Smitten Over Coffee

Chapter Twelve: French Toast Latte with an Espresso Shot

"And can you add an espresso shot to that?" Julian asked the barista.

The girl met his eyes and gave a sympathetic smile. "Sure thing. Will that be all?"

"Yeah, that's it for today, thanks."

After paying, Julian stumbled over to the pick-up counter. Catching a glimpse of his reflection in the glass of one of the pastry cases, he could understand the barista's pitying expression. He looked terrible. Paler than usual, dark bags under his eyes, hair sticking up every which way. He looked like death warmed over.

"That girl will be the death of me," he mumbled as he tried to straighten out his hair.

"French toast latte with an espresso shot?" another barista called out.

"Thank you," Julian said as he took the cup from him.

Even this barista gave him a sad smile. Did he really look that awful?

Turning to find a chair in the corner where he could disappear, Julian noticed Flora sitting by the window. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. Her lips were forming words he could not hear, and her eyes scanned her sketchbook as she tapped a pencil against the page. His eyes, which had been so heavy that he had nearly fallen asleep waiting in line, now could not seem to leave Flora's moving lips. They were tinged a very pale orange today, and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe they tasted like an orange creamsicle.

He stopped short and shook his head. Where had that come from? He was definitely overtired. He should go home and catch up on the sleep he lost last night thanks to Piper. However, despite these rational thoughts, his body was not cooperating. His feet brought him closer to Flora's table until he could finally hear the words her lovely lips were forming. He cocked his head, trying to process what she was saying. A smile slowly crept over his face.

"Are you singing Taylor Swift?"

Flora jumped, her pencil clattering to the ground. Julian chuckled and stooped over to pick it up. "You scared me," Flora breathed.

Julian handed her the pencil. "Sorry."

"No, no it's—" Her eyes widened as she focused on his face. "Oh my word, what happened to you?"

"Do I really look that terrible?"

"Well, no, I mean, you still look good." Julian grinned, and Flora became flustered. "I mean, you just look really worn out today. Did you not sleep last night or something?"

"Eh, it's fine, I just had a rough night. So seriously, were you singing Taylor Swift?"

"Ah, yeah, I downloaded her latest album. I actually really like it. I thought she was a country singer, but this is really poppy. It's catchy."

"Mm, she was a countryish singer until recently. I'll have to lend you my deluxe edition of 1989. The bonus songs are the best ones."

"Sounds good." Flora's eyes wavered slightly before her face crumpled into concern. "Julian, really, what happened? You look like you haven't slept in days."

Sighing, Julian plopped down in the empty seat across from her. "I was up really early this morning. And I haven't been sleeping too well the past couple of days."

"Why? I mean, I don't want to pry—"

"Nah, it's fine. It might actually be nice to talk to someone about it. My friends aren't exactly the type of people I feel comfortable talking to about family matters. And besides, they all think my sister is hot, so they'd likely just hound me for her newest number."