by Amy DeMeritt
“I really liked it. The ending actually reminded me of your final moments with your grandmother. The way the old man helped her fulfill her dreams and then dared her to continue the journey alone without his expert guidance was really moving.” She smiles and takes my hand in hers. “No one else ever sees that similarity. When I tell people that this movie reminds me of my grandmother, they look at me like I’m crazy or they assume that means I know how to make ramen, which I don’t.”
“Well, most people don’t understand my light and heart tattoo either. They don’t appreciate the concept; they only see a weird tattoo. No one understands why I would have a flashlight permanently inked on my body and they all assume the heart is a reference to my sexuality, which it’s not.”
“Well, I really love the concept and I don’t think it’s weird at all.” I smile broadly and kiss the top of her hand. She looks at me in an excited way and then looks nervous. “What’s up, Bailey?”
“Piper, I really like you. I want to keep seeing you and getting to know each other.”
“I’d really like that.” She looks down a moment and then looks in my eyes unblinking. “I just don’t want any surprises. I don’t want to fall for you and then find out you are seeing other girls as well.”
“Well, that’s definitely not something you have to worry about because I’m not like that. I can’t date more than one girl at a time. Besides, I’ve never been good with secrets at all. I’m an open book. Anything you want to know is totally fair game for you to ask.”
Bailey smiles in a happy affectionate way and leans over to gently kiss me.
“When can I see you again?”
“I’ll be in for coffee in the morning, but I’d like to see you like this again very soon.”
“My weekend is completely open, but if you’re free before then, just let me know and we’ll do something.”
“Oh, I think I’ll definitely need to see you before the weekend.” She smiles and leans in to kiss me.
Chapter Six
It’s only 8am and there is an unusual early lull in the tide of customers. Naomi and I are just standing against the back counter talking and waiting for new customers when my phone pings in my pocket. Naomi crosses her arms on her chest and looks at me sternly.
“I thought you unsubscribed from that blog?”
“I did. It’s probably just a junk email or something.”
“I don’t believe you. Check it.” I laugh and pull my phone out. “Naomi, when have you ever known me to lie?” I unlock the phone and hand it to her. “Here, check it for yourself.”
She takes the phone and after a couple swipes, her eyebrows pinch in concern and her eyes dart side to side as she earnestly reads the screen. When she finishes, she looks at me with uncertainty and with her tongue slightly poking in her bottom lip, making it jut out in an odd way.
“What is it?”
Naomi looks back at the screen again and bites the inside corner of mouth.
“Something you should just ask me to delete and never think of it again.” I trust Naomi and I know she would never tell me something like that unless she really thought it was for my own good. But, there’s really only a few reasons she would say something like that. Either it’s an email from an ex, or it’s something from the blogger I “broke up with”.
“Ok. If that’s what you think is best, delete it, but make sure you clear it from my trash can as well.” She nods her head and clears the “malicious” email from existence before handing my phone back.
“So, what time is your girl coming in today?” I smile and look towards the door. “She has a meeting first thing this morning, but she said she would be in afterwards. She’ll probably be in closer to ten o’clock.”
“That’s good. That will be a perfect time for you to take your break.”
“Yeah, if we’re not busy. I’m not going to leave you up here all by yourself if we get swamped.” She laughs. “I’ll just put the ‘we’ll be back in fifteen minutes’ sign on the door and hide out in the back for a bit. We never use the thing. Now that you are serious about someone, I think we need to start taking advantage of that sign.” I raise my eyebrows and cock my head to the side to appraise her. “You have never been one to look for an excuse not to work. That growing baby wearing you out?” She laughs and nods her head. “I understand now why my sister likens being pregnant to having a chupacabra in her uterus. This little ‘miracle’ is taking all my food and energy and I’m only three months in – its literally sucking the life out of me.”
“Naomi, you know you can take a break whenever you need one. I don’t mind.”
The little bell on the door chimes to alert us to a new customer and we both look towards the door. Looks like our next wave is moving in. I have a firm belief that there is some kind of near silent chatter that emits from caffeine addicts when they need their fix that calls out to other caffeine addicts. It’s the only theory that explains how we have these little hordes of strangers that enter the shop at nearly the exact moment several times a day.
“Ok, sweetie, I’m taking a break.” I look at Naomi and she’s grinning. We both laugh before stepping towards the counter to start pumping out orders for the caffeine zombies standing before us.
Naomi pretty much mans the register and getting pastries while I work on making the drinks for at least an hour before the crowd starts to die down again. Naomi and I make a really good team. The volume of customers that we receive daily really justifies having three to four people scheduled, but Naomi and I manage really well just the two of us. We both have been working in coffee shops since we were teens so we are pretty good at keeping up with the fluctuating masses and orders.
We have several secretaries that come in on a daily basis for coffee for the executives they work for and since they order the same thing each time, one of us can get to work on their order the instant they walk in the door, while the other keeps up with the rest of the customers. If we didn’t handle it that way, we would never get them out the door. We have one secretary that comes in and orders twenty unique coffees every single morning – that order alone takes about ten minutes to fulfil. We can’t make other customers wait that long while we try to put that order together.
