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“No,” he stopped me, reaching for my hand again, and satiating the silent craving his missing touch had left in me. “You said you would stay a while, and I don’t have to work,” he shrugged. “I was hoping we could just hang out?”
Small but strong, the fluttering returned to my stomach, yet something he’d said triggered my curiosity. “You work here?”
His expression changed, and he slightly chuckled as though my question was silly. “Yeah.”
Blinking, I glanced all around me, seeing everything with a new perspective. I realized then that in my desperation to find help, I’d focused only on the power the Harbinger possessed, and had made no effort to perceive this world the way it truly was.
Braxton wasn’t who I thought he was, so maybe this wasn’t a dungeon of worship after all.
Memories from the last time I was there returned to my mind. The drink and meal they had shared with me, and the memory merged with the reality. The way people sat on the tables eating, or stood in line and waited patiently to be helped… Could it be possible this was nothing more than a communal eatery?
“What is this place?” I asked, my attention returning to the unnerving man before me.
Curious green eyes observed me for a moment, as though trying to figure out my question. “A coffee shop. They don’t have one where you are from?”
Unease filtered through my being, but I didn’t want to lie anymore. It was not how I’d been raised, so I just shook my head. “Everything is much simpler in our land. Not so hectic or loud,” I added, looking at the iron beasts that rushed by on the road outside. “Nothing like this exists.”
Nodding, he offered me a kind smile. It was clear he recognized my sincerity, and I dared say, he appreciated it. “I can understand that. Where do you come from?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but I quickly remembered that I didn’t really know the names of the places in this world. “The mountains,” I added. “I live far away in the mountains.”
Following my gaze to the road once again, he leaned closer. “There are no cars where you live?”
“Cars…” I slowly repeated the word, and he nodded. “No. No cars. We haveother waysof transportation.”
“Like what?” he inquired, picking up his drink and taking a sip.
“Well…” Dragons, we have Dragons. “We love horses, and we love walking along the mountain fields,” I finally answered, not knowing what else to say.
“Oh! Do you live in a cabin on the mountains?”
“Yeah. Something like that.” I nodded, reaching for my drink too.
“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to ride a horse.”
“You’ve never done it?”
“Nah, I’m a city boy. Born and raised.” A wistful glimmer entered his eyes. “Though sometimes I wished I could live on great, wild lands. Untouched by the modern world so to speak, like where you live.”
That brought a smile to my face. “I love my home.”
“I bet you do. It must be so peaceful there.”
“It was once… a long, long time ago. Before I was even born,” I clarified. “Not so much anymore. But we find it among our own people, being there for each other, taking care of one another.”
Sadness tinged my words, and biting my lower lip, I glanced at the food on our table.
“Is acoffee shopa community eatery?” I asked, taking the conversation away from the troubles of my world.
“Sort of. Except not everyone eats here. A lot of people just come for the coffee.”
“Coffee?” I looked down to my drink when he nodded and motioned for it.
The instant I remembered its decadent taste, my mouth watered, and I took an eager sip. One too ambitious and hot for my mouth. The beverage lodged in my throat, and I was helpless but to spit it out or burn my tongue.
Braxton blinked, coffee sprayed all over his face and chest. “Careful, it's hot,” he mumbled the warning he hadn’t had a chance to utter.
My hand left his and flew to my mouth, absolutely horrified. “I’m so sorry!”
