell!" she stood up and left the table.

The three scampered off their seats and followed the fuming Octavia. As they followed the irritated woman, they saw how Octavia failed to see the person in front of her and bumped the stranger's shoulder. The stranger fell down and Octavia didn't seem to notice what happened and exited the café.

"Oh shit!" Elise gasped after witnessing the scene and rushed to the stranger's aid. "Are you okay?" She asked the stranger. She checked the stranger for any sign of injury.

"Je vais bien." The stranger whispered. In an instant, the stranger stood up and reached out to offer a hand to Elise.

Elise stared at the hand that was offered to her for a second before comprehending what the stranger wanted. She accepted the offered help by the stranger and was gently pulled up. "Thank you." She said, slowly checking the stranger before her. The stranger wore a light blue long sleeved polo with a dark blue coat, black form fitting pants and grey sneakers. With a black scarf wound around the stranger's neck and the ends hanging on each side of the stranger's neck, she looked at the facial feature of the stranger to see the gender of the person that Octavia bumped into. Still holding the stranger's hand, she gasped softly upon seeing the facial feature of the stranger.

Platinum blonde colored hair framed the face of the stranger though with a messy hairstyle and held down by a black bowler hat. Pinkish lips that moved, as if saying something yet Elise is unable to understand what it was. And when Elise looked at the stranger's eyes, she was awestruck at the sight.

'Are those grey? No... green? No, no. not green.' Elise looked a bit closer to check the color of the stranger's eyes.

Two more steps, only two steps away before Elise were face to face with the stranger. She was about to see what color were the eyes of the stranger when she was yanked away from the said stranger and being dragged towards the exit. She heard Claire yelling an apology, which she can assume was directed to the stranger and also telling her that they need to catch up with Octavia.

The smell of coffee slowly fading and the figure of the platinum blonde haired stranger disappeared when she was pulled outside of the coffee shop.