AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Zayn opensthe door to Eats & Sweets and a rush of memories flood my mind. I’m brought back to the first time we ever came here. Zayn wrote a cheesy napkin note—that I loved—that said,I’ll love you forever, donut you worry.I made fun of him for it, of course, but then it started this trend of writing little notes to each other on their unique Eats & Sweets napkins.
We get in line, and I glance over at the donut options. “Ooh, Zayn, look! Heart-shaped ones,” I say as though I’m a little kid. I won’t lie; donuts are one of my favorite treats. When it’s our turn to order, Zayn orders us two coffees, one iced with caramel and one black as well as two heart donuts.
“You remembered my coffee order here?” I ask, feeling a bit shocked.
He shrugs. “Nah, lucky guess.”
I chuckle. “What if I, oh I don’t know, changed up my order since my high school days?”
He hands the barista his card and his lips form a smirk. “Wait, did you?”
“Nope,” I answer.
“I had a feeling,” he teases. The barista’s eyes shift back and forth between us, and she smiles before handing us our order.
Thanking her briefly, I find a comfy open chair near a window for us to sit. We scoot next to each other, and there in front of us are the napkins. I watch Zayn as he searches his pants pocket for something.
“You got a pen?” he asks me.
I shake my head.
“I’ll go ask the barista to borrow one,” he says, getting up from the chair. When he’s up at the counter, I notice someone staring at me from the corner of my eye. Turning my head just slightly so that I don’t rudely glare back, I see a head of curly, blonde hair. My mind starts to race. I finally get the guts to do a full glance to see if my suspicions are correct. Yup. It’s Tori.
This girl pops up everywhere. She smiles at me, and I offer an awkward wave right as Zayn returns with a pen. He’s so focused on the napkin that he doesn’t even notice Tori at the table next to us.
His phone starts to ring.
“Wow, that’s quite the ringtone,” I comment as it beeps obnoxiously, disturbing the coffee shop peace.
“Shit,” he says pulling it out from his pocket. “That’s the ring from the station. They must be calling me in.” Answering with a quick “hello,” he walks over to a quiet spot in the cafe. I watch as he pinches the area between his eyes and slowly rubs his eyebrows. One good thing about teaching is at least I’m not on call like this—how stressful. Although, receiving a nastygram email or phone call (made that mistake my first year) from a parent at nine o’clock on a Tuesday night isn’t so fun either. I blow out a sigh, thinking of how far I’ve come when it comes to setting boundaries. Yet, still so much more to go.
Zayn rushes over to me. “Hey, I’m so sorry but I have to go.”
“It’s okay, Z. I understand,” I say and mean it. “I’ll be fine. I could use a bit of rest anyway. Hope everything is alright at the station.”
“Thanks, me too,” he says grabbing the napkin he was starting to write on before the call. “I’m not forgetting this, though.” He stuffs it into his pocket.
I smile. “Can’t wait to read your cheesy note.” I put his donut in the bag and hand it to him along with his coffee. “To go,” I say.
“Yup, guess so. Thanks,” he says before leaning down and giving me a kiss. I’m caught off guard, but I kiss him back. He bites my lower lip and I let out a small moan. He pulls away. “Oof, this isn’t how I envisioned the rest of our day together.”
“Me neither, but I get it.”
“You’re the best. Okay, gotta run. See ya soon,” he says and makes his way out the door.
I take a sip of my iced coffee and lean back in the comfy chair.I wish I brought a book or my phone. Leaning forward, I grab the heart-shaped donut and take a bite. Pure sugar, but I love the jolt it gives me. Before I take a second bite, Tori takes a seat in front of me.
“Hey, it’s Autumn, right?”
“Um, hi,” I manage to say. “Yes. Tori?”
She nods. “Yup.”
Her blue eyes pierce through mine. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Tori shakes her head and lets out a laugh. “Oh, no. Nothing really. I guess I’m just a bit curious . . . are you and Zayn officially together?”
