Out Of Focus (Wattys 2023)

5. He Just Said That To The New Oprah.

"Why is this man so absolutely obsessed with you?"

They're words coming out of Lily's mouth as they cruise down the road the next morning. She's told Shayne that instead of bickering, she'd really like him to see how well her shop is doing before his shift. It's early, way too early in the morning, and he's still tired, but not too tired to win whatever she's trying to set him up for.

"He's not obsessed with me," Shayne says.

"He totally is," Lily bites back, giving her dashboard a light rub when Old Humphrey makes an audible groan.

"He totally isn't," Shayne says, "And if I die in your car today having this argument before I've even had a cup of coffee I'm coming back and haunting your annoying ass."

Yes, Lily has lured him in with the promise of free coffee; and yes he should probably admit that he has a coffee addiction (but he's young, he can deal with those problems later).

"Doesn't you dying like also imply that I'm dead too?" Lily asks.

Shayne smirks, thrilled that he appears to have won in changing the conversation.

"Not so fast you little dipshit," Lily says, clearly spotting the twinkle in his eye that he's trying so hard to hide. "You aren't getting out of this that easily. I mean, Australia's darling actually gave enough of a fuck to remember you even have a sister and you think he's not obsessed with you? He probably has a Shayne voodoo doll under his pillow."

Shayne rolls his eyes. "Please stop."

Lily continues. "I bet the voodoo doll has like a lock of your luscious curls, and a tiny fake crochet headset too. Homeboy probably makes out with it."

Shayne is going to throw himself out of her fucking car.

"You're telling me that you think a guy who went on a show like this with eight beautiful and popular women wants to blow up his perfect straight guy life by chasing after some nobody that can't even get a job for the CW?" Shayne asks.

It gets the eye roll out of Lily he was expecting as they get closer and closer to the shop; the unusual sight of bustling streets (even at 6 a.m.) is a much-needed change of pace.

"This is just the break from faker people to slightly less fake people that I needed," he says enthusiastically, hoping he's won their sparring match.

Lily chuckles. "Just wait until you see the kind of people that come into the shop."

Shayne's eyes widen, the size of a puppy who's been told if it's ready to go outside. "Can we play that game where we take a shot of espresso every time a wannabe hipster comes in and acts like he knows the menu front and back?"

Lily narrows her eyes suspiciously. "You just made that game up so you can go into a caffeine coma."

"You got me," Shayne says.

Finally, after seemingly surviving a trial by fire, Old Humphrey comes to a screeching halt.

***
The sign out front says 'Aren't You Cold (Brew)' and Shayne has to restrain himself not from busting out laughing. He hasn't asked his sister much about her place, but he's practically screaming internally at a brown girl from Kentucky asking California hipsters if they're cold.

Aside from that, as he steps inside; he realizes the place is actually pretty nice. There's the low hum of the coffee shop music with a mixture of tables and a few booths pressed against two of the space's four walls.

"Yum," he says, as the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hits him in the face. There's also the lively chatter of baristas working behind the counter; Lily's facing lighting up when she sees how much he truly seems to be actually enjoying it.