Don't Be Afraid To Love

Chapter 7

That weekend, I went to my gas station for a large mug of my favorite coffee to go. I went there so often that I befriended one of the workers there, Victor, who let me use the employees' parking stops whenever I went.

He knew I only went there for the coffee, so when he saw my car at the gas station, if he had no other clients or other urgent stuff to do, he always prepared my flavored coffee before I even entered the shop.

Before I exited my car, I took the pack of slims from the driver's door, opened it, counted the cigarettes, closed it, and put it back in the door's pocket. It was becoming a habit. Instead of actually smoking, I only looked at them and put them back. I didn't really feel like smoking ever since I started to run in the park, anyway.

"Morning, Victor," I greeted him joyfully when I entered the sliding doors of the shop.

"Hey, Diana! Your coffee's ready!" he said and held the cup up for me to see.

"You're a darling, as always," I complimented him and went to the counter to pay and claim my coffee.

Victor was a cute guy, he was a few years younger than me, he was about my height, and with his short blond hair, blue eyes and round boyish face appearance, he could easily pass for a high school student.

He was happy all the time and he transmitted me a good energy. No matter if I was tired or upset, chatting with him always managed to light up my day - it was almost like a bonus that came along with the great coffee they served.

"How are you, Victor?" I asked him. "Weren't you supposed to start after 8 o'clock?" I looked at my watch, knowing it wasn't only around half past 7.

I almost memorized his schedule. That's how often I went there.

"I'm actually waiting for my shift to end, I had to cover for a colleague so I just had a night shift," he answered with a smile, not even looking tired as you would think someone who has just worked all night would.

"Oh, I see," I replied, taking one sip of the coffee. The sweet and warm taste of it soothed my soul. Yes, I had a coffee addiction, as well, besides my smoking habit. This one I wasn't willing to ever give up to, though.

"What are you doing so early here? I've never seen you at this hour on weekends."

"I've actually changed my morning habits; ever since I started to jog in the park in the morning, I got used to waking up earlier on weekends as well. I guess the fresh morning air does good to my whole metabolism. And I have a showing at 9, so..."

"Wow, good for you! About the jogging part, I mean. All I can think of right now is to go home and hit the bed for the rest of the day. Tonight I'm going out with my girl, she has tickets to some concert, I'm not even sure who is singing, but I have to go - boss's orders."

I laughed, taking another sip of my coffee.

"You have to admit, women always have the last word in an argument."

"Tell me about it," he said, and I chuckled.

"Why don't you guys move in together already?" I asked him, recalling he once told me they have been together for more than 6 months.

"I don't know... sometimes I like to be by myself, to have some quiet time."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying. That's why I moved out of my mother's, too."

"My colleague is here," Victor told me, announcing me it was time for him to leave.

"Sure. See you around. Sleep tight."

"See ya! Have a nice weekend!"

I went to my car to drink the rest of my coffee while contemplating the mountain's scape. It was foggy up there, so there wasn't much of a view, but the fresh, windy air I felt was amazing.