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During my shower, I force myself to put on my happy face. I can’t mope around work all day. I go through the motions of my morning routine. Shower, lotion, face lotion, because Tessa tells me I need to use that. Clothes: a white T-shirt and black jeans. Coffee: black and strong.
En route to the kitchen I see Hardin isn’t alone on the couch anymore. His arm is tightly wrapped around Tessa’s body, and Tessa’s face is buried in his chest. I’m not one bit surprised.
I need to eat something small before work, but I don’t want to wake either of them. The bananas on the counter look rotten, and I shouldn’t try to cook anything. I open the cabinet and grab the first box of cereal I see.
Just when I stick my entire hand into the box, I hear the unmistakable shuffle of feet on the hardwood floor. It must have been the coffee machine that woke them, or the crunching of the bag of Frosted Flakes. I don’t remember the box being here yesterday, but anyone who brings food into our place has to know that it’s fair game. I chomp on the dry cereal quickly, regretting trying to eat a fistful in one bite. I grab my coffee from the counter and walk toward the hallway. I find Tessa. As my smile grows, her cheeks bloom a deep red.
“What?” Tessa asks, not meeting my eyes.
I lift my coffee to my face. “Nooooo-thing.” I take a sip, and Tessa gives me a signature eye roll and retreats back to her room, where apparently Hardin has scampered off to as well.
• • •
When I get to work, Aiden is behind the counter. Great.
“Hey, man, rough night?” He bro-fives me, and I cringe.
“You could say that.”
I clock in, wishing I had one of those remotes from that Adam Sandler movie that freezes time. I’m not saying I would punch him or anything, but I’m also not saying I wouldn’t.
“Me, too, man. Me, too.” The bell on the door rings, and I look away from the hickey on Aiden’s neck.
Why does he always have a hickey? Who does that anymore?
“Whoa. Look,” Aiden’s bro-voice whispers, and I look toward the door.
Nora walks in, her hair down and messy about her shoulders, and she’s wearing a light denim shirt tucked into white pants. The whole effect is stunning.
“Hey.” She smiles at me, and I hear Aiden suck in a surprised breath.
“Hey.” I wipe my hands on my apron and turn to her.
Aiden quickly asks Nora if she wants anything to drink. She smiles at him, and I can see him straighten his back and tuck his shirt in. Just for her. Never mind that he has a hickey on his neck; that must not bother him.
“What do you recommend?” she asks him, and it annoys me.
It shouldn’t annoy me.
“Hmm, well, you look like an experienced coffee cond-i-saur.”
God, I hope she recognizes that he said it wrong. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume he meant connoisseur.
“What is that, like, a dinosaur?” I say suddenly.
Why did I say that? What’s wrong with me? I even did the awkward chuckle at my own lame attempt at a joke.
Nora smiles, her fingers pressed to her lips. Aiden laughs, but I have a feeling he’s either annoyed or doesn’t know why we’re all chuckling.
“I would recommend trying our new coconut-milk latte,” Aiden says, grabbing a paper cup and his Sharpie.
Nora steps forward, toward the counter. “I don’t like coconut milk.”
