Here Comes the Sun

Chapter 1

As someone who despises all things coffee—the smell, the taste, even the color—I should be smart enough to know not to get a job as a barista. Going into week two of my new job, it becomes obnoxiously clear that I am, in fact, not smart at all.

"Oh shit," I groan as the steaming milk screams at me. Over the sound, I just barely register Eden's laughter. I feel her all-too-happy presence behind me as she turns the knob for the steaming wand all the way to the left. The milk instantly quiets, and I let out a relieved sigh.

"You can't be intimidated by the steamer, Lennon. It's all or nothing when you're steaming milk! Turn the knob all the way otherwise we're going to be listening to milk screamo all morning. Plus it'll taste gross and Lil will lose all her customers." She winks at me, then returns to helping the customer at the window behind me.

Lily Francis, the owner of Lil's Coffee, put Eden in charge of training me. Which means that every shift so far has included Eden's impossibly bubbly personality. Even at six in the morning with a line of cars practically into the street, she manages to be this humming, happy ball of energy moving between the flavored syrups, espresso machines, and drive-up window.

I thought I'd hate it at first, but I quickly realized she's the best part of these disgustingly early mornings. She is remarkably easy to talk to.

I finish the latte and hand it to the customer with a nervous smile, hoping he'll drive away before he tries it and I never have to know if I ruined (another) drink. I get lucky this time. The next car pulls up and my scramble to learn the art of espresso continues.

It's hours later that there's a long enough lull in customers for Eden and I to have a conversation outside of coffee and cash register questions. As we tidy up post-morning-rush, she picks up where she left off yesterday in her effort to get to know me.

"So," she starts, "you mentioned you have a brother but not much about him. Tell me about him. Are you guys close? Is he older or younger?"

I nod in confirmation. "He's seven years younger than me. He'll be eighteen in a few months, actually. He leaves his dirty dishes all over the house, plays his music way too loud, and thinks he's totally grown up now," I roll my eyes, smiling at her. "But he's also one of my favorite humans. He's absolutely brilliant, writes these incredible songs, and is genuinely the kindest boy his age I've ever met."

Her lips stretch in a rueful smile that matches mine. "Funny how they can be the most annoying things ever and the best people at the same time, huh?"

I nod again, recalling her also mentioning a brother. "What about yours?" I ask, "Is he younger too?"

"Oh, no!" she laughs, "He's older. Has a daughter and a grown-up job and his life more together than I probably ever will. Not that he was always that way—he was kind of a mess for a long while, but he's the best big brother I could have asked for. Not to mention I have the cutest niece in the entire world, so that's a definite perk of the brother thing. Here, I'll find a picture!"

She turns gracefully on a heel, digging through her purse until triumphantly holding up her cell phone. She shows me her lock screen where her and a little girl are beaming, their curly black hair in matching braids. The little girl's eyes immediately grab my attention—steel blue in the center, darkening into a shade like the night sky on the outskirts of her iris. It reminds me of a lake just beginning to melt at the beginning of spring. The color contrasts beautifully with her dark lashes and warm brown skin. She looks a little like Eden and I tell her as much.

"She kinda does doesn't she?" She smiles down at her phone again before slipping it back into her purse. "The funny thing is we're not actually biologically related. My brother was adopted. He's White and has brown hair and blue eyes so we obviously don't look anything alike," she gestures to her curly black hair, brown skin dusted with freckles, and burnt-honey eyes to emphasize her point, "But Alli, Pip's mom, was Black, and we had pretty similar face shapes and hair."