by JA Lafrance
Chapter 3
Cohen
The evening shift at the care home was a shit show. Anything that could have happened, did. I’m pretty sure all but one of the individuals went through all of their PRN meds allotted for the day, which means they went through all their daily ‘as needed’ meds. And on top of that, family members dropped by to visit. Normally, we would welcome family to drop by without a phone call beforehand, but tonight was just crazy. I don’t think any of us staff, sat down for longer than ten minutes during the eight-hour shift.
As soon as we have the last individual tucked in her bed, I put the coffee maker on again and pull out the leftover birthday cake, from the fridge, that was made for one of our other coworkers yesterday. Cutting three slices, I plate them all and leave them on the counter for my coworkers. I grab my cup of coffee and a plate and go sit down at the long mahogany table. I pull out my phone to check my messages as I take a sip of the glorious liquid and grin when I see the waiting message that came in over four hours ago.
Rhys: I’ll be there to pick you up after work.
Me: And how exactly do you know where I work?
I’m only half expecting a reply since it’s already 10:30 and I get off work at 11, but I’m surprised when a new message comes in less than a minute later.
Rhys: I googled the name of the home.
Me: What about my car?
Rhys: Leave it. I’ll drive you back in the morning.
A warm buzz settles over my skin at his words, the fatigue I was feeling minutes ago disappearing.
Me: What makes you think I want to go anywhere with you at 11 at night?
I planned on moving my car from the driveway in the back of the home to a spot on the street in the front, so that there’s space for the morning staff to park, but I’m not about to let him know I’m that easy. I’m not afraid to admit that he’s got my interest piqued either.
Rhys: Cohen.
I have to stifle a moan behind my hand and fake a cough to make sure I’ve covered the noise effectively. When I glance up at my coworkers sitting at the dining room table, neither of them are paying attention to me so I turn back to my phone. I can pretty well hear him growling my name, like he’s done numerous times before on the phone and over video messenger. It’s been six months since I’ve heard his voice. I cross my legs and squeeze my thighs to try and stem the ache that the image of my name rolling off of his tongue has elicited.
Rhys: I’m outside. Get that sexy ass out here.
As soon as the text comes in saying that he’s waiting outside, I jump up from the couch ignoring the questioning looks from my coworkers and quickly finish my charting on the computer before grabbing my jacket and purse, waving goodbye while heading down the hallway to the garage and out the backdoor. I see a white pickup parked and idling at the end of the line of parked cars. I wave and then shoot off a text to let him know that I’m going to move my car real quick.
After moving my car to the front of the house, butterflies start taking flight in my stomach as the realization that I’m about to meet Rhys for the first time dawns on me. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for the better part of a year, but now that it’s here I’m not entirely sure if I want to go through with it. What if none of the easy conversation we seem to have extends to when we’re together in person? What if it turns out he’s really not the person he seemed in the text messages and phone calls? It’s one thing to start and foster a relationship with someone online, it’s entirely another thing to move that relationship into real life. After a few deep breaths and convincing myself that if it turns out to be awkward and not at all what I imagined, I don’t have to call or text him back after tonight, I step out of the car and set the alarm before heading back to the waiting pickup truck.
As soon as I’m seated in the passenger seat with the door closed, Rhys grins and leans over with his arm outstretched like he’s going for a hug. I lean in, not expecting him to cup the back of my head and pull me in for a kiss. His lips are warm and surprisingly soft when they land on mine. I melt into him when he teases my lips open with his tongue and really starts kissing me. His taste is addictive, like a chocolate mint.
“Hi,” he breathes when he lets me go and we come up for air.
“Hi.” I grin, still leaning halfway over the center console.
Rhys smiles and gently rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. He leans in for another kiss, this one not as long as the first and then straightens up in his seat, telling me to buckle up and I do. He refuses to tell me where we’re going for the entire drive, but from the roads he takes, I can tell that we’re headed up to East Kelowna. When we leave the city limits, he pulls over to the side of the road and hands me a blind fold. I eye the black fabric skeptically and then look over at him. He just grins back.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Are you sure you’re not a serial killer?” I ask, trying and failing to keep the teasing tone out of my voice.
The light from the streetlamp shining into the dark of the cab, makes him look intimidating, like a vampire stalking his prey. Except, this prey won’t be running. At least not away from him. The way he’s looking at me right now, I would run towards him and let him do whatever he wants with me.
“Put on the blindfold, Cohen,” he drawls, his voice low and doing delicious things to the spot between my legs.
When I have the blindfold secured over my eyes and I’m assuming after he makes sure I can’t see shit, the truck begins to move again. But it’s not long before we’re turning right, and I hear the tires driving over gravel. It’s still warm out so Rhys had the windows rolled down when he picked me up from work. I can hear crickets in the distance and is that a stream?
After several more minutes, Rhys turns the truck again and then… backs it up? My interest was piqued before but I’m even more curious now. Where are we? And what could he possibly have planned for our date at 11:30 at night.
