Cities that Never Sleep

ix

Finn was stressed more than usual, Katherine noticed. This night he was actually working on something for university-an art project due at the end of the year, he mentioned, banning the use of your normal art supplies; charcoal, pencils, paint. So far, he'd gotten nowhere. Finn sat restless in his chair, the sound of him shifting every second as Katherine attempted to finish her nightly tasks on her laptop.

"What are you thinking about doing?" she asked, considering that if he thought aloud he would get somewhere.

Finn sighed as he buried his face in his hands. "I have no idea." he mumbled.

Katherine's fingers paused as she stared at the keyboard in front of her. Her eyes adverted to the cup of cold coffee sitting by her hand. "What if you used coffee?"

"Huh?"

"Coffee." she repeated, more firmly this time.

"Coffee..." the word lingered on his tongue as he considered it, "that's actually not a bad idea."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "A thank you would've sufficed."

Finn smiled that same cheeky smile, that by now Katherine could map out the crinkles that formed at the corners of his eyes and the dimples that pierced his cheeks.

What a brilliant idea, to use coffee for a substitute for paint, Finn thought.

But as he stared at the lonely city streets through the frame of the cafe's windows, stimulated by the idea of coffee, an empty, muse-less gap still took up a part of his chest as the subject of his project was still missing.