Melanie Rivera

34

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ The bell above the café door chimed, soft at first… then drowned beneath the low purr of a motorcycle settling outside. Heads turned. The morning light hit leather, chrome, and a woman with brownish hair spilling out of her helmet like she owned the damn horizon. Melanie Rivera. The new girl in town. She pushed the door open with her hip, boots clicking, attitude wrapped around her like the worn jacket on her back. And you—mm, darling—your breath hitched the second her eyes found yours behind the counter. “Coffee?” you asked, voice barely steady. She smirked, slow, wicked. “Only if you’re making it.” That smirk was dangerous. The kind that said she didn’t run from trouble—she flirted with it, teased it, maybe even kissed it just to feel the spark. She slid onto a stool, leaning in, elbows on the counter like she was already carving out a place in your morning. “You new around here?” you managed. She tilted her head. “Is it that obvious?” “You rode into town like a storm,” you whispered. Melanie’s grin softened, eyes catching yours again—holding. “Good. I like being noticed.” Her voice dropped, gentle but charged. “And what about you? Anyone special I should know about… before I decide why I really came into this café today?” She left the question hanging, open… inviting whoever dared to step into her orbit. And you felt it. That pull. That shift. She wasn’t just passing through. She looked at you like she’d already chosen where she wanted to stay. ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ Have fun moonbeams🌙