A Year In Fort Lauderdale

New Friends and Coffee Talk

Chapter Three

"YOU'RE A COMPLETE ASSHOLE!" Ava screams at Asher and then throws her red drink at him, running away afterwards. Everyone stares at Asher's now red stained shirt. He removes his sunglasses and looks down at it, a look of pure annoyance making it's way to his face.

He spots Jacob next to me and nods him over, already walking away. Jacob shoves his hands into his shorts pockets and walks over with Asher, probably trying to calm him down. The rest of us stare at one another for a few seconds before the person playing music stands on his table.

"Party's over guys, clear out!" He yells so everyone can hear him.

Everyone groans but begin to disperse, most heading to the parking lot across the street. Cas turns to me with a frown. "I'm sorry Teeg," she grumbles, "this was totally lame."

"No, this wasn't lame, it was fun!" I assure her, feeling slightly relieved that we can now leave.

Delilah shakes her head, her red hair swaying with it. "No, this is not the end of our night," she declares, wearing a determined expression. "We should all go get coffee. Brayden, is the shop open right now?"

"No," he replies, putting his camera into the brown satchel hung on his shoulder. "That doesn't matter though, you know I can get us in."

She puts her hands on his shoulders, giving him a serious look. "Brayden, you are a life saver." She releases him. "Now, you need to go get your guys so we can all go. I need a breakfast sandwich."

Brayden hurries off toward Asher and Jacob. After a few minutes, the guys are back and we start heading away from the beach to the city. After walking for about a block or two we stop in front of a small building made of dark brown brick and a black metal roof. Brayden unlocks the door and lets us all inside. If the outside wasn't cute enough, the inside makes up for it. Dark hardwood floors, white shiplap walls, a brick fireplace on the left side of the room with black leather chairs in front of it. The rest of the room is filled with black metal chairs sitting next to iron tables with dark wood tops. There's also a wood bar in front of the large main window looking out with iron stools. Across the room from the door is where you order. The register sits on top of a wood island and next to the island sits a case with baked goods sitting inside. The menu is written in beautiful writing on chalkboards on the wall behind the counter.

"This place is amazing," I tell Brayden as he walks past me, going behind the counter.

He smiles as he grabs a large platter from somewhere beneath the counter. "Thanks! It's my parents' place." He starts stacking baked goods onto the platter and sets it on a table where the rest of us have begun to sit at.

Cas takes a bite of a chocolate scone before looking across the table at Asher. "So, what was with Ava tonight?" She asks kindly, trying to keep crumbs from falling onto the floor.

He groans and runs one of his hands through his hair, shaking his head slightly. "She's mad about something, and like usual I have no idea what it is," he answers tiredly.

"Maybe it's cause you cheat on her," Adrianna responds without looking up from her blueberry muffin.

"Hey," he growls, causing her to look up. "I'm not always the best guy but I have never cheated on her." He grabs a muffin himself and angrily takes a bite.

"What does everyone want?" Brayden asks from the counter and everyone begins shouting their answers at him. He gets to work and Delilah strikes up a conversation about the lookout, which is apparently where they all go to get hammered.

I stand and walk over to the counter, resting my elbows on top and leaning against it. "Do you need any help?" I ask Brayden.

He looks over at me, a little surprised, and shrugs. "I've got it but you could help if you really want to."