Finding Love in a Coffee Shop

Instant Coffee

Dustin, to say the least, was enthusiastic about seeing Will in our home. He arrived home around ten on Saturday morning, entering the house just in time to see Will staggering sleepily down the stairs. Apparently the nights he spent sleeping on the café sofa weren't very restful because after that and staying up until 2:00 AM playing videogames caused him to immediately pass out on the guest bed after I showed him to it.

I was in the kitchen sipping an instant coffee, steadily working on my math homework when the two boys joined me. Dustin had a bright smile on his face, his hazel eyes wide and excited. Before he could ask, I gave him a quick explanation. "Dustin, Will's our neighbor, his house is the house that caught on fire, and I let him stay here last night."

"Uh." Dustin blinked rapidly as this new information sunk in. Then he turned on Will, his eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. "You own that fancy house?"

Will half-smiled at my brother. "Well, it's not so fancy anymore."

"So, you're staying with us now?"

"It was only last night..."

Dustin frowned at this. "But where are you going to stay tonight? And tomorrow night? It's not like there's exactly a surplus of apartments or houses on sale around here."

"Will, you're more than welcome to stay here longer," I said before Will could respond to my brother. Everyone in the town knew how hard houses and apartments were to come by around here. Heck, even Dustin apparently knew. So it wasn't hard to figure that Will was either going to go back to sleeping at the café or stay in one of the grimy motels in the next town over.

"I don't know."

Placing my pencil down on the table, I turned to purse my lips at him. "Face it. You have nowhere else to stay. And we're friends, aren't we? Friends help each other out. I have a room. Dustin has a girl crush on you—"

"Hey!" Dustin protested.

"—and honestly, I wouldn't mind having someone stronger than me around. Especially after the suspicious circumstances of your house catching on fire." And wasn't that the truth. I was a female, and while it was terribly unfair, there was only so much strength I possessed. And if there was a potential arsonist running around? I didn't like my odds.

"It was faulty wiring," Will murmured.

I gave him a flat look. "Don't tell me you believe that."

"I can afford the motel—"

"Will," I interjected, a little exasperatedly. "Do you want me to beg? Just stay here. I'll feel safer. And better, knowing you're not sleeping on a too-small couch, or in a dirty motel room."

There was a few more moment of silence. Then he spoke. "If I stay," he started slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I want to pay you."

"Don't worry—"

"No," he interjected firmly, his piercing gaze meeting mine. "That's my counteroffer."

I raised an eyebrow. "Counteroffer?"

He gave me a brisk nod. "I don't like freeloading."

"Well." Now it was my turn to consider. Although having Will pay to stay with me while his house wasn't livable sounded unfair, it would really help me out. And if he was adamant about it...

Seemingly guessing my thoughts, the corners of his mouth quirked up into a tiny smirk. "I won't stay unless you agree to this."

I shot him a dirty look. "Fine."

"Fine as in you'll let me pay you?"

"Yes."

His smirk widened into a smile. "Perfect. I have to be perfectly honest though; I have no idea how long it'll take for my house to be fixed. I mean, I haven't even been able to contact anyone as of yet."