The Mess We Made

Coffee Dates

Logically Reina knew she shouldn't have been surprised that Veronica was here, Daily Prose was their favorite study spot. It was a local bookstore slash coffee shop with polished, wooden walls and an eclectic mismatched collection of chairs and tables. It was a hole in the wall secret so there was never a lot of people and it was quiet. The quiet bustle of the baristas unleashing the sweet aroma of coffee was the only sound, which made it the perfect place to study.

So no, Reina wasn't surprised to see Veronica at a table with books spread in front of her. What surprised her was the fact Ashley was also there. Reina scowled at the scene in front of her. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the window, so Ashley was literally shrouded in golden light, highlighting her mess of red brown curls against the dark skin of her face. Veronica didn't have a type as far as Reina knew, but she could see why Veronica was attracted to Ashley. Ashley was pretty. She was smiling at Veronica, a soft, proud smile that neither of them seemed to notice. It was the kind of smile that just bloomed on your face without realizing. It made Reina feel like she was intruding, and she hated it.

Her and Veronica weren't in a fight per se, even though heated conversations seemed to happen more and more often lately, but there was definitely tension between them in the last couple of weeks. They still talked, but it was stilted, and Reina had seen her around less. They definitely hadn't had sex since then.

But Reina didn't know if all that was because of their little arguments, or because of the girl currently next to Veronica.

After a minute of just standing there, it seemed like Veronica noticed her presence. She looked up from where her head was bent down next to Ashley's over the book they shared and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you'd be here."

Reina turned on the dramatics. "You didn't think I'd be at our favorite study spot? What kind of best friend are you?" She gave a loud sigh and flopped down at the chair in front of them. Ashley frowned. Reina wanted to snap at her. She wanted to rip into her and let her know that her best friend didn't do relationships so she should back off and abandon whatever silly fantasies she has.

But the fact that Ashley's been around for a couple of weeks now raised an alarm. Her and Veronica must have already hooked up, she knew that because they didn't look like they were just friends, and Veronica wasn't the type to take things slow. The fact they hang out in public like right now meant she was more than a one night stand or a casual fling too. There have been girls that Veronica's seen for a little bit, but it was usually under the curtain of night — going out to parties, smoking under the stars, something hidden. And those girls never cut into Reina's time with Veronica like Ashley did.

Reina wanted to know why she was so special.

"You usually tell me when you're headed to Daily Prose," Veronica answered, looking back down at her book instead of Reina's face. Reina frowned.

"It was a last minute decision. You also usually tell me when you're here."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Not when I'm on a date."

Reina had to keep her jaw off the floor. Veronica was notorious for avoiding the word "date". All the girls she took out to dinner or the movies or a party, she always called it "hanging out", even if only one girl paid for both of them. Veronica always claimed she was allergic to dates, and that she never wanted girls to get the wrong idea when her commitment issues were so strong.

Reina blinked. "Oh, so am I interrupting? Do you want me to go?"

Ashley opened her mouth and Reina was ready to snap at whatever she said when Veronica beat her to it. "We're studying for our economics class, you don't take that class. Do you even have your own books?"