Coffee Shop

• 26 •

Perfection slipped through the rest of the month, and a week after, until the first of September fell on my calendar. This was the first time in a long time I'd circled a day in red, but it wasn't as a warning. It was welcoming.

With my rent envelope in hand, I paired it with the lease agreement Mr. Paul had given me back in the Spring. It was for a year, but after my relationship with Brian took higher levels, I had to break it early.

Really, it wasn't up to me; I wouldn't mind staying in the tiny one-bedroom that kept me safe in my first days of city life. It was cozy, and I'd finally bought my TV. But Brian held the upper hand, and not in a possessive way either.

It was more... addicting. I'd be lying if I said I'd spent the past two weeks in my apartment; because I didn't. I'd been at Brian's, nestled in his bed, trapped under his weight, and while Autumn crept around the corner, his arms and lean chest was the only warmth I needed.

Rianne and the others manned the shop more often, and we'd arrived late. This time the pay raise they'd mentioned before happened because it was only right. The shop flourished, welcoming new customers, but we didn't see it happen; at least not all the time.

Was I okay with lying in bed, listening to Brian whisper in my ear? Uh, yeah. The honeymoon stage was real, and I loved it.

What I didn't love was that guilt that settled in the pit of my stomach as I packed the rest of my clothes into my small suitcase and knocked on Mr. Paul's door. He smiled warmly when he opened it and motioned for me to come inside; I did, but not all the way. I went in just a foot and smiled as I handed both the rent and lease to him.

He chuckled at the smiley face on the envelope but glanced at the second paper. "What's this?" he asked, unfolding it.

I shrugged and looked down at my hands. My fingers did small dances together before pressing into the pocket of my cardigan. "My lease," I squeezed one eye shut and looked at him with the other, "I'm moving out next month."

"Oh, Kay..." Mr. Paul paused, folding the paper back into its neat little burrito fold.

"But!" I held my hands up and pointed at it. "I've got someone to take it over, just like it says."

He glanced down at it.

And I spoke a mile a minute.

"See, Kyle, Brian's cousin, wants to move back into the city and needs a place. And Brian wants me to live with him—"

"Really?" Mr. Paul lifted his brow.

"—And I know it's sudden and out of the blue, but I paid the full month's rent, just in case he doesn't move in right away. I'll still come back and forth, to help out and stuff, anyway. And, I thought, I owed you some cupcakes this time. I mean—"

"Kay," Mr. Paul tried to interrupt.

"—if Mrs. Paul had you do it, wouldn't it be great if your tenants did it back, too? So, I wanted to ask what your favorite flavor was. OH! And! Brian's throwing me a birthday party tonight. My birthday's really in two weeks, but today's really the only day we could squeeze it in because the shop is doing so well, we couldn't like keep the shop closed later in the year because school comes back and—"

"Kay." Mr. Paul dropped the envelope and lease on his coffee table and touched my arms. When I blinked three times fast, he laughed. "Slow down."

"Oh." I went off the edge, didn't I?

"Moving out is okay. Honestly, you didn't have to replace the space, but the fact that you did is nice, and I appreciate it. Is Kyle that boy that picked you up before?"