CHAPTER 7- Kiya's signature

It's been a week since Kiya started work at the coffee shop, and she has now started growing so fond of making a good cup of coffee and trying out the different recipes. She has moments when she misses actually going into the organisation and working on case files.

What's even worse now is that the person for whom she is doing all these is yet to come into the coffee shop. Asher Smith had not shown up in the coffee shop for a week now, and now here he is, standing in front of her, lost in a form of trance.

"Helloooo!" Kiya called out, trying to rouse Asher into reality. He was standing frozen in shock like he had seen something shocking. Kiya attempted a nonchalant tone, but deep inside she could feel butterflies with how close he was to her. She was nervous, not because of how good-looking he is or how he looked at her; she was nervous because this very moment will mark the official beginning of this project.

She had waited and anticipated this moment all week, the moment she would finally meet Asher Smith, the moment that would set the ball rolling on all the plans. She had turned to politely decline the request of the stranger that had come in to order a drink that late only to lock eyes with no other person than the very person she had been anticipating meeting all day.

"Oh, sorry, I'll have a plain black coffee, no milk, no sugar", Asher said, finally coming out of his trance.

"Boring", Kiya whispered under her breath. The whisper, however, was loud enough for Asher to catch on to what she said.

He raised an eyebrow in a questioning fashion, with a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "In that case, impress me", he challenged, now with a smirk on his face.

Kiya smiled in response to that. Oh, he has such a beautiful smile, she thought, and for someone who is being suspected of having something to do with his missing girlfriends, he just looks like a normal person, a very handsome one, but a normal, chill guy."You have no idea what's coming, Kiya said to him as she got to crafting a coffee recipe. She was nervous while she did, as she could feel his gaze burning on her back, like he was studying her.

She has heard it all before: pretty, beautiful, even gorgeous. But she didn't think someone like Asher, who probably had his pick of stunning women, would be impressed by her looks; when she turned around, the look on his face suggested otherwise. Maybe she's just in over her head, she thought, and brushed it off.

She placed the coffee drink she had made in front of him, her hands trembling with some sort of anticipation. "Here you go", she said, trying to sound nonchalant; however, her words came out a little bit nervous.

She had just crafted the drink from whatever leftover ingredients they had from the day, which consisted of espresso, maple syrup, crispy bacon, and steamed milk. She then added a sprinkle of cinnamon. She had no idea how it tasted, but she hoped it tasted okay, or at least it created a base for them to start a conversation on.

As Asher took a sip, Kiya held her breath, anxiously waiting for his reaction.

"Oh, wow, that's pretty intense". Asher dragged it out. He has an unreadable expression on his face, which then turned into a smile. But I like it, he added quickly.

Lacking what to say, Kiya quickly responded, "It's called Kiya's signature".

Still rambling on, she goes, I'm Kiya, and I created the recipe, so... "She trailed off watching his face fill with understanding.

Asher nodded with a hint of a smile on his face.

'Nice to meet you, Kiya". Asher said, extending his hands towards Kiya's direction; she took his hands in hers, and she felt herself visibly relax into his touch.

-I'm Asher, Asher Smith, he said..

" Nice to meet you, Asher". Kiya said, clearing her throat to alert him that he still held her hands in his. He carefully released her hand from his, and he muttered a quick apology.

"Your 10 extra minutes are up, Asher"," Kiya said with a smile, gesturing toward the door.

He quickly downed the rest of his drink."Thank you again, Kiya", he said, flashing her the most charming smile. Kiya's signature was lovely, he added, with a wink.

Kiya could feel her face flush from the wink and was grateful that the light in the coffee shop was dim enough to hide the redness on her face.

Asher turned around and strode out of the coffee shop while Kiya watched him go.

Kiya finally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She got back to clearing the store and locking up.

On her way home, her thoughts were filled with the encounter she just had with Asher. She couldn't reconcile the person she just met with the notorious person she has heard about. He didn't seem like a kidnapper, a killer or even a high-profile celebrity, he just seemed like a regular guy though there's nothing regular about his looks

A nagging doubt started to creep into Kiya's mind: what if Asher was innocent, what if the disappearances and rumors surrounding them were merely coincidental. The possibility lingered, refusing to be dismissed.

Kiya shook her head in an attempt to shake away the thought.C'mon, Kiya, focus! Don't be so easily swayed, she chided herself as she reminded herself that appearances can be deceiving. She had to stay objective and not let Asher's charming façade cloud her judgement if she was going to get to the root of this case.

As soon as she got home, she dialed her supervisor's number. "He showed up tonight", she said over the phone, going straight to the point.

"Okay, how did it go?  Do you think we have a shot here?" Her supervisor asked

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her over the one. "Absolutely, we do! she replied".