Page 37 of The Black Lotus
She blushes. “It was actually Jessie’s; he’s doing all the cooking.”
“Jessie is her husband,” I say to Aster, who nods once. “Who's watching the boys?”
“My mom is; she’s been a saint through the whole transition, and even though it hasn’t been long, we are hoping to gain more customers. Jessie loves getting to try new recipes.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Thanks. I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.” Lena takes a deep breath, shaking away the emotion in her voice. “What can I get you two?”
“I’ll take your breakfast burrito and the Chucky coffee, please.”’
“I had a feeling you were going to choose that one,” she teases, her pen scratching against the paper. “And for you, Aster?”
“Apple pancakes and a Ghostface coffee.”
She smiles. “I’ll be back with your drinks shortly, and the food will be out soon.” She places her pen and pad into her apron and walks away after I say thank you.
I eye Aster warily, wondering if my boyfriend got body snatched while I wasn’t looking. “I’m surprised you ordered the Ghostface coffee; I thought you’d want something not as sweet.”
He shrugs, settling back into his chair. “I knew that would be your next choice, and we don’t know when we will be able to visit again. If I don't like the drink, I’ll order something else, but at least you’ll get to have two new cups.”
My heart swells.He's always thinking of me.Seeing him like this makes me giggle.
He raises an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s just knowing who you are, and how,” I whisper the next word, leaning in close and cupping the side of my mouth, “blood thirsty you are, it’s cute to see your soft side, especially with how on edge we both have been.”
He reaches across the table, intertwining our fingers. “I’ve always been soft for you, little vixen.”
Blushing as he kisses the back of my hand, we don’t shy away from each other even as Lena returns, placing our cups in front of us. My mouth waters. Both have whip cream with red drizzle on top and a little knife sticking out.
“Enjoy!” Lena beams, walking into a set of doors I assume leads to the kitchen.
On my glass is a cartoon Chucky holding a bloody knife with the words ‘Wanna Play’ written in dripping letters with a bloody handprint and red splatter around him.Perfect for my collection.I take a sip of the drink, forgetting what was in it untilmy taste buds are consumed by caramel, mocha, and pecans. The flavors have me closing my eyes and moaning my approval.
Opening my eyes, I’m met with the hungry vision of Aster staring intently at me. My breath catches in my throat and I slowly swallow down the liquid as I lick my lips and push my glass towards him, taking his while he tries mine. He hasn’t tasted his drink yet, most likely waiting for me to decide which I prefer.
His glass has a cartoon Ghostface in a bloody mask, holding a bloody knife with the words ‘What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie’ around the image and blood splatter.
I wrap my lips around the straw and am hit with flavors of toasted marshmallow, cinnamon, and toffee. I groan again, my eyes fluttering closed at the taste.I don’t know which one I Iike more.
Taking my cup back, I slide Aster’s slowly across the table, not wanting to give it up.
He pushes his coffee back towards me with a smirk. “They’re both good, not too sweet either.”
“The perfect amount,” I grin.
Lena returns, dropping the food in front of us with a wink and walks away. We eat in comfortable silence, the food too good to interrupt with talking. Everytime Aster cuts into his food, his sweater tightens around his chest. When he put it on this morning, I made a comment about it getting warmer, and he said he needed to hide the evidence of last night's escapades. Which made us both second guess even leaving the house, but my need for coffee won over my need to be ravished.
Once we’re done, Lena comes back and pulls up a chair to sit with us.
“What did you guys think? Can we keep this up?”
“Lena, I say this as your friend…” I trail off and her eyes drop, her mouth tilting downward. I grab her hands, too excited topretend anymore. “Everything was delicious; my only complaint is that you didn’t do this sooner.”
Her eyes light up. “I’m so happy you love it! I was hoping when I saw you again it would be a great surprise.”
“It was.”
