Waiting at Hayden's

by Riley Costello

  “I don’t know,” Rebecca said, dropping her eyes to the floor. “You’re so miserable.”

  “Only because what I had was so great. Rebecca, I hope you fall so hard for this guy that if the relationship does end, you’re as broken up as me. Friends of mine from high school and college recovered from breakups after a day or two and moved on to new guys the following week. I don’t think they experienced the real thing. The real thing is worth all this, trust me.”

  Rebecca looked up, her eyes a little more hopeful.

  “Did I convince you?” Charli asked, praying that she had, knowing that she’d feel responsible if Rebecca decided to end things with this guy before it got serious.

  When Rebecca nodded, Charli breathed a sigh of relief. “Good! Now tell me, who is it? What’s he like? I want all the details.” She remembered how excited she had been to share the news about her and Jack’s budding romance with her best friend, Patti. After Jack kissed her for the first time, she’d called Patti at her college in Arizona, and they’d talked on the phone for three hours. Reliving the moment with Patti had almost been more thrilling than the actual kiss itself.

  “That’s the other thing,” Rebecca said with a sniffle. “The guy . . . well he’s actually . . . you see, the funny thing is . . . ”

  Rebecca gave her a look, and Charli immediately knew what she was going to say. Of course, she thought. How did I not see this coming?

  “It’s Christopher,” Rebecca said, confirming her suspicion and then rushing to explain. “It just sort of happened. I was there for him when things ended with you, and we spent so many late nights together drinking wine at his place and talking. Then one night he kissed me . . . and I felt something . . . I mean, really felt something. Of course, I’m sure you don’t want to hear all of this but—”

  “No, I do,” Charli said, half surprising herself, completely surprising Rebecca. “I want to hear everything.”

  “You do? You don’t hate me?” Rebecca said.

  “It’s a little weird,” Charli admitted. “But, of course, I don’t hate you. I’m excited for you. For both of you.”

  It wasn’t like she’d loved Christopher. If she had, that would be a different story. She imagined things would probably be awkward between the three of them for a while, but it would pass.

  “Oh, thank you,” Rebecca said giving her a hug. “I was so nervous to tell you!”

  “I’m glad you did. Now fill me in. And don’t leave anything out!”

  Rebecca brightened as she got ready to explain how it all started, and Charli smiled, excited to see her friend falling for the first time.

  —

  IN THE MONTHS that followed, Charli remained focused on her work, breaking concentration only when Rebecca came to her with a new Christopher update. She knew that when she was ready, she would date again, but for the time being, she was fine vicariously living through Rebecca’s love life as she poured herself into her dissertation.

  Her topic interested her so much that even on her bad days, when she missed Jack like crazy, she still managed to feel happy some of the time. She reminded herself that she was the type of girl who needed this kind of personal fulfillment, and as much as it pained her to think that she might have lost Jack because she chose to pursue her passion, she knew that she would have never been content living a life with him if she hadn’t.

  Slowly, she forgave herself for coming up with the pact. And she forgave Jack for writing her the letter. She didn’t know the whole story behind it, and she realized she might never get it, so she had no choice but to be at peace with his decision.

  More and more time passed and Charli remained single. Though she could have jumped into a few relationships with other guys she met at school who expressed interest, she didn’t want to get involved with someone just to ease her heartache the way she had with Christopher. As much as she missed having a companion in her life to share the day-to-day with, there was something about learning to be okay with being alone that made her feel strong and more confident than ever before. She was proud of her independence and was content being alone until the last year of her PhD program when she met Tim Willis.

  Tim was a twenty-seven-year-old philosophy graduate student at College of Charleston who had gotten a job that September working at the Starbucks on King Street, where Charli often studied. He always chatted Charli up while he steamed the milk for her cappuccino, and she came to enjoy their brief exchanges.

  She didn’t realize how much though until she showed up one afternoon, and a young tattooed girl with a nose ring was behind the bar instead of him.

  “What happened to Tim?” she asked, disappointed. She’d been dying to share with him the news that she’d finished a particularly difficult section of her dissertation.

  His replacement explained that his class schedule changed, so now he worked evenings.

  Charli decided that it would be a two-cup-of-coffee day and returned later to tell Tim of her accomplishment.

  “That’s great!” he said, lifting her already high spirits. “We should grab a drink when I’m off to celebrate!”

  “Yeah?” Charli said. She hadn’t expected that.

  “It’d be fun,” he replied.

  She felt her heart pounding a little faster than usual as they chose a spot to meet—Kaminski’s, a dessert restaurant and bar that she and Rebecca liked to frequent. It was a cozy setting with dim lights and candles on the tables, great for good conversation.

  She wasn’t sure if it was a date or just a casual drink between friends, but as she got ready later that night, she realized that she was hoping it was a date. She put much more effort into her appearance than usual, trying on three dresses before settling on an off-the-shoulder floral one. And right before she left, she even added a touch of mascara, laughing at herself as she applied it, remembering that the last time she’d put it on was for orientation.

  When she arrived, she spotted Tim at a table near the bar. He, too, was dressed up, which secretly thrilled her. He wouldn’t have worn a button down and slacks if he didn’t think this was a date, would he have?

