Page 66 of Cups of You

In three months, Benjamin had gone from that strangely smiley guy who somehow never failed to cheer her up with robust coffee and even more robust sense of optimism, to someone she cared a lot about.

Benjamin had waltzed past all her defenses and had done so with a beatific grin.

“I have to go see him.”

“Yes.”

Amber pushed up from the chair and nodded to Jackie. “Will you be o—”

“Little girl, if you ask me one more time if I will be okay without you here to wipe my behind, I will kick yours.” Jackie waved her away. “Now go. Fix this mess with my Bennie so I can go back to my regular schedule of drinks and muffins.”

It was an unfamiliar feeling being the one to seek someone out, but Amber didn’t pause until she found herself pulling up to the café. The sun was slowly setting and the lights from the café cast a warm glow on the sidewalk. Amber took a moment to steel herself before she opened the door. The bell clanged against the wood in a strange repeat of the first time she found herself seeking comfort. This time it was less about the coffee and more about the man behind her favorite mug of brew.

Amber let out a soft breath in relief at the lack of other patrons. There was only one other person on her side of the counter, and they seemed to be totally focused on the book in front of them. She pushed away a pang of longing at having spent so much time in that same position and wondered if this would be the last time she took comfort from the café that had somehow become her home away from home.

Olivia was behind the counter and she smiled and waved Amber over.

“Hey Ms. Amber.”

“Hey Olivia. I told you you can just call me Amber.”

“Yeah, but that would be weird,” she replied with a toothy smile. Amber nodded in understanding.

“Are you looking for my dad?” She pointed towards the door to the back room. “He’s in the back getting prepped for tomorrow. Feel free to go on back.”

Amber hesitated. “Are you sure? I don’t want to bother him if he’s busy.”

“No, please do bother him. He’s been in a weird mood for the past few days for some reason, but he won’t talk to me about it because I’m just a teenager.” Olivia curled her fingers and rolled her eyes.

Amber chuckled and shook her head. “Well, I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help with that.”

Olivia gave her a look and smirked. “Oh, I don’t know about that. He likes you, so maybe he’ll come clean with whatever his deal is.”

Amber’s rapid heartbeat belied her calm nod and she walked around the counter. Each step was heavier than the last. If not for the stare she could feel on the back of her neck, she might have turned and left the way she came. Instead, she let Olivia’s confidence in Benjamin’s enjoyment of Amber’s company propel her forward. It wasn’t until the door swung closed behind her that Amber realized she didn’t know what she was going to say.

So much for being the one who plans ahead.

Benjamin was nowhere to be seen, but there was a door open across from her so Amber decided to wait. She was here now. She might as well take the time she had before he walked back in to think of how to start the conversation without sounding awkward.

Amber turned to look at the boxes and bags stacked around her. Some of the names she recognized and others not so much.

“Amber?”

She didn’t have long to ponder before that same gravelly voice that had narrated some of her most heated dreams came from behind her. She took a deep breath before turning to face him.

Benjamin’s eyebrows were raised but his normal smile was nowhere on his face. The lack of it hit Amber hard and once again she wondered if maybe this wasn’t the best idea. He shut the door behind him and took a few steps toward her before stopping.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine,” she lied. “I just came to say hey.”

“Oh,” he said nodding slowly. He frowned and looked around. “You came all the way here to say hey? You could have texted me.”

His words stirred up her confusion. He had to know that something wasn’t quite right between them.

“I do text you, but you rarely have anything to say back.”

She saw his throat dip as he swallowed, and Amber knew then that she was right in thinking he knew something was wrong.

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