AUGUST | NH |

TWO

Archer

Sun peeks through the curtains, stretching across the bedroom I've claimed as my own for the next three months.

Reaching over, I find my phone and fumble around with it enough to turn off the rolling thunderstorm podcast — ten hours worth.

For some reason over the years it's been the only way I've managed to get any decent sleep at all. It seemed like it started after my second year of college and for whatever reason it stayed.

Just me and my storms.

I'm not a fan of mornings and knowing that it's finally summer means that sleeping in seems to be something I'm going to fit on my agenda.

Every. Single. Day.

Getting up early for classes and labs kept me in a zombie state of mind for the majority of the school year. For some reason I always picked a class that started early as fuck and those days usually matched up with days I either had a study group or worked at the library until the late hours of the evening.

It's just past nine when I roll out of bed and make my way into the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed, enjoying how it felt to sleep in — even if it's not what most people would consider 'sleeping in'.

Changing into a pair of jeans and an old shirt, I leave my contacts out and opt to wear my glasses again as I put some product into my hair and leave it to air dry in what I'm hoping will be some gentle curls.

That's the problem with hair that's even semi-sort lol of curly.... It either dries like you want it or it looks like you've been electrocuted.

Bounding down the stairs, I read the note from Ellis letting me know he's already left for work and if I need him that I can call. Ever since Ellis got his job at the hospital nearby, his entire reason for moving to Cape Charlotte, he spends so much time working sometimes I wonder why he didn't just rent out a room in the hospital.

I'm not sure if seeing someone that I grew up admiring become a doctor pushed me in that direction or if it was a collection of other things that made me decide to push my own career into the medical field.

Either way, Ellis was someone who worked hard and I was proud to call him my best friend and my brother every day.

Knowing today was my first day by myself, I was determined to find two things...

Somewhere I could get an iced vanilla latte.

And somewhere I could get the smuttiest books.

_______

Holy Grounds.

That's where you can find an iced vanilla latte.

Actually, I take that back.

Holy Grounds is where you can find the most delicious, hand crafted, and decadent iced vanilla latte in the entire continental United States.

When I walked inside of the coffee shop along the main street, everything about the inside reminded me of somewhere I wanted to be. With the light blue walls, the cream furniture, and the crisp marble countertops it was hard not to feel like you wanted to stay.

At least for a little while.

The windows looked out over the other shops that lined the street. From antique shops, to a hardware store, to a grocery store — all lined up with their cute signs and some with their hand painted windows. All of it made me take in a deep breath, filling up my lungs with the smell of not only the coffees and pastries in this perfect place — but with the salt air and the freedom that comes with feeling the wind on your face and knowing you don't have anywhere to be.