"Sarah Beth!" I yelled as I ran through the front door into the sitting room. I held a folder in my hand, waving it excitedly.
"Ashley? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Everything is positively wonderful!"
"Oh dear. Did you?"
"I did! We have it! It's ours!"
"WHAT!?"
"Jeff surprised me with the papers when I got there! The old owners went ahead and sold it early to us, Sarah Beth!"
"Oh my gosh!!! Oh, Ashley! This is great!"
"I know..."
We spent the next hour exchanging "I love you's" and dancing to Kings of Leon as they began playing on the radio. I held Sarah Beth close for a long time, but not nearly long enough.
I smiled. "That would have been so much more romantic if it were nighttime."
Sarah Beth laughed at this and asked what time it was. I told her it was only two o'clock.
"Only two and the day's already hit its peak..." I laughed, barely making out my words.
"I want to see the shop."
"Oh? Er, there's something I didn't tell you..."
"Huh? What is it?"
"The shop is across from another cafe."
Sarah Beth's eyes grew darker. "What?!"
"And that cafe just so happens to be the Bean."
---
The drive seemed to take forever, even though the shop was about thirty-five minutes away. Sarah Beth and I had a bit of a spat about the shop. I told her that I was not even warned before I saw it earlier. I figured that we could hopefully benefit from the competitiveness that may begin.
When we drove to the future Baroque Brew, Sarah Beth ignored the Old Bean, where people were bustling in and out. Instead, she examined the building silently.
The exterior was red brick with a green awning over an off-white door that I planned on switching out for a glass one. The light shadow of a circular logo that once hung on the wall was slowly being colored in by the soft rains that were beginning to fall.
"Is there a first floor?"
"Yeah, but we could use it for storage or something. There are two rooms. The ground floor is beautifully put together, though."
"How come I never noticed this place before?"
"It used to be a glassware shop, and the owners lived above it. They recently moved to Lowestoft, and Jeff contacted them about getting the property when it showed up in the ads."
"Okay. That's it. I never go to glass stores. Too risky."
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The inside was medium-sized, with a raised platform on the right side over a checkered floor. The walls were white, but I had dark green buckets of paint ready for use on the side.
"Over there is where the instruments for live bands will be," I put my arm over Sarah Beth's shoulders and pointed at everything in sight. "And the counter will be right there! There is room for the cookware, and we can have an electric oven right there! Over here will be some pastries, and I'm ordering some red tables and chairs for the floor. And what do you think about booths? I personally-"
My rambling was cut short by Sarah Beth's arms, which wrapped around me and gave her enough elevation to lock lips with me. Her eyes opened for a moment, and I could see that they were filled with stars.
"It's perfect..." She smiled as she pulled away. "I love you."
We kissed again at the raised floor, and I lowered myself onto the platform. We stopped kissing and stared at each other, laughing awkwardly. After that came the sound of the door being opened.
"Whoa there, mates!" Jeff cried. "Not so fast! Let me paint the place before you make love everywhere!"
"Shut your face, Jeff." Sarah Beth smiled, dumbstruck by the kiss we had just shared. I myself was a bit surprised by it, as I was pretty sure I was just talking about booths the moment before...
"Cal, Amy, Paige, and Susan will be here soon. So everyone take off your clothes."
"What?" I asked.
"We don't want paint on our clothes, now, do we? So suit up... er, down."
"I'd rather not." I smiled.
"Who's Susan?" Sarah Beth laid down some newspapers.
"Spencer dumped me." Jeff said lackadaisically. "She loves Sweet Savage, and I can't stand them. I'd rather listen to Diamond Head, and I saw Susan wearing a Diamond Head jacket the other day. It was pretty sexy."
"Oh..." Sarah Beth was puzzled.
---
Susan was the first to come in. She wore a fuzzy brown coat and a pink shirt. She didn't look like a metal fan at first, but I could see a tattoo of a thick necklace around her shoulders and the lyrics to "Streets of Gold" up and down her arms after the coat came off.
"Hey, all!" Susan had a happy voice and a smile that rivaled the sun. She seemed perfect for Jeff, but I knew it was only a matter of time... "You must be Ashley, the kind and level-headed friend!" She shook my hand excitedly.
"That might be Cal. Try 'crazy and incompetent'." I said, to which she replied with a giggle.
"And this is fiery and offbeat Sarah Beth!" Susan introduced herself in the same fashion to her, and the two got on pretty well. They were both extroverted enough to interact and laugh with each other.
"I love your tattoos, mate!" Susan inspected Sarah Beth's arms. "They really make a statement, and I love that! It's wicked!"
"Thanks! It came from... A really difficult time."
"I understand, friend."
---
Amy and Cal entered with a large, black umbrella. They took off their coats and introduced themselves to Susan.
While the girls talked off to the side, the four of us guys opened up the paints and poured them into trays.
"You would not believe what I came here to see, guys!" Jeff announced to Cal and Paige. "Sarah Beth and Ashley were about six degrees away from being horizontal, if you know what I mean!"
I blushed. "Jeff..."
"Cool." Cal said, which surprised me. "I knew it would take some time, but you may be ready."
"For that?"
"No, Ash. Marriage."
Marriage. The word echoed in my brain, and I thought about it. "Really, Cal? I..."
"Oh, quit being such a little boy about it!" Paige grinned. "Girls aren't gross anymore! And the shop? The snogging? Signs, brother."
I cleared my throat. "But what if Sarah Beth..."
"What if what?" Jeff laughed. "Did you see her back there? She looked like she was halfway to heaven!"
As much as it freaked me out, the guys were right. Too much was going on for this to be a random happening. My mom always says that "The Big Guy only deals you one hand in life. If you have a royal flush in there, there's no sense in settling for the high card." Mom always could give great lessons, even when using poker as a metaphor.
"Let the shop simmer for a bit. When things are strong... then you guys will help me pick out a ring."
Cal, Jeff, and Paige smiled as we finished pouring. We called the girls over and started on painting. The whole time, I couldn't stop looking at Sarah Beth. Whenever I looked at Sarah Beth, the more restless I grew.
