Page 76 of A Coffee Away

I raked my hair back, messing up my ponytail, which I quickly fixed into a messy man bun. I stared at my book blindly.

“Robbie.” The way my name caressed his lips was mesmerizing.

I placed the bookmark on the page beside my favorite poem.

I walked to the counter and grabbed my coffee. Our fingers slightly brushed, and a soft current traveled up my arm. “Thank you.”

I rushed to my seat and put the cup down. My breath caught as I read my name. A heart rested on top of the i, and when I took a sip, I found another on the lid.

I glanced toward Esteban and glimpsed his messy raven hair behind the espresso machine as he prepared a drink for another customer.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’d grow some balls and talk to him.

I glanced inside, and my stomach fell.

He wasn’t there.

I hesitated outside, but after taking the Tren Urbano to Santurce, then catching the AMA bus to get here, I needed a good cup of coffee.

“Morning, Robbie.” Gabrielle fixed her short, blond hair into a ponytail, then continued wiping the black linoleum countertop.

I grinned as she swayed to the soft acoustic guitar of the indie music playing in the background.

“Morning.” I studied the menu for longer than usual, overtaken by thoughts of where he could be.

“What will you have today?” Her bubbly attitude always lifted my spirits.

“Oh, just a latte," I paused. “Same size. Lactose-free milk.”

She grabbed the cup and wrote down my name.

The espresso machine hummed. Before turning to my usual table, I clenched my hand, languidly stroking the space below my ring finger. I never understood why I did it, but it seemed like a nervous tic I developed after I woke up.

“Gaby?”

“Yes?” She swirled the cup under the creamer.

I bit my lip. “Is Esteban coming in today?”

Her eyes beamed, but I failed to grasp why. “He called earlier. Asked me to cover for him for a couple of hours since he had some personal matters to take care of.”

“Oh.” My heart shrank. I hugged the book to my chest, pocketed my other hand, and stayed by the counter. “I’ll have that coffee to go, then.”

“Esteban told me he met you yesterday. He’s been wanting to.” The corner of her lip curled up slightly. “He’ll be in later if you want to wait. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.” She winked at me and continued preparing my coffee.

My heart thumped against my chest. If I waited, he’d know I did it to see him, but if I didn’t, I’d surely regret it.

Could he really want to see me?

My mind went in circles about why Esteban had talked about me. Why did his coworker say those things? Maybe she was one of those people who liked to play Cupid. Perhaps I was reading more into this than there was.

Nevertheless, I grounded my courage. “I’ll wait.” My stomach growled. “Add a croissant with strawberry jam to that order, please.”

She smiled widely. “Sure thing!”

Maybe this day wouldn’t be as gloomy as it seemed.

The sky turned gray, and the rain hadn’t ceased for the past hour.