Just A Coffee For me

Chapter 12: Getting used to it

I stare at the ceiling above me and listen to the almost silent room. I grab my phone and plug in my neon earphones. I scroll through my playlist when I get a thought. I search for "I found" by Amber Run and a list of songs fill the screen. I click on the first link and the familiar piano fills my ears and I listen to the soft, melodic piano as it plays.

Then a voice interrupts. The singer. His hypnotic voice lulls me on the edge of sleep, when I hear a second voice.

"Do you always listen to music at 2 in the morning?" The sleep filled voice interrupts the melody.

"Sometimes. Other times I usually read a book but that requires light and I didn't want to wake you up."

"So this has happened before?"

I hesitate. "Every night."

"Every night? Why?" I can see the concerned look on his face despite the lack of light.

"I get nightmares. Every night since..." I drift off.

"I'll stay up with you if you want." he wraps his arm around my waist.

"No it's okay. You go ahead and go to sleep. I'm fine. I've done this a thousand times." I turn my head and kiss his nose. He laughs.

He snuggles tighter to me and kisses my head. A couple minutes later I hear him snoring. I put my earphones in again and play the track. I close my eyes and attempt to sleep.

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(Christmas Eve)

"So my parents are coming down today. They booked a hotel like five minutes away from here." Dean is sitting behind me on the couch while I'm washing dishes.

I hear him get up and move towards me.

"Yeah I'm really nervous about tomorrow." He leans with his back faced towards the counter.

"Me too. You're not just meeting my parents, I'm meeting your dad too" I remember the man in the picture at Deans house. Dean moves behind me and hugs me with my back to him. I feel his head rest on my shoulder.

"I know. I'm just really nervous." He kisses my shoulder and takes over the dishes.

"Let me finish this" Dean grabs the dish I'm cleaning and washes it.

"Alright I need to go to work. It's only half day today so I'll be back around um..4ish. And then I'll make dinner or something." I start heading towards my dresser to change when Dean stops me.

"Actually, you won't make dinner today. I thought that we could go out. Or something?" He smiles.

"Yeah. Okay awesome. I'll see you after work then." I smile and head to the bathroom to change my clothes and go to work.

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(4:18 the same day)

I open the door to my apartment and walk in. As I get to my bedroom I see a purple dress, necklace, and a piece of paper laying on my bed. I pick up the small note and read it.

~

Hey Ana,

Put this on and meet me at Forman's at 7. We have a reservation. I love you.

Dean

~

I put down the note and start smiling like an idiot. Forman's is a fancyish restaurant. It's really the only fancy restaurant we have in Fresno. I'm completely stunned, but I go to the shower and turn on the faucet. I strip off my clothes and step into the shower that covers me in warm blanket of water.

~

After my shower I put the dress on. Then I stop and look at the tangled necklace in front of me. It's beautiful. It's the same color as the dress and it goes around my neck twice instead of once. I put on these black flats that I have and let down my hair. I still have to put on my makeup and fix my hair.

~

As I walk into Forman's, a man stands at the front. He's well dressed and smells like a cologne that I've smelled somewhere before.

"Hi, uh, table for-"

"Dean? Is that right? He said to look for a young lady with a purple dress on. Is that you ma'am?" He sounds annoyed.

"Yeah that's me." I say quickly

"Alright Dean, table for four," he checks his list. Wait what? Table for four? He gestures me towards the table where Dean is sitting and I spot two more figures sitting beside him. Holy shit. It's my mom and dad.