Baking My Way Into Your Heart

19 - Overdue

Baking My Way Into Your Heart - Overdue

Nothing made time go faster than falling back into a routine. Or at least, that's what Derek hoped when he woke up that rainy Tuesday morning. He worked out - careful not to strain his shoulder - he took a shower, and he even made his way to the coffee shop to drink his regular cup of Joe.

It was weird then, to walk in and see Clara, his original barista.

"Hello, sir," the girl greeted with a smile. "Large coffee, with two pumps of hazelnut syrup and one shot low-fat milk. Right?"

Derek smiled softly, nodding in her accuracy. She had been making that same cup for him ever since he first walked into this place. He wasn't surprised that she still remembered it even after a few months of being away.

It felt strange seeing her back behind the counter. It was almost as if she never left. Like maybe the past few months never happened. Like maybe Stiles never happened. It felt like just another day at the coffee shop, just another step in his routine. Hell, even the pain in his shoulder was numbed to a slight stiffness. It felt like he could have just slept on it wrong. It felt like maybe he had been asleep this whole time.

It was unsettling.

Derek paid for the coffee and took a seat in his regular spot. Without even a small sip of his coffee beforehand, Derek took out his phone and opened up his contacts list. Despite how silly it was, he needed reassurance. He knew that his time with Stiles had happened. Simple evidence of it was the entry in his phone: The Awesome Cool Guy Stiles :D, complete with a picture of a smile Derek had all but memorized. But before he even realized what he was doing, he pressed the call button, needing to hear his voice.

"Mooooorning, Derek!"

He breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face. "Good morning, Stiles."

He heard the boy chuckle. "I bet you miss my tasty treats, huh? That's why you're calling? You're probably at the coffee shop now, wishing you had some yummy goodies to go with that coffee."

Derek snickered. "No, you idiot. I'm calling cause I miss you."

"Oh," Stiles paused. "Well, of course. There's that too."

Derek smiled. And so he fell back into his routine. He was at his favorite little coffee shop, drinking his favorite blend, and talking to his favorite person. In the grand scheme of things, it was still a relatively new routine, but Derek found he liked this one the best.

/\/\/\

His week without Stiles was made easier with Stiles. Although Derek would much rather have the boy with him in physical form, he settled with getting to talk to him every morning during coffee, every afternoon while running whatever errand, and every night just before bed. And in the spaces in between, Stiles would sometimes send Derek a random picture of what he was doing or things he saw. It made any anxiety he felt from their separation much easier to deal with, just hearing his voice, and seeing him live and well.

Hell, even receiving a picture of Stiles with Laura was a comforting sight.

Derek jerked upright from where he had been sitting on his couch. 'Laura?' Okay. Maybe it wasn't all that comforting.

He opened up a new text message.

What are you doing with my sister?

He opened up another message.

What are you doing with my Stiles?

He hit 'send' before he proofread that one.

He placed his phone on the seat next to him, staring at it, urging it to reply. 'What are they doing? I mean, considering how Laura has no shame in embarrassing me, what if she's showing him more disturbing pictures? What if she's telling him more disturbing stories? No, no, no, no,' he groaned, burying his face in his hands while tugging slightly at his hair. 'This is not good. Don't they know they're not allowed to meet without me there to defend myself or run damage control?'