I’m working on a large order when Naomi comes over and gently grabs my elbow as I’m about to start making the next cappuccino.
“I’ll finish this order. You get the next customer.” I look towards the counter and smile really big. Bailey is standing there with a happy affectionate smile lighting up her face like sunshine.
“Good morning, Bailey. What can I get for you today?” She looks at my lips a moment and then back in my eyes smiling. “Good morning, Piper. Can I have a mocha mint cappuccino and a croissant?”
“Of course. Are you staying for a bit or do you have to get back to the office?”
“I can stay for a little bit, but I have another meeting in an hour. We have to strategize the next edition.”
After I make Bailey’s order, Naomi practically kicks me out from behind the counter to go sit with her, which makes Bailey laugh.
We sit down across from each other at Bailey’s usual table and she immediately takes one of my hands in hers. “Would you be interested in coming to a bonfire with me Saturday night?”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun. Where is it?”
“The Aspen Ridge lookout point. The view there is amazing. It overlooks the whole valley with the city lights glowing below you.”
“Yeah, that’s a beautiful spot. I’ve been during the day, but never at night. Can I bring anything?”
“I’m waiting on a sign-up sheet from my friend for food items, but typically the rules are all guests bring a food item and their own drinks.”
“Sounds fair. Is this a regular thing you and your friends do?”
“Kind of. We do one big gathering a month and the person hosting the group rotates each month. When it’s your turn to host, you can hold it at your own place or pick a �
�large group friendly’ location for everyone to meet up at.”
“That’s a neat concept. When does your turn come up?” She smiles. “You just missed it, actually. Mine was last month and won’t come up again for a while.”
“Ah, damn. Did you host in or pick a meet up location?”
“We met at the small abandoned Glenhurst Airfield.” I smile and nod my head in an approving way. “Nice. I haven’t been there, but I’ve heard the place is haunted. Did you see any ghosts?” She laughs and shakes her head. “No ghosts, but it definitely had a nice creepy haunted feel to it. A few guys decided to go exploring in the old flight tower and came running out of there with a swarm of bats flying out above their heads. It was pretty funny.”
“So, are these monthly parties one the of many things you like to do for fun that you said I had to partake in to learn about?” She smiles and nods her head. “Each gathering has to have a theme or a gimmick so they are unique each time. My friend Cory is hosting this one and she is very artsy so it will be interesting to see what she comes up with.”
“What was your theme or gimmick?”
“Murder Mystery. We all dressed up in 1940’s to 1950’s fashion and then picked a part to play from a hat at the beginning of the night.”
I smile really big. I love all these layers of Bailey I’m discovering. She has her quiet, shy side, but then has this very outgoing and brave side of her as well. I love that she can be spontaneous and doesn’t get stuck in a rut.
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they order their beverages and food. A person that orders the same things every single day tend to not be very adventurous or spontaneous. Bailey has her “usual’s” for each day of the week, but never gets the same thing on back to back days. Most daily coffee drinkers have their favorite drink and only ever order that one drink. Bailey’s not afraid of trying new things. When she came in this past Friday and confirmed she had a different Friday usual from her Thursday usual, it told me a lot about her. It made me very excited to get to know her, and I have not been disappointed once since taking that leap.
“That sounds like a lot of fun. I went to something like that with some friends in college. It was hosted by the drama league and they really got into it – too much actually. The girl that was supposed to be the victim actually ended up getting hurt pretty badly and had to be taken to the hospital.”
“Oh my god. What happened?”
“The overenthusiastic ‘killer’ was supposed to pretend to strike her on the back of the head, but he actually hit her – hard. She had a concussion, but was otherwise ok.”
“Wow, that’s terrible. Thankfully, none of my friends are aiming for a Golden Globe in their future so no one got over zealous in playing their parts. It was a very easy going, comedic tone to the evening.”
“Sounds like my kind of gathering. I’m very excited for Saturday and to see what antics we’re going to get into.” Bailey smiles and holds my eyes with hers for a few moments.
“I should know more details in a couple days if there’s any special attire or prop requirements aside from food and drinks. The last gathering Cory hosted required bathing suits and water guns.”
I smile really big and my eyes scan down the front of Bailey, imagining her in a bikini. The image in my head is amazing. Bailey laughs and my eyes scan back up to her eyes.
“Thinking about me in a bathing suit?” I grin and shrug a shoulder. “Isn’t that why you provided me that little piece of information?” Bailey flashes me a bright pearly white grin and laughs a little. She looks at the time on her phone and frowns.
“I guess I better get back to work now. Am I allowed to kiss you goodbye while you’re at work?” I smile and stand up with her. “Not in here, but I can walk you out.” She smiles and pulls on my hand to follow her out.
I call over my shoulder to Naomi that I’ll be right back and I notice she has a happy little smirk on her face. When we get outside, Bailey pulls me just to the side of the front glass windows to stand in front of the brick wall between Bella Barista and the tax preparation store front next door. She does her cute little nervous shuffle with her feet as she smiles and slightly bites her bottom lip and looks side to side.