  “I almost didn’t recognize you without your Starbucks’ apron on,” she told him as he stood to give her a hug. “You certainly clean up nice.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” he said looking blown away, looking like Jack used to whenever she walked into a room.

  She felt herself blush as she smoothed out her dress and took a seat.

  Tim had already ordered them wine, and he raised his glass in the air right away. “To you and your dissertation.”

  “And to a great night with my favorite barista,” she added, clinking her glass against his.

  “Your favorite barista, huh?” Tim raised an eyebrow as they both took a long drink. “You probably say that to all the Starbucks’ employees you meet up with.”

  “You’re right,” she said, enjoying the sweet taste of the wine as it went down. “But you’re the first to receive the compliment this month.”

  “Well, that makes me feel good. And it should make you feel good to know that you’re a contender for my favorite customer.”

  “Just a contender?” Charli feigned disappointment as she took another quick sip, wanting the confidence that a little buzz would give her. “Who’s my competition?”

  “Well, there’s Regina.”

  Charli wrinkled her nose. Regina was a woman in her mid-forties who came into Starbucks around the same time she did and always hit on Tim, despite the gigantic diamond ring on her finger.

  A few weeks ago, she had taken the lid off her latte, stuck her finger into the foam on top, and sucked it off seductively right in front of him. Another time, she’d told him that he made the best coffee in the entire city and asked if he would come over to her house sometime to “teach her a few things.”

  “Hey, she fills up the tip jar,” Tim said. “Yesterday she left me twenty bucks.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “I cou
ldn’t believe it.”

  “I guess that makes her valid competition. Who else am I up against?”

  “Betty,” he said. Betty was an older woman who came in to get coffee for her and her husband every single morning. She always told the sweetest stories about the two of them while she waited for their drinks. Charli knew they’d met on a blind date forty years ago, that their parents had thought they were too young to get married so they eloped, and that every Friday night they went out to dinner at a new restaurant they’d never tried before.

  “I can’t compete with Betty,” Charli said.

  “You’re doing a pretty good job right now,” Tim told her.

  “I am?”

  “I’d say so. I’m enjoying myself.”

  He sat back in his chair, and Charli felt herself relax a bit, her pre-date jitters fading.

  Then, eyeing him curiously she said, “So, why’d you pick philosophy?” It was something she’d always wondered but had never gotten around to asking him.

  “Because it makes the big bucks.”

  She giggled, deciding that Tim’s sense of humor was her favorite thing about him.

  “No,” he went on, “I took a philosophy class as an elective my freshman year, and my professor got me hooked. I remember her saying our first day of class, ‘You’ll never get rich from pursuing this, but by pursuing this you’ll be the richest men and women.’ That really spoke to me. It turned out to be the first class in my academic career that I was ever excited to show up for. It still does excite me. I love that questions lead to more questions. That it’s a never-ending pursuit of knowledge.”

  “See, I’m different.” She ran her finger around the brim of her wineglass. “I like when questions lead to answers and can be put to rest.”

  “Well, you know what they say,” Tim grinned. “Opposites attract.” His knee brushed up against hers underneath the table, and for the first time since dating Jack, her stomach did a full flip.

  Things continued to go well the rest of the evening. Charli got so lost in their conversation that she didn’t even notice the place clear out. If Tim hadn’t pulled out his wallet and said, “I guess we should get out of here,” she would have never looked around at all the empty tables. She finished off the final sip of her third (or was it her fourth?) glass of wine and stood up, staggering slightly.

  “Whoa,” Tim said, reaching out for her arm.

  “I’m sorry,” she laughed. “I haven’t had this much to drink in a while.”

  “Did you drive?” he asked.

  “No, I walked.” Her house was just a little over a mile away.

  “Me too,” he said. “Let me take you home.” His offer excited her not only because it meant she’d get to spend extra time with him, but also because it spoke to his character. She liked that he was the type to escort a woman home. Then again maybe he just wanted to spend more time with her. Both scenarios were a win.

  Although the day had been warm, the night had cooled off, and as they walked down the deserted sidewalk, Charli rubbed her hands together to warm them up.

  Tim offered her his jacket.

  “That’s okay,” she replied. He took it off anyway and draped it around her shoulders. It smelled like coffee. “Does your whole wardrobe reek of Starbucks?” she asked with a smile.

  “Most of it,” he admitted. “Does that bother you?”

  “No, I actually like it.”

  “Really? Because I’ll gladly take my jacket back. I’m freezing now!” He blew into his hands for dramatic effect.

  “Here,” she laughed, “take my arm.” He looped his through hers, and they walked side by side onto East Bay Street. The river came into view, and Charli looked out at the boat lights shining in the distance.

  “This is my favorite spot in the city,” Tim said. “I do my best thinking here.” They climbed a couple of stairs onto the promenade and leaned against the railing, admiring the view.

  “What are you thinking right now?” Charli asked him. She wasn’t fishing for anything in particular, just curious.

  “I’m thinking . . . that I had a great time tonight,” Tim said.

