Chapter 11
Sadie
Two weeks seemed to pass in a blur. School was out until the middle of January and I had nothing to do but continue Games of Love and work. Night was falling slowly, and I had half an hour left to work in the shop. My brother and Rose were Christmas shopping and they had been gone most of the day. The coffee shop was warm, and the glow of the fireplace haloed the length of the reading room in gold. It was a slow day and I sat in one of the booths, hunched over my steaming hazelnut latte. Emily sat across from me, swirling her espresso around in her cup and flipping through a thick World War II biography. She was staring at me with knowing eyes and her bright pink lips were twisted into a frown. Her white-blonde hair was tucked into a thick striped scarf, nearly covering her oversized band t-shirt. Her leather jacket was folded over the table and she had toed off her shoes to fold her legs into the leather booth.
“So, you like your fake boyfriend,” Emily commented, eyebrows pulled together.
“No,” I huffed, remembering my dream, and sipping at my drink. “I didn’t say I liked him, I said we were friends.”
“Mhmm,” Emily smirked. “I can read between the lines, here. Your eyes get all starry when you talk about him. Luke is boring, but he’s nice. I don’t like him, though.”
“Luke does seem nice,” I sighed, looking around the coffee shop. There were two people reading but other than that, the shop was empty and quiet. It was a cold, rainy day outside and I imagined most people were tucked warmly inside their own homes.
“Don’t change the subject,” Emily warned, rolling her eyes. She downed her drink and sighed. “I need more caffeine.”
“No, you don’t,” I snorted, looking over the rim of my cup at her.
“Why don’t you just drop out of the show?” Emily asked, raising an eyebrow.
It was a good question and a valid one. I could see Alex with his camera rolling, in a seat in the reading area. If the other customers thought it was odd that he was videoing our conversation, they didn’t say anything.
“So you can win the money? I don’t think so, Sommers,” I replied playfully.
Emily shrugged, grinning at me with round, white teeth. “I had to give it a try.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I laughed, standing from the booth. Alex was watching me, his dark eyes moving down my body. I ignored it, thinking of Connor’s pale eyes and wide smile.
“Back to work?” Emily asked, sitting back in her seat. I nodded, moving away, and she stopped me. “Wait, what about Christmas? It’s only two days away you know.”
“I think…” I started, unsure of what I had been about to say. I let out a breath. “I think we’re just going to my dad’s.”
Emily nodded sagely and despite my warning about her impending caffeine crash, ordered another espresso to go with the three she had already finished off. Once I gave her the cup, I stood behind the counter leaning against the polished wood distractedly. I grabbed an apple pie tart from below the display glass and chewed on the sweet crust.
I wondered if Connor already had plans for Christmas. We hadn’t talked much since that night when I promised myself that I wouldn’t go too far with him—that I wouldn’t let myself feel anything real for him. It was ridiculous that I had barely known him for a month, and it was getting harder and harder to think of him as just a business venture with a predictable ending. I didn’t want us to end. I didn’t want us to be over, though we hadn’t really even begun. I shook my head, watching the fireplace flicker and dance. Someone approached the checkout and Alex leaned against the counter, smiling at me. He pointed over my shoulder at the various coffees,
“You got one more Americano back there for a lonely traveler?”
I laughed a little at his words, reaching around to fix the coffee cup for him methodically. I had finished all of my shopping online, and I knew that Connor must have been tired of the packages arriving at his apartment door. He bought his father a new suit and even though I had repeatedly told him not to, Connor bought my family custom, handmade sweaters from a high-priced store downtown. They were beautiful and the thoughtful gifts made it even harder for me to keep him at a distance. I remembered Alex standing in front of me and I handed him his coffee with a sheepish grin. He pressed the cash into my hand, and I was sure it wasn’t just my imagination that he held his fingers against mine a little longer than necessary until I felt awkward.