Where Hope Is Found

Falling

 "You’re glowin’ sugar!”

These were Leo’s words as I walked into the coffee shop for my morning shift. I instantly thought, Harry. I knew he was the reason for the glow I had illuminated for the past couple of days. He was also the reason for the pit that had developed in the back of my stomach. He hadn’t called since the last time I saw him driving away into the darkness. I tried not to become negative towards myself, blaming my lack of allure and uniqueness. It was so hard though. Why hadn’t he called yet? Yes, I had his number as well, but I couldn’t text him first. Even if I decided to I had no idea what I would say. I couldn’t remember the last time I had texted a guy besides Leo.

Hey I’m in town and was wondering if you’d like to get some tea with me? Hey Harry I was wondering if you would like to go to another museum and try our hand at getting chased out by security again… Or hey Harry, why didn’t you ever call me like you said you would? I’ve been waiting. I didn’t have a reason to go back into London, so that seemed like an impossible option. I couldn’t think of any excuse rather than I just wanted to hear his voice and spend time with him again. But if he wanted the same, then wouldn’t he have called already? With me not having class anymore, I took on more shifts to try and keep my mind busy and not thinking about it.

“You sure are workin’ harder than ever, too. That little trip into town musta’ done just what I hoped! You’re not repellin’ the customers anymore,” he added with a smile. I smiled in return, retrieving my apron from the back wall and tying it around my waste. I needed as many compliments as I could get right now. Leo fulfilled that pretty well, but he’s not who I really wanted a compliment from at the moment. “And you’re hair looks nice today. Looks like we’ve got more tips than usual!”

Leo had decided to change up some things about the shop while I was in the city and off for the weekend. Of course the Texas flag was still hanging across the back wall, and there were still various 3-D five pointed stars placed randomly around the room, but the vibe was a lot different. It was less “antique coffee shop” and more rustic. Like the inside of a cabin. It made me want to curl up in a thick quilt in front of a fire and read books all day. I liked it a lot. There were vases of fresh picked lavender on every table from the back garden, one of Leo’s many hobbies. One thing that I didn’t like, and to my dismay was one of his absolute favorite changes, was the huge dear head mounted on the wall in the far corner. I suppose this was a decoration that Texans liked? It was creepy in my opinion. I swear its eyes followed me everywhere I walked.

My shift was to last all day, and the shop stayed pretty busy all the way until lunch. When Leo finally gave me the okay to take my first break of the day my arms ached. I had pumped so many flavor shots they were beginning to feel sore and heavy. We had been a lot busier than usual that morning, and I was amazed that we had actually slowed down for lunch, but I wasn’t complaining. More business was good for Leo and kept my mind busy from drifting. I made myself a pumpkin spiced latte that we had recently began to serve, grabbed the lunch I had packed from home, and walked over to a back table that had a couch-like bench in the corner opposite the deer head.

Lunch passed quickly and I was soon behind the counter again. We still weren’t very busy, so I found myself carting up a seat behind the cash register and pulling out a book about romance to further torcher myself with a love that I’d never experienced.

“So, why was the broom late?”

I looked up from my book to see who the customer was, and my heart skipped a beat just like when we had bumped into each other at the museum. Or I had bumped into him, who really even cares how it happened. The only thing that mattered is the fact that it actually happened, and he was here now in Leo’s coffee shop.