Hard to Get

The alarm clock on Lyra's nightstand buzzed to life, its loud, piercing sound filling the room. "BEEP BEEP BEEP!" it shouted, refusing to be ignored. Lyra groggily opened her eyes, blinking away the sleep. She lay there for a moment, disoriented, trying to remember where she was and what day it was.

As the alarm clock continued to blare, Lyra finally sat up, rubbing her eyes with her fists. "Ugh, okay, okay, I'm up!" she muttered to herself, silencing the alarm with a slap of her hand.

She yawned widely, her jaw cracking with the effort. "Ah, morning," she sighed, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet dangled in the air, searching for the floor.

Lyra stood up, stretching her arms overhead and arching her back in a languid cat stretch. Her joints cracked and popped as she moved, and she smiled, feeling the sleepiness slowly dissipate.

She shuffled to the bathroom, her eyes half-closed, and began her morning routine. The sound of running water and the hum of the bathroom fan filled the air as she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and combed her hair.

As she emerged from the bathroom, Lyra felt more awake, her senses slowly coming online. She smiled to herself, ready to face the day ahead.

"Time to get moving," she said, heading to the kitchen to start her day with a fresh cup of coffee.

In her bakery store, it was already afternoon 3 pm and Lyra has been staring at the wall clock, for some reason, she wasn't sure why she would always look at the time, was she waiting for someone? Could it be the handsome weird guy from yesterday? She quickly adjusted her apron, she is not the one to easily fall for a guy, if not, why is she without a boyfriend by now?

It's almost 6 pm and she felt somehow sad inside not sure why but she was ready to close her shop with so many thoughts going through her head, " did I miss someone special? Should I have said yes yesterday? Why didn't he show up? Is he playing games?"

Those questions were answered by a strong voice, "Lyra, what is happening? You can't be like this over a stranger, focus on your business."

Lyra's head snapped up to see her best friend, Sophia, standing in front of her, a concerned expression on her face. Sophia owned the boutique next door and had known Lyra since highschool. She was like a sister to Lyra, always ready with advice and a listening ear.

Lyra sighed, feeling a mix of emotions. "I don't know, Sophia. I just feel...restless. Like I'm waiting for something or someone. And that guy from yesterday, Stephen, the guy I told you about earlier, he said he'd come by today, but he didn't show up."

Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Stephen, the handsome weird guy? Lyra, you're not getting swept up in a crush, are you? You have never really been into guys before..."

Lyra laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I know, I know. But there's something about him...and I can't stop thinking about him."

Sophia smiled knowingly. "Well, maybe he's playing hard to get, just like you. Or maybe he's not interested. Either way, you can't let it affect your business or your happiness. You have never been in a relationship before, it's a different ball game, Lyra."

Just then, the doorbell above the bakery entrance jingled, signaling a customer. Lyra's heart skipped a beat as she turned to see Stephen walking towards her, a sheepish grin on his face.

Pretending not to have asked Lyra to dinner the previous day, he walked up to the counter, "can I have a cup cake and a cup of coffee please?"

Stephen was a player and he was ready to play hard to get too, he walked to a chair and sat down, staring out through the window.

Lyra surprised at this behavior thought within herself, "what's this? Is he pretending not to know me? " And then she remembered that she doesn't know him either too well, her thoughts were interrupted by Sophia's question, "is this the guy you are talking about? You have been staring at him strangely, Lyra... Lyra, are you listening to me at all?

"Yeah, what did you say?", Lyra whose thoughts got interrupted asked her friend, not remembering what Sophia just said, perhaps she wasn't just paying attention, she asked again but Sophia noticing that her presence almost mean nothing to her friend decided to excuse herself leaving the two new friends to play their game, "Never mind, Lyra. I think I'll leave you two to...get acquainted." She smiled knowingly and headed back to her boutique, leaving Lyra feeling a bit flustered.

Lyra composed herself and approached Stephen, who was still gazing out the window. "So, you want a cupcake and coffee? That's...interesting." She tried to sound casual, but her tone came out a bit sharper than intended.

Stephen turned to her, his eyes locking onto hers. "Yeah, I love your cupcakes. They're almost as sweet as you." He flashed a charming smile, and Lyra felt her heart skip a beat.

She rolled her eyes, trying to play it cool. "Well, that'll be $5.50 please, after enjoying it today, tell me how much you like it again, and maybe I will have to believe you, Mister." She placed the cupcake and coffee in front of him, trying not to notice how his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.

As he handed her the money, their fingers touched, and Lyra felt a spark of electricity. She quickly pulled her hand back, wondering what was happening to her. Was she really falling for this charming stranger?

Interrupted by a customer who wants to place an order, Lyra came back to herself, "whoever this guy is, he must have done something to make her behave this way", she thought within herself

"Drop the money on the table when you are done, thank you sir, and do come again next time", Lyra told Stephen trying to sound almost professional with flustered face, she quickly walked towards to counter to attend to the next customer who would probably be the last customer as she heard her walk clock ring that it's 6:30 pm, Lyra was set to go, all she needed to do was to wait for her customers to finish their coffee and cupcakes, she wasn't taking any more orders.

Stephen, on his own wasn't enjoying the cupcake so much, he can buy better ones anywhere, he wasn't sure how it tasted either, he was eating it but his eyes was focused on Lyra.