Rebecca vigorously wiped the coffee stain off the counter for the umpteenth time. She threw the cloth underneath the table and propped her chin on her elbows, her raven hair falling in front of her.

"I'm so tired, Jenny, kill me, please," she said. She'd spent all of last night studying for an assignment due the next day and coming in to work today was not on Rebecca's wish list.

The coffee shop she worked at, stood in a small, cozy corner of the busy Grand Street. That didn't mean that their business was booming. The shop was always quiet and celebrated no festivities given that the owner wasn't a huge fan of blowing out money. It gave Rebecca the perfect chance to sit and study in peace.

It was buzzing more than usual today, what with all the cutesy couples crowding the square outside. They wore red and pink and carried flowers and balloons. For the love of her life, Rebecca could not remember what the occasion was.

Every now and then, people would suddenly desire a caffeine rush and they'd hurry inside, slamming the bell on the counter even though they could see the baristas waiting behind; it annoyed Rebecca no end.

But she was also a mother to two little devils. A single one at that. She liked to think there was nothing she could not handle. Especially after she cleaned a whole house splattered with eggs and paints, she knew she could win anything life threw at her face.

Jenny Swan, her colleague, chuckled. She was standing right behind Rebecca, pouring an espresso. "I'd love to but I don't want to be jailed." Jenny handed out the coffee, flashing a bright smile at the customer who was apparently too busy typing hearts on his phone to say thank you.

"How are you so goddamn cheery? It's annoying me," Rebecca complained. "I feel like screaming at the next person who comes in asking for a latte, no sugar, soy milk, chocolate chips on top with a heart drawn on. Can't they be more original and ask for something funny so I can laugh at them all day long?"

"I'll have to order a spice pumpkin chocolate espresso then. Is that funny enough, Rebecca?"

Without realising it, Rebecca had raised her voice a little too much. She bit her tongue and tilted her head up slowly to look at the customer.

She was so getting fired for this.

"I'm so- Tobias! Hi, what are you doing on this side of town?" Rebecca reached over the counter to generously hug the hazel eyed man standing in front of her. He welcomed her into his arms and she inhaled the wondrous scent of figs and apricot from his leather jacket.

"On my way to close a publishing deal. Thought I'd meet you," he smiled dazzlingly at her. "Seems like it's a good thing I did, right?"

"You have no idea," Rebecca said, shaking her head. "The usual?" At Tobias' nod, she set to work on an extra foam, extra milk, extra sugar macchiato. She'd always wondered how a Michelangelo carved man could consume so much sugar.

Rebecca slid the newly brewed coffee towards Tobias. He reached inside his pockets for a dollar and some cents when she stopped him. "On the house, Toby."

Tobias smiled at her and took a large sip of his coffee. When he removed the cup from his lips, a thin line of foam appeared above his upper lip. Rebecca tried holding in her laughter but it was impossible not to because of Tobias' unaware goofy face.

"What?" he asked, his brows furrowing together in confusion. His fingers lingered over his face, unsure where the pesky line of foam had spread to. Giggling, she moved to the other end of the counter to get him tissues.

As Rebecca walked past Jenny, she nudged her lightly. "He's so dreamy, honey. You should definitely try your luck," Jenny said, accompanying her words with a coy smile.

"As if he'd ever be interested in me." Rebecca laughed a little, bending down to pick up a box of new tissues.

"Look at me. Mom to two devilish kids, a barista, still trying to complete my graduation with three assignments hanging over my head. Now, look at him. He owns a whole publishing company, looks like a Mexican version of Adonis, Jen. There's no way ever."

Rebecca shrugged, thumping the box closed, as if taking out her disappointment on it would take the emotions away. Tobias Perez lived next door to her, in a comfortable apartment building. It was located in the safest area in town and she was only able to afford it because of John, the father of her kids.

Surprising as it may sound, Rebecca and John parted on the most amicable ways possible. They realised the spark wasn't there like it was before, after five years of dating. There was no ugly court battle, no abusive comments, no jealous traps. Just two co-parents trying to give Reuben and Julia the best of both worlds.

John had paid for the apartment so that the three of them could live comfortably and safely in his absence. But Rebecca was not going to have any of it. She had insisted on paying him back and with a job as a barista, she was going to get nowhere. Which was why, graduating was so important to her.

Tobias' clean cut, gorgeous tanned face came into her view and Rebecca jumped. "Hey, you okay? You zoned out for a second," Tobias said, moving his eyes towards his hands.

Rebecca followed his eyes and saw her fingers clutching on to the tissues that he was trying to pull out of her hands. She immediately withdrew her hand back, apologising profusely. "Shit, I am so sorry, I didn't notice-"

"It's all good, Becca. Look, I really," he gulped down the remaining coffee in one go, "must get going. But before I go, what do you say to dinner tonight?" His dark brown eyes glimmered with hope and Rebecca felt like she was missing something.

