Page 88 of The Blue Rose
I squeeze her hands back. Taking my hands away, I point to the Texas Massacre drink. “I would love to try that one.”
She turns around, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing when she does, and says, “Oh! The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; that is one of my new favorites, and you’re going to love the design.” I smile, already knowing it’s going to be a hit. “Hey, Theresa!” she yells at her sister. “Can you take over the front real quick?”
Her sister walks over, an annoyed look on her face. “Why? I thought I was on coffee duty today?” Theresa is younger than us, still in college, but spends her weekends here to earn extra cash and help the family. She has the same curls as her sister, but her hair is more orange than blonde. She looks like a true ginger with the freckles to match.
Lena touches her shoulder, an exasperated smile on her face. “You are, but I wanted to make Serena’s drink.”
She looks over and, for the first time, notices me. “Oh, Serena! I didn’t recognize you; you look different.”
I cock my head to the side, a small blush creeping up my neck. “Different good or different bad?”
She laughs, making the freckles on her cheeks look like they're bouncing as well. “You look like you’re glowing.” My brow furrows, not understanding what she means. “I don’t know, just… happier, I guess. You used to look happy, but itnever reached your eyes. I know why, but now it shows.” She stares into my eyes, which makes me shiver.I don’t like it when people stare that hard at me.She shakes her head and looks at her sister, pink staining her cheeks. “Anyway; Lena, I'll take over. It was nice to see you, Serena.”
“Nice to see you, Theresa.” I walk over to watch Lena make my drink. An extra boost of confidence knowing that my truth has made me glow. A new love shining through my eyes,
“No, no, no; you go sit down. I want this to be a surprise when I bring it over.”
I put my hands up, and a chuckle escapes me. “Okay, okay; I’m going.”
As I sit and wait in my favorite spot by the window I stare at the passersby, the cars coming and going, listening to the bell chime every time someone leaves or enters the shop. The Massacre drink sounded interesting, combining some of my favorite flavors with toffee, mocha, two shots of espresso, and cinnamon.
Lena places the coffee down in front of me, the biggest smile on her face. “Ta-da! What do you think? And be honest.”
The cup is Leatherface holding a chainsaw coming out of the Texas state symbol, making it look like he’s coming right for you. The top is rolled in a red sauce, their signature blood dripping down the sides. It’s finished off with whip cream sprinkled in cinnamon and more red sauce, giving it a dirty, bloody look, and a mini chainsaw also dripping in the dark red sauce. Where she got the mini chainsaw, I don’t know, but I love it. I take a picture and quickly add it to my Instagram story, tagging the shop as I always do.
She watches, eagerly waiting for me to try it. I take a sip and instantly am hit with an array of flavors, being sent to coffee heaven. I can taste the mocha and toffee, but there is something else I don’t recognize immediately. I lick the whip cream, mytastebuds singing, knowing exactly what the mystery red sauce is. “Is that caramel?”
She nods her head enthusiastically. “It is! I added red food coloring to give it a bloodier look; that’s what’s dripping down the sides too.”
“You’re a magician when it comes to flavor,” I say, taking another bite of whip cream and washing it down with some coffee. The flavors mesh perfectly together, you would never guess caramel was the red sauce. “How did you come up with caramel instead of your usual red flavors?”
“Well, I did try raspberry, cherry, even the white mocha dyed red, and none tasted right. The fruit flavors mixed with the toffee made it taste like medicine, and the white mocha was too sweet with the other flavors, throwing everything off balance. I wracked my brain for days, and finally Jessie gave me the idea to do caramel.”
“Jessie?” I ask, lifting one eyebrow.
She laughs. “Yes, Jessie; at first I thought it would be too thick and the color wouldn’t work, but after a couple tries, I got the right consistency and voila!” She gestures to the cup, a huge smile on her face. “The Texas Massacre.”
“I love it, especially the design. It's very creative; can’t wait to come back and try the others.”
“Lena, a little help please!” Theresa hollers.
Jumping when her name is called, Lena looks behind her and sees the line has grown nearly out the door.
“Shit; sorry, Serena. Duty calls.” She rushes back behind the counter, and I go back to enjoying my drink. I take out my phone and open my reading app, eager to catch up on the book I was reading while I finish my drink.
Three taps hit the table, taking me out of the world I had disappeared to in my head. “Hey, Serena.”
I look up, not recognizing the face in front of me, annoyed that someone is bothering me.Who is this guy? Why is he interrupting me and how does he know my name?
He places his hand on his chest. “We met at the flea market. I asked you out, but your boyfriend interrupted.” He places his hand on the back of the chair, eyes darting around, fingers tapping, nervous energy radiating off of him. “Can I sit here?”
Oh yeah, Bradley. He was very touchy and didn’t understand personal space.I’m surprised he’s asking to sit instead of just doing it. I nod my head, and he takes the seat across from me.
“Funny running into you here. I didn’t know you liked this shop.” He chuckles nervously.
The way he won’t look at me, and keeps tapping his fingers incessantly, tells me he’s lying.Why is he so nervous? Does he think Aster is here? Should I lie and tell him he’s in the bathroom so he’ll leave me alone?
“Actually, that was a lie. I saw on your Instagram; I knew you were here.”
