AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Touch
Siennadrewadeepbreath of the sweet seasonal coffee concoction in her hand before sweeping her gaze around the shop. Serendripity was her favorite coffee shop, bar none. She had been so happy when the small chain had finally expanded into her fairly sizable city. Her smile broadened when she spotted her long-time best friend, who’d promised to meet her for a drink to catch up that afternoon.Right on schedule.Clutching her freshly brewed mocha close, Sienna navigated around the bundled-up guy at the counter and made her way to a small, available table against the far window.
“Sorry I was a bit late,” Sherri said with a guilty smile as she reached the table. “Toddlers are no joke.”
Sienna shrugged after dropping into her seat. “You’re fine. I barely grabbed my coffee.”
Sherri, Sienna’s best friend since their pre-teen years, eyed the cup skeptically. “I know this is practically blasphemous,” she said, “but how can you call that coffee?”
“Bite your tongue!” Sienna said. She pulled her cup up to her chest in dramatic fashion but failed entirely to wipe the laughing grin from her face. “There are so many different seasonal flavors I can barely keep up. This one is Cherry Chocolate Bark.” Sherri only laughed as Sienna promptly paused for an indulgent gulp of the still piping hot liquid.
“So, how’s the holiday dating scene going?” Sherri asked. “Any action?”
Sienna groaned and sat back in her chair. “Seriously, Sher, you are so lucky you’re married. Dating is ugly business.”
Sherri made a face, her naturally pale brows curving high on her forehead. “What happened to that new app you were talking about? The one that just felt right? Love -N- Shenanigans, wasn’t it?”
Sienna glanced around on reflex, though her friend hadn’t said anything dangerous, then pulled her smartphone from her sweatshirt pocket as she nodded. “Oh, I joined. I joined that day.” She held up her fingers. “I’ve been onthreedates already, too.”
Sherri shifted her weight and settled her chin into the heel of her palm. “Sounds like it’s working to me. What’s his name, have your sisters met him, and why haven’t I heard about him?”
An unladylike snort escaped her as Sienna attempted to visualize introducing her prim-and-proper eldest sister to the latest guy she’d met up with. She quickly covered her mouth with a hand and shook her head, composing herself before they drew unnecessary attention. “You’ve got it wrong, Sher,” Sienna said. “I haven’t been on three dates with one guy. I’ve been on three first dates.”
A second passed before Sherri’s eyes widened. “In a month?”
Sienna glanced at the date on her lock-screen. “Closer to two weeks, if you wanna be technical.” She really wanted a date for Christmas and, if she was super lucky, maybe they’d get along all the way through New Year’s Eve. A girl could dream.
Sherri sat forward until the dyed green tips of her hair teased the small table between them. “You couldn’tpossiblyknow them well enough to agree to meet three different men in person after being on that new app for two weeks!“ It was impressive she wasn’t shouting. Her voice was a sharp hiss. Motherhood really had improved her self-control.
“It’s not like I was messaging only one guy at a time,” Sienna said with another shrug. “There’s no rule that says you can’t talk to multiple people while you’re looking for one that lines up with you. And Monday’s date was a total disaster. We didn’t even make it through our first drink.” She should have known. Who opted for a first date on a Monday night? “Anyway, I’ve got one more lined up for tomorrow, so I still have a chance to meet someone before Christmas.”
Sherri stared at her as if she’d sprouted a second head or started babbling in some dead language. The latter of which seemed a little too close to a real possibility for Sienna’s comfort, but since no one else was sliding funny looks their way, Sienna refrained from asking if she’d said anything weird.
“Honey,” Sherri said. It was the way she started every conversation when she felt she had to say something Sienna wasn’t going to like. “It’s the twentieth. Christmas is in five days.”
“Uh-huh. That’s why I’m pinning my hopes on tomorrow’s date.” She would really need to remember his name before their late dinner meeting, though.
Sherri shook her head. “No, Sienna, I mean that’s not realistic. Maybe you should just … slow down? Take your time talking to some people and hope you can get a really nice date for Valentine’s Day.”
Sienna gulped nearly half of her chocolatey-cherry coffee drink that was, admittedly, a tad sweeter than she preferred, before voicing her response. “You don’t understand. I’m spendingallweekend at Piper’s, and I love my sisters, but it would be so much better if I had a buffer. Like, some way to show them I’m making steps forward with my life. You know, in a way they recognize.”
Sherri sighed. “I’m sorry you’re still dealing with that,” she said. Her tone was sincere. “You shouldn’t need to feel like you have to bring a date to impress them—are either of them even attached yet? It’s been a while since Maya’s breakup, hasn’t it?”
“It totally has,” Sienna said. “But you know, I’m the one with the ‘play’ job.” She rolled her eyes. Her sisters were her life, but somehow they managed to be under forty and still not comprehend the effort and value in influencing. It kept her busy, let her travel, and paid well as long as she stayed relevant. She didn’t see how that was any less worthwhile than a desk job.
Sherri stood. “All right. I’m going to get myself a real coffee, and then you’re going to tell me more about these dates. Like, what was so wrong with one and two? Now that the shock’s worn off, I’m curious.” She strode away without waiting for a response.
Sienna let her gaze drift around the shop and out the window, watching people scurry by in layers of soft, cold-resistant things. Young adults with shopping bags dodged couples walking side-by-side. Why was it always this time of year she felt the loneliest? And why was it so hard to just say that instead of making some lame excuse about familial pressure?What’s my date’s name again?She honestly had hoped she’d be able to cancel on this one, she remembered that. She’d agreed to the Thursday night date as a safe-guard … and because an instinct deep inside had told her to, if she were honest with herself.
Sienna pulled up the app on her phone while she waited for her friend and sipped at her cooling coffee.Eddie. Something about his picture made her scrunch her lips. She could still cancel.
“Ew. Is that Mr. Thursday?” Sherri’s question came from over Sienna’s shoulder, startling her enough to make her fumble her phone. And her coffee. “Sorry!” Sherri exclaimed as Sienna scrambled to keep from dumping the remainder of her drink or breaking her overpriced phone.
Both objects successfully saved–if barely–Sienna restored them to the table and closed her phone. “Yes, that’s Mr. Thursday,” Sienna said, lips twitching. She frowned at the splatter droplets on the side of her cup before chugging the rest of the drink down.
“He doesn’t exactly look like your type,” Sherri said as she reclaimed her seat. She set her own cup on the table and popped off the lid, releasing a wave of steam that smelled like freshly roasted coffee beans.
“He’s definitely not,” Sienna admitted. “He’s been nice when we’ve been chatting, and he’s not much older.” He was Piper’s age, almost exactly, but that didn’t really matter. She sat forward and dropped her chin into her hands. “He was sort of my fallback.”
