FREE FLYING HEARTS -- A collection of short stories from Tonig73

I Gotchu .....

Larry sat at the table in the corner by the window, their table.  It belonged to all three of them.  It was Eve's favourite table to sit at when she wrote, not that she'd had much of a chance lately.  Larry was nervous, and he chinked his spoon against his cup constantly, looking around outside furtively, his leg bouncing under the table.  A small hand covered his large one, jolting him out of his reverie.  He smiled up at Eve.

"Hey"  she says.

"Hey."  He tried to smile, but it didn't quite work, which made Eve smile even harder at him.  She's got a minute.  She's always had more than a minute for Larry.

"You gonna wear my cup out doin' that, and besides, you annoying the shit outta my customers ... "  Larry grimaced as he looked around at the unhappy faces in his immediate vicinity, not even realizing what he'd been doing.  

"Sorry .... "  He put his spoon down and sat on his hands, his eyes still averted towards the park. Watching, and waiting for something, or someone, his mood reflected in the overcast, oppressive day outside the window.    

"What's going on ?"  

"Lau called ... "  

"Oh .... ?"  OK, that explained a lot.  

"He has some news about Ember.  He has something to show me, he said."  Eve took a deep breath, wondering whether to ask Larry her question, but he beat her to it.  

"He was busy."  His eyes wouldn't meet hers with Laurent's excuse. The fact that Laurent wasn't there when Larry thought he should be, still irked him, and he knew it shouldn't.  He had no right to feel this way, and the fact that he did bothered him too. 

"See ?"  Eve patted his hand, "Told you."   The little door bell jingled as the familiar tall, dark haired man walked over to the table, his face blank, unreadable.

"What would you like, Laurent ?"  Eve tried her best customer smile at him, coming off as irritated instead, that not working either.  She was defensive of Larry, and she was irked at Laurent too, even though she had no right to be either.  Laurent gave his usual order, as Eve walked away.  Laurent sat down opposite Larry, neither one of them looking one another in the eyes.  This was stupid. 

"I'm sorry about the other night .... "

"Don't be.  You owe me nothing ..... "

"Yes, I do.  I've encouraged you to try stuff, Lar, and you're doing it.  I need to be here to back up what I'm responsible for asking you to do.  I can't expect you to do that, then just walk away and leave you to it.  I won't do that again, OK ?"  Larry's heart thumped in his chest, Laurent's too.  Laurent had been in situations in court, where his ten minute summation at the end of a case, would be pleading for someone's life.  His clients life would be hanging by a thread, depending on the words he said, and in what order they fell out of his mouth.  And his heart hadn't done the somersaults it was doing now, faced with the man across from him.  He felt like he was begging understanding from Larry.  And for all his bravado, for all his confidence, he needed it.  He needed Larry not to be mad at him.  

"OK."  Larry couldn't stay mad at him either.  "You had something to tell me, to show me ?"  Eve brought over Laurent's latte', putting it down on the table in front of him rather unceremoniously, tersely, letting him know she was mad at him too.  

"Thank you Eve."  He smiled his best smile, and she melted.  She raised her brows to Larry, and he nodded at her quickly, that everything was OK.  She could see his thanks for her concern in his smile, and that melted her insides too.  These men would be the death of her ....