Page 27 of Every Broken Promise
It was not my style, but it was beautiful all the same. I was more of a farm-style kind of girly. On one of the walls, Rachel had a nice coffee bar. It had three shelves at the top, with glasses and mugs. On the counter was a chrome Nespresso. Her syrups were in glass jars with labels that said the contents in fancy cursive writing.
“I want to be you when I grow up,” I stated.
“Did you just call me old?” she questioned in good nature.
I immediately shook my head.
“Noooo, it was totally a compliment. You are goals.”
She giggled.
“To-go cups are under the cupboard. I have instant cold foam, or you can use the frother if you have something else in mind.”
“I’ve been preparing for this moment for a while,” I admitted. “Something about watching people make coffee relaxes me.”
She just shrugged this off and instead went to the fridge, opening the bottom part where the frozen items were, and pulled out a small tray.
She had bubble ice.
That was like the ultimate wealth move right there.
I grabbed a clear plastic cup and added about three-fourths of ice, then milk with two pumps of caramel syrup. I brewed a double shot of espresso, and as the aroma filled the air, I couldn’t help but think about the damn hot chocolate.
It was as tasty as I remembered.
After my little tête-à-tête with Ty, I jumped in the shower. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he looked like he wanted to kiss me. In fact, it wasn’t the first time my delulu brainhad tried to gaslight me into thinking something like that might be going down.
At one point, my brain and my heart were both on Team Ty. Now, it seemed like my heart hated him, but my brain had yet to catch up.
I put the lid on my coffee and added a straw, and then I took a sip and sighed.
“Good?” Rachel asked as she leaned on her kitchen island.
“You have no idea,” I said while I turned to face her. “I love you,” I let her know. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Lupe with all my heart, but it sucks that Sunny Pines has Emma’s, and it’s too out of the way for me to justify making that commute.”
Something flashed in her face when I said Emma’s, but she quickly masked it.
“Well, you’re welcome to have coffee here anytime you’d like.”
At this, I beamed.
“You mean that?”
It was what I was hoping for, but having her bring it up was awesome. I wanted a friend that I didn’t have to feel like I was chasing after. Been there, done that, have the scars on my heart to prove it.
“My home is your home.”
I jumped up and down.
“You won’t regret it,” I told her. “I’m going to be the best friend you’ve ever had.”
Her smile dropped for a second, and then her lips tipped back up.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had any friends before,” she admitted.
My mouth went slack at her admission before quickly closing it.
“Well, at least you haven’t experienced the knife they can stick in your back when they betray you. Count yourself lucky. That hurts more than any breakup.”
