Our Kiddo

Got your eye on someone already?

The three of them chatted the whole way over and despite being a bit reserved at first, Evie soon joined right in.

The coffee shop was small and perfect. They took a seat and it didn't take long for someone to come over and take their order.

"Alright? I see you've brought someone new with you," the woman said.

"Hi I'm Evie," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cathy. I provide these two with coffee whenever they need it," Cathy said.

"Which is often," Laura butted in.

"Yes. Very often," Cathy agreed.

She took their order and disappeared behind the counter to make them each their drink.

A few minutes went by before a teenage girl, a similar age to Evie, came over with a tray full of coffee.

"Hey guys," she said brightly, "I have an americano, an espresso and a latte."

She handed them each their drink and as she got to Evie her eye contact lingered for a little longer.

They looked at each other for a couple of seconds before the girl went back to the counter.

"Who's that?" Evie asked.

"That's Freya. She's Cathy's daughter," Lotte explained.

"Oh right."

"Why? Got your eye on someone already?" Laura joked. Evie laughed but was vaguely aware of the blush that was running onto her face.

They drank their drinks, chatting and laughing the whole time and Evie was aware of how at home she felt. She'd loved Southampton but she was much younger than the rest of them and aside from the actual football, she never really fit in.

She had her friends that were the same age but they were all still in the academy set up and had different schedules.

After their drinks, the girls insisted on showing Evie some of the local shops and they spent hours poring over different clothes and random ornaments.

Lotte dropped Evie home and as expected the house was empty. The coffee trip had taken up the whole afternoon and after a busy day she just flopped on the sofa and shut her eyes.

She was woken not long later by the sound of the front door opening.

"Alright?" Leah called as she took her coat off and put her bag on the floor.

"Mhm. You alright?" Evie replied as she propped herself up.

"I am starving," Leah said, walking into the kitchen and flicking on the light.

"What do you want for dinner?" she asked.

"I had something already. Thanks for the offer though," Evie lied.

Once Leah had made herself a bowl of pasta, she came and joined her on the sofa.

"God I'm exhausted," she said as she flopped down.

"Me too," Evie agreed.

It had been a long day and it felt nice to have a peaceful chat.

"What coffee shop did you go to?" Leah asked, taking a bite of her meal.

"Called like 'Tea Leaves' or something. It was lovely."

"Oh yeah. Lotte keeps telling me to go."

"You should. It's great."

"We could go at some point," Leah suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Evie said.

***