Chapter 4
Rhys
After parking the truck, I tell Cohen to hang tight, and then jump out. I jog around back to lower the tailgate and plug the lights into the generator my dad brought out here less than an hour ago. Using the lights to guide my way, I rearrange the pillows and blankets I had stashed in the bed of the truck earlier and then grab the food from the cooler my dad had also brought here. I arrange the various meats, cheese, fruit, savoury bread, and olives on the plate like my mom had shown me earlier. I had no idea what a charcuterie board was except that it was Cohen’s favourite so I enlisted my mom and sister’s help in putting together a board for Cohen for tonight.
When I have everything set up and the movie cued, I head around to the other side of the truck and open Cohen’s door, taking her hand in mine and directing her to step on the running board first before hopping down.
“Where are we?” she asks, her head tipping to the side at the sound of the crickets and frogs.
“You’ll see.” I take her hand and direct her to the back of the truck before manoeuvring her in front of me. I position us just to the side of the truck so that when she takes off the blindfold, she can see everything. I sweep her blonde hair off her shoulders and lean in to whisper in her ear. “Remove the blindfold.”
Cohen shivers but leans back into me and I automatically fold my arms around her waist as her hands lift to remove the covering.
“Oh my god, Rhys!” she gasps, taking in the big screen and then looking over at the bed of the truck lined in white Christmas lights, with blankets and pillows in the middle.
“I know how much you were looking forward to our date tonight. It’s not the fancy date we had planned, but I still wanted to do something for you.”
Cohen turns in my arms and wraps her arms around my neck. It’s dark but the lights give off enough light for me to see the way she’s grinning up at me as she leans up on her tip toes and kisses me. “No, it’s not. It’s even better.”
I press her closer with one hand on the small of her back and
my other around the back of her neck as I kiss her again. This one more heated than the peck she gave me earlier. Reluctantly, I pull back ending the kiss. I didn’t bring her out here so that I could get into her pants. I mean, if that happens then it’ll be a bonus but now that we’re together in the same city, I wanted to give her the date I’ve been promising her for several months. The date I’ve been looking forward to, too. The original plan was to take her to one of the wineries that had just opened up again and was practicing social distancing in their seating, but then I had gotten the text from Cohen saying she had been called in to work. I knew she was probably going to be exhausted by the time her shift ended, but I was also a selfish asshole and wanted to see her. To touch her and finally get to kiss her after a year of talking online and over the phone.
“C’mon.” Gripping her hand, I pull her over to the tailgate, spin her around and then with my hands on her hips, lift her until she’s sitting on the tailgate. Cohen squeals when I lift her, but it quickly turns into a fit of giggles once she’s seated. Her legs wrap around my waist, preventing me from moving to the side so that I can join her. Her fingers curl around the lapels of the open button up shirt I’m wearing, and she tugs, forcing me even closer.
“Thank you for this,” she murmurs, her lips so close that they brush mine with every word. I frame her face in my palms and kiss her hard, enjoying the little moans coming from her throat and the way she’s rocking herself against me.
After a few more minutes, and with the willpower of a saint, I pull back and hop up into the bed of the truck. Cohen and I rearrange the pillows so we can lean comfortably against them and eat the charcuterie board and drink the rosé wine while we watch her favourite movie, The Boondock Saints. Honestly, I’m just glad it’s not some cheesy rom com movie.
When all the food is gone and we’ve polished off the bottle of wine, I slide down until I’m on my back and lift my arm, encouraging Cohen to snuggle in closer. It’s a little harder to see the whole screen like this, but I don’t mind. Especially when Cohen’s hand starts wandering down my chest and to the fly of my jeans.
“Cohen,” I groan as she cups me through my pants.
She rolls over and straddles me with a knee on either side of my hips. When she leans down, her hair acts like a curtain, shielding us even further away from the outside world. “Is this crazy?” she asks, bracing a hand on either side of my head. My fingers skim up her jean clad legs and I remember that earlier she had mentioned she changed out of her scrubs at work. “We’ve been talking online for a year and literally just met in person tonight, but I feel like I might…” she trails off, biting her bottom lip and looking away.
“You feel like you might what?” I ask.
When she looks down at me, there’s uncertainty swimming in her brown eyes, along with something else. My gut clenches, but I refuse to get my hopes up and believe that she could be feeling the same thing. It’s too soon, and yet it feels right for us.
I thread my fingers through her hair and pull her down for another kiss. “I love you,” I say, before she has a chance to finish her previous sentence.
The smile that stretches her lips is blinding in the darkened night. “I love you too,” she responds, and then crushes her lips back down on mine.
Cohen and I spend the night in the bed of my truck, under the stars on my parents’ farm, and it was the best fucking first date ever.