She sighed internally. That assignment on economic curves and cost effective production wasn't going to plot itself. Mr. Goldman already commented on how she did not belong there because she was a single mother. She had no interest in proving the sexist pig right about her.

So Rebecca went against her will and decided that no matter what, her life and her kids would be her first priority. Her heart plummeted into the Mariana Trench as she said, "Rain check? I've got work to do tonight."

The beautifully angled features of Tobias' face slackened and for a moment, Rebecca wondered if she had made the wrong choice. John had moved on with the most wonderful woman she had met and she felt that she deserved it too. Maybe it was time she listened to her heart too.

But her kids.

Rebecca bit her tongue. Her life, her dreams, her goal, everything revolved around her kids. Reuben and Julia, 10 and 8 respectively, were her sun and moon, her day and night. She couldn't imagine life without them.

She smiled at Tobias and swiped his coffee mug. "I'll see you later but thank you for the offer."

"Uh, sure, no problem. See you soon, I guess." Tobias nodded, a tight smile gracing his face. He turned swiftly and walked out of the door before Rebecca could say another word.

Clicking her tongue, Rebecca went back to assisting a new customer. She pushed across two coffees with gross amounts of honey and almonds in them to the guy who couldn't stop kissing his girlfriend's forehead.

"So much for a funny customer," Rebecca mumbled, shaking her head at the insane crowd and thousands of flowers blooming and balloons floating outside.

*****

"Ben! Jules! Come on, open the door!"

Rebecca banged on the door, getting more impatient by the minute. It had been a long and hard day at work with all the couples milling about like bees. All she wanted to do was soak her feet in a tub of warm water with a glass of red in her hand.

She rapped on the door again, harder this time. Rebecca was greeted by silence once again. She'd been calm for the past twelve minutes but now a cold fear was gripping her heart. It was slowly making its way inside her chest, like poisonous vines disrupting her train of thought.

What was going on inside? Why weren't they answering the door? Usually, Reuben and Julia were already at the door, ready to pounce on her with fights, stories and tears. She would be so annoyed at them for misbehaving and would tell them to settle down and give mommy space.

But now as the large wooden door remained tightly shut on her face, she felt herself craving for their tiny arms to wrap around her, their smiles charging her up, their tears breaking her down, their stories capturing her attention. Rebecca felt a tear slip down her cheeks.

The babysitter had informed her that she would take the day off but Rebecca could not remember why. She had disconnected the call, not waiting for Amanda's explanation. She had gone back to her notes then and boy, did she regret not staying in with her kids.

Rebecca wiped her eyes. She wasn't going to let her kids stay locked up inside anymore. She turned to take a step towards the elevators when the sound of the door clicking reached her. It felt like music to her ears and she whirled back, relief flooding every vein in her body.

"Surprise!"

Expecting to see her children's tearful faces, Rebecca was taken aback at what she saw. Reuben and Julia stood at the entrance, wearing a matching dark blue tuxedo and frock, smiling brightly. Julia's hair was carefully braided into little pigtails and Reuben's face was clear of any kind of paint or food.

What most surprised her, other than her kid's beautiful faces, was Tobias. He was standing right behind them, wearing a black suit over a black shirt that hugged him in all the right places. His trousers hung snugly on his waist, fitting him like a dream. His charcoal black hair was as messy as a bird's nest and Rebecca felt her mouth going dry.

Her black eyes caught on to his hazel ones, never wavering. "Wha- What is all this?"

Reuben rushed to her, sinking himself into her arms. "Jules saw you studying late, mommy. We knew you would forget about today so we asked Uncle Toby to help!" Julia smiled at her mom before running over to her.

Rebecca brushed their soft hair underneath her palms. "Wait, what's today?" Her doe eyes looked around in confusion when Tobias threw the door wide open.

"Allow me," he said, taking Rebecca's hands in his. "C'mon kiddos, show your mom what we did."

The kids giggled as they pushed past them. Rebecca followed them into a transformed living room. Shiny balloons and glitter adorned the floor. A lumpy cake stood on the table with broken fondant flowers on top. The lights were dimmed low and soft music played from the speakers.

"Happy Valentine's, Rebecca," Tobias said, reaching a hand out to her. Her eyes filled with tears as she took hold of his palm, gently smiling up at his beautiful face. Reuben and Julia ran in circles around their feet, laughing and toppling over each other.

At that moment, in the arms of a man she never thought could be hers, circled by her kids who she loved the most and with a bumpy velvet cake behind her, Rebecca was happy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

Their breaths mingled together and Rebecca could hear Tobias' heart hammer against his chest with anticipation. She smiled, "You know you will have to help me clean this all up, don't you?"

runner up of the be my valentine contest by the wattpad profile: ChickLit ❤️