it's just a crush

chapter 19 - july 2019

"Omigod, it's so good to see you!" Chelsea squealed as she threw her arms around Hannah.

"You too," the redhead replied, then turned to give Meg a hug once the blonde released her. "I feel like it's been absolute ages!"

"Where's Shannon?"

"She's coming; she said she'd be a bit late."

The three girls stood just outside the front door of the coffee shop where they'd agreed to meet. It had only recently opened, and Chelsea was dying to check out the décor.

"C'mon, let's go inside!"

Meg opened the door and held it open for the other two girls, then stepped into the brightly lit café. Wilderness Coffee, it was called, and it really did feel like stepping into the wilderness, with a jungle theme of sorts and a rock-covered wall with a small waterfall flowing down it into a pool beneath.

"This is so cool!" Chelsea exclaimed, looking around at the room with wide eyes. "All it needs is some neon signs and some animals and—"

"It's kind of chintzy, isn't it?" Hannah interrupted, pursing her lips with disdain. "It's not somewhere I'd choose to spend my time writing."

"What do you mean? It's awesome! I'd love to do décor for a place like this!"

Hannah shrugged. "I prefer something a little more... classic."

"I think it's cool," Meg said. She jerked her chin towards the counter. "Let's see what's on order."

After perusing the menu and receiving their orders, they settled into a booth and began catching up. Although Chelsea and Meg returned home often during the school year, Hannah had ended up transferring to a university in another county for her final year, citing a need to "broaden her horizons," and as a result they hadn't seen much of her.

She spent a good chunk of time updating them on all the interesting people she had met and things she had experienced – things that would help her become a better writer, she was sure.

Meg slowly sipped her tea as she listened to the girl, wondering how it was possible that she'd become even more pretentious than she used to be. She was relieved to see the café door open and Shannon walk in.

She lifted her hand to wave and catch Shannon's attention, and the other woman smiled and waved back before heading to the counter to order. It wasn't long before she was handed a steaming mug and made her way over to the girls' booth.

"Hi, everyone," she said with a smile as she slid onto the seat next to Meg. "Sorry I'm late – I worked late last night and slept in."

"No worries," Meg replied. "How's the new job?"

Shannon grinned. "I love it so far! It's so much fun to see the inner workings of a casino. I think I'm going to really enjoy working there."

Chelsea clapped her hands together. "Neat!"

"Yeah, it's cool. Plus, I'm getting to know some of the dealers, and they've told me about some private poker events they work at on the side, so I might be able to get into those someday."

"That's great!" Meg replied.

"What about you guys? Have I missed anything interesting?"

They filled her in on the highlights before moving on towards new topics, reminiscing on the past and sharing their plans for the near future. It felt just like old times, and Meg was pleased that even after all these years they could still get together and fall back into easy chatter.

They were in the middle of discussing their upcoming graduation party when Shannon's phone vibrated. She quickly grabbed it from where she'd left it on the table, looked at the screen, and set it face-down again. When it vibrated again, a couple times in quick succession, she pointedly ignored it. The other girls turned to look at her, causing a blush to rise onto her cheeks.