“Are you ok with PDA?” I laugh a little and nod my head. “A little PDA is ok with me. Are you comfortable with kissing me on the sidewalk, Bailey?”
She grins, and in answer, she leans in and kisses me. Her hand tightens around mine as she pulls me in closer and slips her tongue in my mouth. Her free hand grabs my hipbone and squeezes. Oh god! When she pulls back, my body is on fire from her amazing kiss and I want nothing more than to pull her back into another kiss. But I know she needs to get to work so I refrain.
I love when she pulls back from the kiss smiling like she is right now. Her smile say’s more than she enjoyed the kiss; it says that she’s in this with me to make this last as long as possible.
The way a woman looks at you after she kisses you, can help you gauge what her intentions and desires are for the relationship. Its subtle, but if you pay attention, you can pick up on the different emotions that will give you an idea of what kind of future or lack thereof you have with her. If you are just starting out in the relationship, and only ever see lust and desire on her face, there’s a good chance it won’t last long. But if you can see contentment and affection, that’s a really good indication that she wants something that lasts – something more than sex. You want to see some desire and lust, but it should be just below the surface with affection being the top layer emotion.
“Thank you for the coffee. It was perfect, as always. I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for coming in even though you didn’t really have the time for it today.” She smiles and gently kisses my lips. “Before this turns into a back and forth match of thanking each other for existing in each other day, I better get going. I am a total sap for mushy stuff like that and I may just say to hell with going to work if we venture down that road.” I laugh and my smile reaches up to my eyes. “Ok, drive safe.”
I watch her walk to her car and just before she gets in, she turns and waves to me with a big smile on her face. I feel those happy dancing butterflies in my stomach flutter around and tickle my insides.
When I get back inside, Naomi smiles really big and holds my eyes as I walk back towards the counter. When I’m standing next to her, she loops her arm in mine and holds me close.
“I like seeing you smile like that. I’m going to have to tell Henry he can stop worrying now since you have a girl you are falling head over heels for.” I look at her with a confused smile. “Stop worrying about what?”
“Oh, that silly jealous man. I made a comment one time that I think you have the most beautiful smile and he swears that if he upsets me enough I am going to try and run away with you. I have the mans seed growing in me for Christs sake, yet he still believes that completely.”
I laugh hard and squeeze her closer to me. “Well, you definitely shouldn’t tell him about the crush I had on you the first year I started working here.” She laughs and kisses my cheek. “Oh, I told him that a long time ago. If I remember correctly, I think he bought me new earrings that week.” I laugh really hard and shake my head. “I think you should keep my new girlfriend a secret from him then. You could really milk it while you’re pregnant. You know – foot massages, home cooked meals – let him pamper you.”
“I like the way you think. I could totally use a good foot massage. And you know what, he makes a mean lasagna.” She releases a small moan and then laughs. “Oh god, I want to sit on the couch eating a giant plate of lasagna while he rubs my feet and then fall asleep from a delicious food coma.”
“I just got an image of you in one of those old lady nightgowns with a plate of food resting on your giant pregnant belly, stretched out tube socks on your feet, your hair in curlers, and Henry looking worn and haggard while rubbing your feet.” She laughs and grins really big. “You k
now I would make a granny nightgown and tube socks look sexy.” I bend over laughing hard. “Yes, you will still be sexy when you’re as big as a house from that chupacabra growing inside you.”
She grins and nods her head once in a matter of fact way. “Damn straight. I think I should be like those pregnant celebrities and have a nude photoshoot done when I’m like eight months pregnant. My baby bump is too small to do it right now.” I bend over laughing hard again and feel like my cheeks are going to be sore later.
“So, on a serious note. You and Bailey should come over for dinner one night soon.”
“Ok, but not this week. She asked me to come to a thing with her friends on Saturday so I should wait till after her gathering. I don’t want her to feel like I’m trying to sneak my friend meet and greet in before hers.” Naomi smiles and nods her head. “That’s very considerate. Ok, next week then. You find out a night that’s good for you both and let me know. We’ll make Henry cook for us all.”
She laughs and then steps forward to help a customer that just walked in. I grab her hand and pull her back.
“Naomi, please go sit for a little while. You haven’t taken a break at all yet today. Eat something and drink some water.” She smiles and nods her head. “Ok, sweetie. Call me if you need me. I’m going to go rest in the kitchen for a bit.”
Chapter Seven
I’m in a frenzied excited mood, dancing around my apartment with music blaring, while I get ready for the bonfire Bailey invited me to. Thursday night, we went to the store together to buy the required props, food, and drinks. Her friend Cory was vague in what we would be doing tonight, but the attire requirement is sneakers with tank top and shorts, or preferably bikini tops and topless for men. And we have to bring an assortment of instant glow necklaces and bracelets.
After we went shopping, Bailey came back to my place with me and we talked, kissed, and cuddled on my couch for hours. It was nice. We hadn’t even bothered to turn on the TV or any music. We didn’t need it.