Presque Vu

Chapter 32

"Good morning, beautiful. Whatcha doing?" Shannon asked as he slipped his arms around Raina's waist and snuggled himself into her back.

"Just making some toast. That qualifies as cooking, right?" she asked with a laugh. "Do you want some?"

"Nah, but I'll take some coffee."

Raina bit her lower lip. "I think there might be some instant in the back of the cupboard...."

"What?" Shannon looked frantically around the small kitchen. "Raina, where is your coffee maker?"

"I don't have one. I'm more of a tea person. I just use the electric kettle. On the rare occasion I want coffee, I just stop at Starbucks and get one." She took his Shannon's horrified stare. "Why are you looking at me like I just kicked a puppy?"

Shannon grumbled and started putting his shoes on. "This is not going to do at all. I'll go get us some coffee, but later I'm buying you a coffee maker. A good one."

"Look, I know you love your coffee, but I don't see why you can't just..." she watched as Shannon picked his keys up from the counter where he had left them the previous night and then set them back down again with an air of disgust. "What?"

"Our cars are still at Cassie's."

"Looks like it's instant city, sweetheart."

"Oh no. I'll just have tea thanks."

With a chuckle, Raina got another mug down from the cupboard and set it down in front of Shannon along with several varieties of tea. "So when you do have to be at Jared's today?"

"When I feel like it," Shannon with a growl.

"Okay. Sorry I asked." She watched him silently as she waited for the kettle to finish heating. "Did something happen between the two of you?" She finally ventured as she poured the water into his mug.

"What do you want to do today?" Shannon asked, rapidly changing the subject. "Seeing as how you have an unexpected day off and all. We could go pick up our cars and grab some coffee and then maybe...."

"Seeing as how I have an unexpected day off. I. Not you. You have people expecting you Shannon."

"I can have a day off if I want a day off."

Raina frowned. "Are you avoiding Jared?"

"Do we have to keep talking about Jared?"

"We haven't talked about Jared at all actually. What the hell is going on Shannon?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to spend the day with you."

Raina circled around the small island so that she could nestle herself in Shannon's arms. "That's really sweet. But I'm going to be okay. And you have responsibilities. I don't want to be a bad influence."

Shannon laughed a bit too loudly. "Now that's funny. You being a bad influence on me." He looked at the tea in front of him again. "Come on. Let's call a cab and go get our cars so we can have some proper coffee. And something besides toast for breakfast."

Raina pulled back and looked him up and down. There was something still off about his mood this morning but she couldn't put her finger on it and he seemed to be done opening up to her. "Fine. But then you go to work and I guess I'll start with my job hunt."

Shannon sighed in defeat. "Fine. I don't want to argue about it. Spoils the mood anyway. Let's go get some caffeine."

They had settled in at a patio table, enjoying the pleasantly sunny late morning as they lingered over waffles when Raina's phone began ringing. She let it go to voicemail the first time - she was in the middle of dissecting the finer plot points of a series she had just started binge watching - but when the ringing started again not even a minute later she fished her phone back out of her purse and answered it.