Page 25 of Talk to Me

Giving Midway Roasters a good looking over, I had to agree that the choice to renovate and do a deep clean had improved the coffee shop exponentially. Faux brick walls, industrial ductwork, hanging-bulb lights, chalkboard menus, and wood and cement counters spruced up the joint. The new café tables and dark wood floors made the shop look trendier. With the addition of extra machines and workers, Midway Roasters was going to operate better than it ever had, though they’d never keep up with the students’ demands.

Everything was so sparkly and clean, and I was so distracted by checking out all of the changes, the barista had to call my name twice when my order was ready. Rosy-cheeked, I finally stepped up to the counter and took my drink, thanking them again. I was taking my first sip as I pushed open the front door of the shop. The relief at finally having real coffee once again washed through me. I nearly made an audible “ahhhhhh” sound as I swallowed the delicious brew.

I was bringing the cup to my mouth for my next big glug of the chocolatey liquid from heaven when I noticed the person standing by the planters across the walkway. Theo was partially hiding behind one of the concrete pillars by the planters, staring into the coffee shop longingly. When he saw me exit, he began to turn, as though he was going to make a break for it. Before he could enact his plan, I jogged over to him with a smile, coffee cup in hand.

“Hey!” I smiled, pretending I had no idea he had been thinking about evading me.

“Hey,” he replied, looking down at his shoes.

“You here for a coffee?” I asked.

I sipped my mocha and Theo’s eyes darted up for a split second to watch me. Even if he was trying to hide it, I could see the longing in his eyes. The guy was jonesing for a coffee fix.

“No,” he said, shuffling his feet. “I was just walking by.”

I frowned at him.

“You sure?” I asked. “It’s really good. The line’s not long at all. Not like this morning.”

I turned to look at the coffee shop, as though Theo couldn’t see through the plate glass windows for himself. When I turned my head back to Theo, he was looking through the coffee shop windows wistfully—and anxiously. Though I had already guessed, it became clear to me that Theo didn’t want to go into Midway Roasters because most of the tables were full of students. If someone yelled an insult at him in the coffee shop while he was waiting on his coffee, he’d have nowhere to go. Not unless he wanted to leave his coffee behind and lose his money.

Or he could stay there and seep in the humiliation before rushing away with his order.

“Ope,” I said, “could you hold this for me really quick?”

Automatically, Theo’s hand came out and I handed him my coffee.

“I forgot something,” I said.

“Uh, okay,” he replied.

I dashed back into the coffee shop before he could say anything. Back at the check-out counter, the barista, confused by my quick return, asked for my second order. Since I had no idea what Theo actually enjoyed, I ordered him a café mocha like mine. Honestly, who doesn’t love coffee and chocolate paired together? If he hated it, well, that would tell me all I needed to know about him.

After I paid, I barely had to wait a minute before my name was called for a second time. I grabbed the drink and rushed back out to Theo. He was frowning at me, as though deep in thought when I came back over to him. I took the coffee he was holding and held the second one out to him.

“Hope you like mochas,” I said as I brought my cup to my lips.

Tentatively, he took the cup from me.

“It’s on me, so don’t bitch if you don’t,” I added. “It’s lactose-free milk. In case you have fart issues.”

He chuckled nervously and quickly took a sip. The look of pure ecstasy on his face as he pulled the cup from his mouth and swallowed made me grin widely. Obviously, I had made a good choice when selecting a drink for him. Or he was so desperate for coffee that anything would do. Theo greedily took another sip, swallowed, and finally met my eyes as a grin bloomed on his face.

“I missed real coffee so much,” he said.

“Agreed,” I replied.

I turned on the pathway towards the dorms, and Theo mirrored my movements. Together, we began to slowly walk back to the dorms, sipping our coffees. Fortunately, no one had noticed him at the coffee shop and scared him away with a screamed insult.

“So,” I said, “I messaged you on Peepers. You didn’t reply.”

Theo was rosy-cheeked when I glanced at him.

“Sorry,” he said. “I haven’t really checked my messages in a few days. And I get a lot, so sometimes I don’t see the ones I actually want to read.”

“No worries.”

“Wh-what did it say?” he asked.