  Flattered but unsure how to accept the compliment, Charli made a joke, something about how it probably wasn’t too hard to beat a late night studying or brewing coffee, but he shook his head.

  “No, I’m serious. I haven’t had that much fun with someone in a while.”

  She couldn’t help a smile from creeping onto her lips.

  “And you know what else I’m thinking?” he asked.

  “What?” Nothing could top that. To know that the person she was crushing on was feeling the same way—there was no greater feeling.

  “I’m thinking . . . that I might like to kiss you.”

  Except for that . . .

  Their eyes met in the dim light from the streetlamps.

  “Would that be okay?” Tim asked.

  Charli hadn’t felt the urge to be kissed by someone in a while. But she wanted this man to kiss her. Badly.

  “I won’t put up a fight,” she said.

  Smiling, Tim scooted toward her so that their noses were practically touching, and then his lips met hers. The first kiss was short. The second was longer. By the third, his tongue was in her mouth, rolling around, and Charli was completely lost in the moment.

  After it was over, she realized that Jack hadn’t crossed her mind once—not during the kiss or during drinks—and she was filled with a sense of relief. Maybe it was possible for her to move on. Maybe she’d just needed to meet Tim, the right guy, someone else who was capable of making her heart race. She knew that just like with Christopher, only time would tell, but at least for the moment she had hope.

  twenty-three

  THEN

  “I THINK I’M in love,” Charli said in between deep breaths.

  Rebecca, who was jogging beside her, came to an immediate stop. “I must really be out of shape,” she said. “I think I just hallucinated.”

  “I know, I almost can’t believe it myself,” Charli said. She’d only been dating Tim for five months. “I realized it last night when Tim was walking me out to my car. As I was giving him a hug goodbye, I felt this urge to tell him.”

  “Wow. We should be getting drinks right now to celebrate, not going for a run.”

  Charli put her hands against the trunk of a tree and walked her feet back behind her to get a stretch. She was wearing a new workout outfit by Year of Ours that she’d fallen in love with online and decided to buy, in her excited state. During the long period where she’d been single before meeting Tim, she’d learned the importance of treating herself to nice things, the same way a boyfriend might—whether that was a new outfit or an experience that lit her up inside.

  “I have an update too,” Rebecca said.

  “Oh yeah?” Charli looked over at her. “What’s that?”

  “Christopher brought up marriage the other night.”

  “No way. What did he say?” The awkwardness between the three of them had passed a long time ago. Charli was completely comfortable with this line of chit-chat.

  “He asked me where I wanted to live after we graduate. And I said I didn’t know, where did he want to live? And he said, wherever you end up. So, I said, does that mean you think this is pretty serious? And he took my hand, looked me right in the eye, and said, ‘Rebecca, I think you’re The One.’”

  “That is so exciting!” Charli gushed.

  “Yeah, it amazes me how it all played out.” They both stood up and started to jog again, settling into a comfortable pace.

  “So,” Rebecca said, “are you going to tell Tim how you feel?”

  “No. I’m too nervous to put myself out there and be that vulnerable.”

  “I hate to break it to you, friend, but the fact that you’re feeling the way you’re feeling means you’re already vulnerable.”

  Charli chuckled, knowing that she was right. It had been so long since she’d felt this way that she’d forgot
ten.

  Fortunately, it only took three more weeks for Tim to tell her that he was on the same page. He waited until they got to the lookout at the peak of Table Rock Mountain and then whispered it.

  For a split second, Charli worried that she’d heard him wrong. The wind was blowing so hard she wondered if maybe he’d actually said, “I love this view.” It was spectacular—a forest full of green trees with the Johnson River winding its way in and out of them. But she took a leap of faith and confessed her own feelings, relieved when Tim took her into his arms and said how happy it made him to know that she had also fallen.

  Later that evening, when Tim left for work, she went over to Rebecca’s to share the news.

  “That’s fantastic!” Rebecca said. She poured them each a flute of champagne to celebrate. “To both of us being in love!”

  “I’ll drink to that!” Charli said, raising her glass.

  They went out on Rebecca’s small balcony and took a seat on her white wicker chairs. As they sipped their champagne and watched bicyclists and cars cruise by on the street below, Charli filled her in on all the details. She told her about the way Tim’s face had lit up when she’d confessed her feelings, about how close she’d felt to him when he wrapped his arms around her, and even about the envious gazes she’d received from a group of women who were standing a couple yards away.

  “It sounds like a perfect moment,” Rebecca said.

  “It was,” Charli replied as she tipped her flute back and finished off her champagne, surprised at how quickly she’d downed it.

  Rebecca stood. “Looks like someone needs a refill.”

  “I can get it,” Charli offered. She could already feel the champagne settling in, and the buzz made her feel even giddier.

  “No. You stay put and rack your brain for anything you might have left out,” Rebecca said.

  Charli was pretty sure that she’d covered it all, but she sat back and closed her eyes, reliving the magical moment yet again. Her phone buzzed, and she looked down and saw that it was a text message from Tim, as if he had sensed that he was on her mind. She picked up her phone from the arm of her chair, and her lips curled up as she read what he had written.