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3
Sage
As closing time approaches, I am exhausted. I massage my wrists, hoping to ease the pain in my joints.
When the other barista called in sick, there was no one else available to cover her shift. I figured I could handle it, and I did, but my body is paying for it.
I take a deep breath, exhaling the discomfort.
You’ll be home soon, Sage. You’ve got this.
Shaking my legs out, I clean the counters and the espresso machines and put away any food that was left in the display. Thankfully, it wasn’t a hectic day.
I look over to the left and see Tristan still sitting there, focused on his laptop. He’s remained quiet since he asked me about college. It’s a touchy subject for me, and I could hear the rudeness in my voice when I responded. Regardless, he stayed. His presence has been oddly comforting.
“I guess I should be going, huh?” He looks up as he closes his laptop.
“When you said you were staying ’til closing, I didn’t think you were serious.” A smile forms on my lips.
Something about him is uplifting. He must be one of those people who makes everyone around him happy.
He chuckles. “I got sucked into work, so here I am.” He extends his arms, and a yawn quickly takes over.
I laugh and shake my head. Tristan covers his mouth and stands.
“Apparently, I’ve been sitting for far too long.”
When his arms stretch over his head, I notice the muscles flexing in his biceps. Volunteer work has clearly been good for his physique, and I recall documentaries about non-profit workers in Africa carrying heavy containers of water to villages.
My eyes snap away from Tristan’s captivating arms before I start drooling. The last thing I need is to be checking out a guy. I’ve got enough on my plate all by myself.
“I’ll get out of your way so you can finish cleaning up.”
“It’s okay.” I wave him off. “Still plenty to do before I need to wipe down your table,” I assure him.
Usually, Julie, my co-worker, and I split the cleaning, so we’re done faster.
“I can wait, then.” He looks at me sheepishly. “So you don’t have to stay here alone. I mean, Hartville is safe and all, but you never know.” His hands slip into his pockets, and he shuffles on his feet.
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s the least I can do for taking up a table all day and only ordering two coffees.”
“Because you really held up that table from another needy customer.” I smirk.
He moves toward me and stops right by the opening that leads behind the counter.
“Uh, what are you doing?”
“I’ll help. Get you out of here a little sooner.”
I look between him and the tight space back here. “Really, it’s okay. My boss would probably get mad if she heard a customer helped me clean up.”
“How will she find out? I won’t tell.” A crooked smile appears on his face, and it takes everything in me to focus on his eyes, green like moss in the rain.
I bet he gets whatever he wants with that smile. Shaking my head, I give in.
“Okay. You can sweep the floors, but if someone shows up, drop the broom like it’s on fire,” I warn him before handing him the broom.
