I closed my eyes as the cool, salty morning air washed over me. As tourist season approached, I usually took to getting my run out of the way in the morning. Anything later than ten would mean I would have to deal with the crowds once the tourists really began to fill up the town.

And while that meant I had to wake up much earlier than I would have preferred, given that I worked so late, I did enjoy running in the morning. I got to see the sun come up over the ocean and it cleared my head for the rest of the day. So I had set my alarm, rolled out of bed as it rang, pulled on leggings, a sports bra, and a loose tank, and forced myself to go out.

I usually ran three miles, but the morning was so beautiful, the sky streaked with orange and pink, that instead of turning around at my usual point, I just kept running along the beach. My feet pounded against the pavement in time with my music. My lungs and leg muscles burned as I crossed the three-mile mark. There wasn't a feeling more freeing.

Finally, I reached the edge of the main part of town and slowed down to a walk. If I kept going much farther, I would have a miserable time getting back home.

I turned around but instead of heading back along the beach, I went through town. It was still early, so the only places open were coffee shops. At times like these, it was hard to imagine that in a week or two, these streets would fill up with people looking to buy novelty souvenirs and try all of the high Yelp-rated restaurants, many of whom would be bright red after one day at the beach without sunscreen. At least that part provided humor to the situation.

"Oh shit, sorry." I was passing one of the already open coffee shops, lost in my thoughts, when I almost ran smack into someone coming out of the door.

"No, it's fine, no harm done."

I did a double-take as I recognized the voice, my heart beginning to beat faster in my chest. As my eyes focused on Alex's face, he seemed to recognize me, as well, looking me up and down.

"Oh, Alex!" I exclaimed, my voice probably a little too high-pitched. I cursed myself internally. If it weren't for my strict professionalism at work, I would have been as bad as Ella and Janice around him. But now we weren't at work, and professionalism wasn't the first thing on my mind.

"Sorry, Ana," he said. "I didn't see you."

"No, it's my fault." I eyed the coffee cup in his hand. "I hope I didn't spill anything."

He shook his head. "Nope, all good."

I took that moment to eye the rest of him. He was sweating, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who took advantage of the empty morning to run. The morning sun lit up his face, and for the first time, I noticed a thin scar that ran from his hairline to just above his eyebrow on the right side of his face. "Well, I see you've already found the best coffee shop in town," I said, trying and failing to avoid awkwardly staring.

He looked at the entrance. "Honestly, it's the closest one to where I live," he admitted. "But good to know that I'm not missing out on anything better."

I couldn't figure out why it was so awkward at the moment. Was it because I was sweaty and gross and my top was cut super low? No. That was ridiculous. I was showing less skin than a bathing suit.

"Well, I'm headed this way," I said, nodding down the road. "Want to walk with me?" Part of me really wanted him to say yes. Part of me really wanted him to say no. The sudden feeling of butterflies in my stomach made it impossible to determine which would be better.

But he simply nodded and fell into step next to me, periodically taking sips of his coffee. It gave me a minute to sneak a look at his tattoo sleeve. There was definitely some type of bird, some dice, and a series of letters, but he interrupted my thoughts before I could take in much more.

"I like your jellyfish tattoo." He was looking down at my arm.

I looked down at my left bicep. It was the first tattoo I had ever gotten. "Thanks. Although, I can't really compare mine to what you have going on there." I motioned to his arm. "That's super cool."

He glanced down and twitched his muscles. And there were definitely muscles to twitch. "Thanks."

"So, what do you think of Delphine so far? And the job?" I hadn't had to deal with the attraction I felt at the moment while at work, I was too professional for that. But I had to admit, I was getting more and more curious about Alex by the day. He had just finished his second night at the bar, and he had maintained his quiet demeanor. I was starting to take it as a personal challenge to get him to open up.

"It's fine."

"Oh, just fine?" I tried to tease him into talking and nudged his shoulder with mine. I felt my skin prickle where it touched his. "I'll make sure to tell my dad that we're just 'fine.'"

He wasn't buying it. He gave me a side glance and rolled his eyes. "It's not like I've been around for that long," he pointed out. "But your dad has been great. I have no desire to quit just yet."

"Yeah, that's because you haven't seen a crazy night yet," I laughed. "Although," I held up my hands in surrender, "since you're a city boy maybe our crowds will pale in comparison with what you're used to."

He looked amused but didn't exactly smile. In fact, I'm not sure I had ever seen him smile. "Maybe, but I've never actually worked in a bar. I've been in plenty of crowded bars, but not as an employee."

"Well, then, I guess we'll see if you're still not ready to quit once we get hit," I told him.

He almost cracked a smile. Yes. Progress.

"So, you admit you're from a city," I prodded. "Which city?"

And he shut down again. "New York," came the short answer.

Alright. Past life was not a happy topic. I was getting that loud and clear. "Well, this certainly is a change," I said, steering the conversation in a different way. "Do you know about the start of summer festival?"

He looked at me and shook his head.

"It's this coming weekend," I told him. "The whole main strip of the town here gets closed down and people set up booths to sell food and crafts and stuff. And then there's always games on the beach and a stage where locals perform. You should go, get to know the people who live around here."

He didn't look convinced.

"Or not," I said, trying to sound nonchalant but hiding a twinge of sadness at the thought of him not going. "If you want to sit alone in your room while the rest of us are having fun, that's your decision."

"I'm guessing you don't give up very easily."

"Nope." At least he was smart enough to realize that.

"I'll think about it."

"I'll take it."

"What happens to the bar that day, then?" Alex asked. "Still open?"

I shook my head. "We set up a stand to sell food and drinks," I explained. "But my dad runs it with a few of the older staff. He lets us go and enjoy ourselves."

We reached a fork in the road, and as Alex started off to the right, I went left. "And hey," I stopped, hoping to get a few more words in to convince Alex to go. "If you go, you'll see me."

He nodded, pretending to think hard about it. "Well, I guess that's one very good reason to go," he acknowledged.

I felt my warmth creep up on my cheeks. What the hell did he mean by that? "Then I'll see you there."

He took a few steps backward, away from me. "Guess you will."

"Right." I took a few steps backward as well. "Well, see you in a few hours, then."

"See you."

I turned around and headed back to my apartment, not even bothering to run. If that conversation had proved anything, I had lost a lot of my game since college. I couldn't explain it, but my head had just gone fuzzy with him.

I stopped in my tracks. Game? Did I even want to have game with Alex? He was my coworker for fucks sake!

I groaned and took off at a run. I probably need to run another five miles to clear my head after all of that