Coffee & Cigarettes

"U up?"

John jolted awake to the sound of a harsh buzzing. An alarm was going off on a phone that rested on the nightstand next to him.

"Ugh, God," Violet muttered sleepily, rolling over on her side. "shut it off please."

John grabbed the device and shut the alarm off. His eyes lingered on the screen for a moment, as the alarm screen disappeared. There was a text message.

Bill (3:02 AM): U up still?

His stomach sank. It felt odd that he texted her so late. What was he trying to do? His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Violet shift, turning towards him. Frantically, he dropped her phone on the bed.

"Good morning, sunshine." She said, yawning. "Sleep well?"

"Even though your cat slept on my face half the night," John snickered. "yes."

"Usually he hides from anyone I bring home." Violet's cheeks turned pink and she laughed. "Not that I, like, do that super often, you know."

Her phone buzzed and John handed it to her, quickly peeking at the screen. Bill's name again. He mentally kicked himself for snooping.

Bill (8:05 AM): So sorry for being a weirdo last night I rarely drink. Thanks for letting us stay. Nick and I left a bit ago c u at work

Trying not to make it too obvious, John studied her face as she read. She didn't look unhappy about what she was reading.

Do not ask her, Mulaney. Chill the hell out.

Violet let out a small giggle and typed back quickly, biting her lip.

"What's going on over there?" John squinted, feigning suspicion.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Violet said, putting her phone down. "I guess Bill texted me at like 3 and then he apologized just now? He and Nick left."

"Apologized?" John hoped he was giving a performance worthy of an Academy Award. "Did he say something..worth apologizing for?" He raised an eyebrow and Violet shook her head quickly.

"He, uh," She laughed nervously. "like asked me if I was up." John furrowed his brow, cursing himself as he felt his cheeks get hot. "But, like, I'm sure it wasn't a like 'u up?' text you know, maybe he just couldn't sleep."

To be honest, Violet wasn't sure how she felt about it. A part of her felt curious, and flattered if Bill had been trying to make a move on her.

"I don't know," John said playfully. "you two have sort of a flirty banter. A flanter, if you will."

Violet sat upright, immediately on the defense. "So?"

"So, I don't know," John shrugged. "you were like, in his lap last night."

Crossing her arms, Violet glared at him. Why was he behaving like such an ass all of a sudden? "And?"

John shrugged again, realizing he'd made a mistake. He knew he was being rude, and wasn't sure why.

"Exactly." Violet rolled her eyes, getting out of the bed. "Flirty behavior doesn't mean I wanna fuck or anything. I flirt a lot. You and I flirt."

That comment stung a bit, but John did his best to act unaffected. "I'm sorry, I'm just...tired and grumpy right now." He looked up at her, seeing a bit of guilt (?) flash over her face.

"No, I'm sorry, I overreacted." Violet sat back down on the bed. "I don't know why I got so defensive I'm..feeling weird." She looked down. "When I said I got divorced, I meant like, last year around this time."

John nodded, unsure of what to say. "If you need anyone, I'm here."

Violet's expression softened. "Thank you, John. It was really nice to be with people last night, rather than wallowing in self-pity." They both smiled.

"Anytime." John looked down at his bare wrist and said, "We better get going, Seth will end us if we're late today."

Violet giggled and stood up, walking over to her dresser to pick out some clothes. She pulled a black Lou Reed t-shirt out and tossed it to John. "Now it's your turn to borrow a shirt! I can even toss some hot coffee on your current one, if you'd like."

Sorrrrrrry this is a short one!!!! Promise I will make up for it. Thanks for reading! ❤️