Page 83 of Puppy Love

“Same,” they say, not breaking their gaze. Aurora nods and begins working on our drinks.

“Can you stop staring at me?” I laugh, shoving Adrian’s arm gently. Their brows press together.

“Cam, you just ordered a surprise coffee.”

I nod. “Yeah?”

They shake their head.

“And that isn’t a big deal to you?”

I suck in a breath and shrug. “I mean, yeah,” I say honestly. “But also no.”

Adrian’s lips tug into a wide smile, their face beaming proudly. “Wow,” they chuckle, shaking their head again.

“What?”

They look up at me, sliding their hand into mine.

“I’m going to be honest,” they say, squeezing my hand. “And don’t get pissed, okay?”

“Okay?” I say. I couldn’t be pissed at Adrian if I tried. They sigh.

“When you started at Furry Friends, I thought, well, I thought it was going to be a disaster. I didn’t want it to be, and I had every faith in your ability to do your job. It wasn’t anything like that, it was just...” They swallow, their eyes meeting mine.

“Ry, I’m not going to get mad.”

They nod.

“I just thought it was going to be too much change for you. And I thought, maybe, at least for a while, it would hold you back from making other changes. But I was wrong.” They gesture to the little green kiosk beside us. “I mean, you’re making strides compared to this time last year. And I’m just…” They sigh. “I’m just so proud of you.”

Warmth radiates in my chest, my body melting into the sweet words. At least it would if I didn’t feel like such a piece of shit. I have to tell them. They need to know.

“Adrian, I—”*

“One honey lavender oat milk latte,” Aurora interrupts, passing the paper cup through the drive-through window. My head snaps over to her, and I grab it, forcing a smile. “And this one is a caramel toffee macchiato.”

I take the second cup and place them both in the cup holders before handing Aurora my debit card. She swipes it, lets me select the tip percentage, then hands it back to me.

“Well, you guys have a wonderful day!” she smiles. “Stay warm out there!”

Adrian waves at her excitedly as I roll up the window and pull out of the parking lot. They grab both cups from the cupholder and take a sip from each.

“They’re both good,” they say decisively. Their hand extends out to me, trying to hand me a cup. “You can choose which one you want. I’ll be happy with either.”

The repetitive click on the turn signal blares behind me as I wait for a clearing in the traffic. I look over at Adrian, their sweet sunshiny face and their bright smile. I can’t tell them this now. Not when they’re in such a good mood. Not when I’m about to surprise them with something. I can’t ruin this.

I tack on a smile, hoping they don’t see through it. Then, I accept the cup and take a slow, long sip.

“Uck!” My nose wrinkles as the floral flavor bursts through my mouth. My head jolts back in disgust. Adrian takes the cup from my hand, giggling.

“Okay, okay, not a hit.” They hand me the other one. “Try this one.”

I look at them skeptically, but I try it.

They’re both fucking awful. I hand it back to them, and they frown, disappointed.

“That’s okay,” they say comfortingly. “You tried. Want to turn back and get your normal one?”

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