About A.J. Daniels
A.J. Daniels is now writing as Andréa Joy
Andréa is a shark-obsessed, beach loving girl forced to endure the long Canadian winters. When she's not writing, in a lecture at the local university, or at her big girl job, you can find her binge-watching true crime shows or Bones. Coffee is her love language.
https://adanielsauthor.wixsite.com/website
The Last Bus Stop
P. Stormcrow, Edited by Tracy Kisgen
Not all bus passengers are what they seem, but will one give her heart the push it needs? — The Last Bus Stop
The Last Bus Stop
Dani rubbed her eyes as she pushed the door to the cafe open, stifling the fifth yawn since she’d left home this morning.
It’ll be okay after coffee.
It was a mantra she told herself every day on her way to work. Caffeine would help her stay awake and alert during her shift, even if her body was still bone tired.
“Hey Dani. How are you doing today?” Pepper greeted her as she stepped up to the counter. The freckled barista wore that ever present grin.
“Tired, but I’m okay,” Dani replied with a weary smile. Pepper tended to cheer everyone up around her, which made her the perfect barista to take everyone’s orders.
“I’m great. The usual?”
Dani nodded and was digging out her credit card to pay when someone else spoke up.
“Hello Dani.”
The rich timbre of his voice alone almost made her blush, and she didn’t look up until she was sure she had her hormones under control. It had been a long time, but she was far from a horny teenager, for God’s sake.
“Morning Hiro,” Dani greeted before kicking herself for the mistake. It was the afternoon. Working late shifts always screwed with her sense of time.
“Afternoon. Here.” Hiro slid her drink across the counter even as he towered over both Pepper and herself. Damn he looked good with his dark artfully tousled bedhead and almond-shaped baby blues. “Quad shot Americano.”
Dani took the cup in hand and gave him a shy smile while wishing she wasn’t in her ugly bus driver uniform. One day perhaps Hiro could see her in a better-looking outfit. I can only hope.
Pepper winced. “That’s a lot of caffeine.”
“I need it.” She looked for the machine to pay.
Hiro waved her off. “Forget about it. Consider the coffee on me, given how long of a shift you have ahead of you.”
Now Dani did blush, especially as Pepper flashed her a knowing smile. Her stomach did a little funny flip.
“Thank you,” she managed to get out without stuttering.
“You’re welcome. What good would it be to own a coffee shop if I can’t help our bus drivers stay awake?”
“Oh? Should I give Jake and the rest of the guys that come through here free coffee too?” Pepper asked as she elbowed her boss.
“Well…” Hiro stammered but trailed off as his gaze met Dani’s.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Pepper cleared her throat, breaking the trance. With her cheeks burning hot, Dani straightened. “I better get going or I’ll be late for my shift.”
“Right, have a good day at work.” Hiro raised a hand as he said goodbye.
“Thanks.” Dani raised the coffee cup to acknowledge both of them behind the counter and turned to walk out before things could become more awkward. There was a spark there, but Dani didn’t have much time in her life to explore such possibilities.
She hopped on transit itself to get to the depot and checked in just in time. With a wave towards other drivers, she climbed into her bus and situated herself. As she adjusted the driver’s seat, her back groaned in protest. They didn’t have enough breaks and working ten-hour shifts had done no favours for her body.
As always, the afternoon and evening passed like a blur. Between rush hour traffic jam, the man in the suit yelling at her for not letting him on because the bus was over-full and the group of teenagers trying to sneak on without paying the fare, Dani was beginning to consider a career change.
Night fell and despite the exhaustion, Dani relaxed as she enjoyed the quieter drive. Fortunately, her late evening routes were through quieter neighbourhoods rather than the more dangerous ones some of her peers had to pass through. Fewer and fewer passengers got on until the bus became mostly empty and this lull made her job peaceful during the rest of her long shift.
Which was why it caught her by surprise when she opened the doors at a dimly lit stop and a little old lady, bent with age with wisps of white hair escaping her
touque, gave her a toothless smile. She guessed the woman to be in her late 70s. Dani hurried to pull the lever that lowered the bus. Once it was level with the curb, the wizened woman stepped on with the help of her cane.
“Thank you. Bless you, child,” she called out as she took the closest seat to Dani.
Dani turned to check to make sure she was sitting before she released the handbrake. “You’re welcome, Ma’am,” she replied with a nod.
“Evelyn.”
Dani blinked and paused before she pulled out of the lane so that she could look at her new passenger squarely. “Excuse me?”
“My name is Evelyn. Ma’am is so formal.” Evelyn waved in the air. “Now, what’s yours?”
Surprise rendered her speechless for a moment until a car drove by, its headlights washing over them. In the brief moment of light, Evelyn looked pale and wrinkled with age, but her eyes were bright with cheer and mischief. “It’s Dani, Ma’a—Evelyn.” She rarely gave out her name, especially given how much grief and harassment a bus driver got on the job, but there was something about Evelyn.
“That’s a wonderful name.” Evelyn tapped her cane against the metal flooring of the bus for emphasis.
“Thank...you.” Dani turned back and pulled the bus out from the stop, at a loss with how best to respond.