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Caleb paused at the door, keys in hand. “Oh, one last thing before I go,” he said, walking back over to me.
His hand cupped my cheek, drawing me in close, thumb tracing my bottom lip. My breath caught in anticipation. Slowly, gently, he pressed his lips to mine in the softest of kisses.
When we finally parted, foreheads touching, I whispered into the scant space between us, “Goodnight, Caleb.”
He smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Goodnight, Zoe.”
I watched his figure retreat into the night, already longing for what tomorrow would bring.
***
I was still floating on a cloud when I arrived back at Pebble’s Brew early the next morning, replaying the events of the evening in my mind. Caleb’s unexpected suggestion to add cocoa had initially made me skeptical. Cocoa in coffee? It seemed like a strange combination. But Caleb had been adamant, insisting the rich sweetness would perfectly complement the beans we’d chosen.
And he’d been right. The resulting blend was more significant than the sum of its parts - the cocoa adding depth and body. At the same time, the coffee lent acidity and intrigue. It was an inspired pairing, much like Caleb and me. Opposites that somehow worked beautifully together.
I’d just finished setting up when Caleb breezed in, looking unfairly put together for the crack of dawn.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said with a grin. “I hope you don’t mind, but I named our new blend.”
He revealed the chalkboard sign he’d been hiding behind his back. His neat script read: Zoe’s Legacy Blend.
I flushed, touched by the gesture. “It’s perfect,” I said softly.
Caleb prepared two mugs, steaming and fragrant. We clinked them together in a wordless toast before taking our first sip in unison. The flavor burst across my tongue, at once familiar yet entirely new.
Our eyes met over the rim of the shared mug; no words were needed. This blend was our legacy, born of passion and perseverance—a perfect representation of how we’d come together to create something extraordinary.
I set down the mug, suddenly inspired. “We should make a time capsule,” I declared. “Bury it here in the foundation of the cafe, to be opened years from now.”
Caleb’s eyes lit up. “I like it. A legacy for this place and us.”
“Hold on a sec,” I went into the back office momentarily, trying to remember where I’d left my purchase from the previous week. Spotting the gift bag under the desk, I brought it out and presented it to Caleb.
“Look - I bought this jewelry box from Linda’s antique store. And I don’t own anything fancy enough to go inside, so it’ll be perfect,” I smiled.
“Are you sure you want to bury something as beautiful?” Caleb said, turning it over in his hands.
“Well, we don’t have to bury it outside. Besides, it’ll be even more of an antique by the time we open it again!”
Caleb opened the polished lid, and I placed a little bag of the blend inside. Next, I added the latest coffee menu and picked a couple of photos from the notice board that showed the cafe’s history.
Last was my pottery mug that Caleb had glued back together, now imbued with new meaning - a symbol of the healing Caleb and I had found in each other.
I handed Caleb the key. “Want to do the honors?” He smiled and locked the box.
“I know just the spot for it,” he smiled, “that squeaky floorboard in the office? Let’s put it under there.”
He kneeled and pried up a floorboard, clearing a space for our treasure. Together, we lowered the time capsule into the hollow.
As we replaced the board, our eyes met with solemn understanding, and Caleb covered my hand with his own. This moment in time was now sealed into Pebble’s Brew forever, linking us to its future.
“Part of us will always be here now,” he murmured.
I swallowed hard, overcome. “Our legacy.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice. The charged moment stretched between us before I cleared my throat.
“We should, uh... celebrate,” I managed.
