Page 17 of Cups of You

“Great.” He tried to sound enthused but really, he just wanted her to go so he could relax and not have to be on guard with everything he said. The bell ringing gave him a reason to step away back the receiving counter and move away from her.

Benjamin felt his shoulders slowly relax from where he had been holding them up by his ears when Mrs. Carmichael finally moved away from the counter her attention caught by some other unlucky victim.

“Hey Benjamin, how’s it going?”

His smile was more genuine as he focused back on work and customers who cared more about his coffee than idle gossip.

“Hey there Avery. What can I get you today?”

Avery was a regular in the café often stopping by to get coffee for her and her fellow elementary school teachers on her way to work during the week. She usually claimed a spot in the corner of the café on Saturdays as she graded homework, and today was clearly going to be no exception based on the overstuffed satchel hanging from her shoulder.

“A double shot of espresso please, and a slice of your coffee cake.” She smiled and patted her bag. “I have a lot of grading today, so I need sustenance and caffeine.”

Benjamin chuckled and nodded. “I can see that. Good luck with that one. Want me to start a tab for the day in case you need more than one or two shots of the good stuff?”

“That would be great. I’m sure I’ll need a few more jolts of caffeine before I’m done with all of these.” She shifted the bag to her other shoulder. “I’m trying to get everything finished today so I can free up my weekend.”

He moved to the espresso machine. “Oh? You have something special going on?”

She tucked a curl of thick black hair behind her ear. He could see her tawny cheeks pink slightly. “Well, a friend of mine is moving back to town and I offered my place to crash at until they find an apartment.”

Benjamin lifted an eyebrow and glanced at her over the machine. He could read between the lines of that vague explanation. “A friend, huh? Are we hoping this friend might become something more?”

Avery shrugged. “Maybe.” She glanced up at him and then looked away as she chewed her bottom lip. “Though it’s probably just wishful thinking.”

They were quiet as the machine hissed and gurgled espresso trickling out in two narrow streams.

“Well,” he began as he lifted the cup of espresso placing it on a plate and moving to get the slice of coffee cake. “I think life is a lot of wishful thinking and making things happen. Granted, you can only do so much when another person is involved.”

“Yeah. And I mean, I don’t even know if she likes wo—" Avery cut herself off with a sharp click of her teeth and Benjamin winced at the sound. That sounded uncomfortable and a pained-looking grimace replaced what had been a small smile. He couldn’t help but huff out a little chuckle.

He lifted the cake onto the plate and carefully placed it on the counter between them giving himself time to think about how to respond. Avery had her head bowed slightly and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her.

“Well, you’re pretty awesome so if your friend goes for women and has good taste, she’ll for sure be hoping for the same outcome as you.”

Avery looked up slowly and they locked eyes for a few moments. Benjamin kept his smile on his face and hoped that she would see that he wasn’t fazed by her unexpected declaration.

The tightness in his chest unclenched when he watched her lift her head completely a familiar brilliant smile slowly spreading across her face. She shook her head and laughed softly.

“I guess we will see.” Avery lifted the plate but paused instead of moving away. “Thanks. I mean, my likes aren’t exactly secret especially not in a town this small, and no one has ever given me crap for it, but it’s still nice to be able to talk freely without feeling like I’m being judged.”

Benjamin nodded. He could understand the feeling especially after watching his younger brother struggle with coming out to their parents years ago. It wasn’t a struggle he wished on anyone.

“Totally. This is a judgement free zone.” He glanced behind Avery where Mrs. Carmichael was still sitting and chatting with a few other patrons. “At least, it’s a judgement free zone when it comes to me.”

Avery turned slightly and her eyes widened when she saw who he was looking at. Her shoulders drooped slightly before she turned back to him. “Well, at least I can count on you to not engage in petty gossip.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Yeah. I’m not fond of some of the gossip streams around here.”

“Me neither,” Avery agreed. She lifted her hand to her bag strap and shifted it higher on her shoulder. “Some of the stuff that goes around is not too bad, but other times…” She trailed off and Benjamin knew exactly what she meant.

Sometimes the stuff that got spoken about in heated whispers were enough to make him want to yell about privacy and boundaries. It was tough to not respond, but he tried to deal with it in his own way with a smile and not engaging.

“Well, your business is safe with me. I’m here whenever,” he replied softly. “Even if just to have someone to talk at while they ply you with caffeine and cake.”

Avery laughed her brown eyes sparkling with amusement. “Those are the best kinds of people.” She held up the plate and he nodded as she walked over to her usual corner and got settled.

Feeling better, Benjamin hummed along to the music flowing from the speakers and set to cleaning the counter. He was not looking forward to dealing with any rumors that may start after today’s visit from Mrs. Carmichael, but he pushed his thoughts away and let the warmth of the café fill him with a small amount of contentment.

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