The coffee shop was slow, which meant I was stuck at the counter with Cyrus, whose idea of fun was nitpicking every little thing I did while pretending to be helpful. And Leana who was balancing three orders at once. The hum of the espresso machine blended with the low chatter of customers. while Cyrus rested his chin on the counter like a bored child. I grabbed a rag and started wiping down the espresso machine.
Cyrus usually worked in the kitchen but today was different, he got cussed out by our manager who was surprisingly still working here, Stacy was an older women. She was sweet in her own way but she was very strict on her rules and she said Cyrus, "Played too much" which I mean, he does— sometimes.
"You ever think about running away?" Cyrus asked, breaking the comfortable silence between us.
"Every day," I replied dryly, watching as Leana shot him a sharp look.
"You don't even have rent to worry about," Leana retorted, her eyes darting toward me. "Some of us have real problems."
I smirked, shaking my head. "Yeah, because living with Matío is a dream come true. He's practically a saint."
Cyrus laughed at that, sitting up. "I bet. I mean, he's got the car, the place, the mysterious loner vibe. What more could you want?"
"Uhm.... Freedom?" I said stating the obvious while throwing the dirty cloth in the sink to soap up.
"You have every right to walk away— you choose not to though," Cyrus said with an obvious tone and a smirk.
I shot Cyrus a glare as he leaned against the counter for what had to be the fifteenth time that shift. "Aren't you supposed to be on cleaning duty?"
Cyrus smirked, not even pretending to move. "Aren't you supposed to be on 'not obsessing over your roommate' duty?"
My mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Leana snorted loudly from the espresso machine. "Damn, Cyrus. That was quick."
I blinked, trying to find a comeback. "I—what does that even mean?"
"It means you spend more time stressing over him than, like, anything else in your life," Cyrus said, grinning like he'd just solved a crime. "Seriously, you've got a whole penthouse to yourself, and you still act like it's a group project with him as the leader."
Leana was full-on laughing now, barely able to pour the milk.
I glared harder, trying to ignore the heat creeping up my neck. "I'm not even dignifying that with a response."
