“A coffee house?” Ris asked dubiously as Morgan pulled into a parking lot.
Morgan put the car in park and cut the ignition. “Yeah. Why not? We pass this place all the time and you’re always saying that you want to stop in…” Without waiting for Ris to respond, Morgan got out of the car.
Ris followed.
A tinny bell clanged as Morgan pushed open the door to the Daily Grind. She immediately took in her surroundings. The lighting was dim, but not enough to make things seem cave-like. The seating looked worn-in and comfortable, but not in a broken-down way. There was a group of twenty-somethings occupying a set of couches in the front corner, deep in conversation. A few other tables were occupied by singles or couples, most of whom were reading, studying, or working on computers. No one looked up as Morgan and Ris walked toward the counter.
The barista’s back was turned to them, and Morgan took the opportunity to peruse the menu. Ris eyed the pastry case.
“I never know what to order in these places,” Morgan muttered to Ris.
Ris shrugged. “If you came more often, you’d probably have a better idea what to order.”
“But I don’t like coming because I don’t know what to order.”
Ris rolled her eyes.
The barista finished up what he was doing and walked to his place behind the register. “What can I get for you?”
Morgan kept her attention on the menu board. She still had no idea.
“Hey,” Ris said suddenly. “You go to my school, right?”
Morgan glanced at Ris, who was looking at the barista. Morgan looked at him, too. He had wavy hair so dark it was almost black. He did look familiar.
“ABC,” he said.
Ris nodded. “Yeah. I think we were in bio together.”
The barista nodded. “And trig. Clarissa. But you go by Ris, right?”
Ris smiled. “Yeah. And you’re… Lucas.”
Lucas smiled. Then he looked at Morgan. “And I know who you are, too. Morgan the Gypsy.”
Morgan inclined her head. “That I am. Spanish?”
“Both years,” Lucas confirmed. “And English. Last year.”
“And freshman year,” Morgan added, not to be outdone.
Lucas smiled. He seemed pleased that Morgan remembered their shared freshman class.
“So,” Lucas repeated, “what can I get you?”
Morgan realized she still hadn’t made a decision, so she equivocated. “What do you think is good?”
“Hot or cold?”
Morgan glanced at Ris, who shrugged. “Hot?”
Lucas smiled. Then, without another word, he went to the espresso machine and set to work. Moments later, the machine was hissing and humming. Morgan cast a dubious glance in Lucas’s direction, but he wasn’t paying attention to her.
A few minutes later, Lucas set two oversized mugs down in front Morgan and Ris. “For you,” he said, looking at Ris, “a mint chocolate mocha—light on the espresso. And for you—” he turned his attention to Morgan—“a white chocolate cocoa with a shot of raspberry.”
Morgan looked down at the mug in front of her, then at Ris, who was smiling broadly.
“Lucas, that sounds amazing,” Ris gushed. “I love mint chocolate anything—how did you know?”
Lucas shrugged. “I have a good sense of the drinks people’ll like. It’s my special talent.”
Morgan and Ris thanked Lucas, paid for their beverages, and sat down in a pair of cushy armchairs toward the back of the room. When Morgan took a tentative sip of the concoction Lucas had made for her, she had to admit it was pretty good.
“So, what do you think?” Ris asked after a minute.
“It’s a nice place,” Morgan said. “I wouldn’t mind coming back.”
“Agreed,” Ris said. “And this drink is phenomenal.”
An hour later, Morgan and Ris left the coffee house and drove back to Ris’s place. Ms Perry was asleep on the couch, Sudoku puzzle in hand. She jumped when Ris woke her, checked the time, and sighed.
“I guess they just don’t party like they used to,” she said. But she smiled.
It wasn’t even midnight.
Morgan, who had planned on spending the night, collected her pajamas from Ris’s room and went to the guest bathroom to get ready for bed. When she got back to Ris’s room, her usual sleeping spot on the floor was already made up and Ris was tucked under the covers of her own bed.
Morgan turned off the light and snuggled down into the nest of fluffy comforters Ris had laid out of her. After a moment, she spoke. “Sorry about tonight.”
“What about it?”
“Ris.”
“Morgan.”
Morgan sighed. “I know you really wanted to go to this party.”
“We did go.”
“Yeah, but then…” Morgan paused. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay for the whole party experience.”
“We came, we saw. We even made some money.” Ris gave a soft chuckle. “We found a new coffee spot.”
“You say that as though we had an old coffee spot.”
“And Lucas,” Ris added. “He was rather…”
“Helpful?” Morgan offered.
Ris laughed. “Yes. Precisely the adjective I was searching for. Goodnight.”