Chapter Text
He comes in like clockwork.
Every weekday morning at 7:00am, the tiny bell above the coffee shop door chimes, and there he is; always dressed in a suit and tie; always with a brown leather satchel slung over one shoulder. He’s always looked good, but today puts all previous mornings to shame, and Galadriel doubts she’s ever seen a man who could wear a suit so well. He’s in a rich shade of navy blue, his white dress shirt crisp and clean and fitting him like a second skin. He’s handsome; fucking gorgeous as Nori once put it, and she isn’t wrong. The man is quite nice to look at.
As he approaches the counter, Galadriel moves to stand behind the register and dons her cheery customer service smile. His eyes are glued to his phone, and there’s a light dusting of stubble along his chin and jaw, the muscles clenching as he frowns at the screen. A single strand of auburn hair falls over his brow as he looks down to tuck his phone into his pocket, and when he lifts his head, his features relax. His eyes are hazel and warm, and he gives Galadriel a quick smile before staring up at the menu behind her. It’s a funny habit, she thinks, considering he’s ordered the same thing every morning for the past three months.
Clearing his throat, he reaches into the back pocket of his slacks for his wallet.
“Can I get a -”
“Let me guess.. Sixteen ounce Americano, room for cream?”
The words spill out of her mouth before she can stop them, heat rising into her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to say any of that out loud, had always kept it as a little joke for herself, and now he’s staring, his mouth slightly agape. She’s about ready to sink into the floor when he laughs, his surprise melting and reforming into his usual confidence. He looks down at her name tag, and the delicate crows feet accompanying his smile threaten to turn her legs into jelly.
“Am I that predictable.. Galadriel?”
Oh, the way he says her name is sinful. Swallowing her embarrassment, she busies herself with putting his order into the computer. She struggles to keep her voice even.
“You’re in every weekday morning,” she says, her fingers dancing across the screen. “And it’s an easy order to remember. It’ll be $4.69.”
“Well, I have been told that I’m a creature of habit.”
He swipes his credit card just as the other barista, Poppy, emerges from the back room to settle herself in front of the espresso machines. Galadriel grabs a cup and Sharpie. She doesn’t bother asking him his name this time, simply scribbles it on the side of the cup: Halbrand.
The bell chimes once, then twice more, and a line of patrons begins to form behind him. He smiles and moves towards the pick-up counter, his phone once again in his hand. Sliding the cup to Poppy, Galadriel ignores her teasing, knowing look, and though it’s nothing more than a playful smirk, it sends the heat right back into her cheeks. She focuses her attention on the next customer and doesn’t look at Halbrand again until he’s outside and walking down the sidewalk, his lips against the lid of the coffee cup.
It’s a short day for Galadriel and Poppy, and by noon, two other baristas are clocked in for the second shift. They say their goodbyes, and as soon as they step outside, Poppy has her arm linked with Galadriel’s, pulling her close as they walk down the sidewalk.
“You talked to him!” she squeals. “And did you see that smile he gave you? My god. Just wait until Nori hears about it!”
Galadriel groans, already dreading the barrage of questions and endless teasing that await her back at the apartment they share with Nori. The mile and a half walk is brisk, the autumn sky a dark and dismal gray; its clouds heavy with impending rain. The two women manage to make it into the building’s lobby just before the downpour starts.
For having three bedrooms, their second-story apartment is relatively small. Quaint, Galadriel likes to think. Well, except for the one bathroom. That’s more annoying than anything, but they couldn’t have beaten the price or the location even if they had wanted to. And after living there together for two years, they had been able to form a routine and make the space into a comfortable home.
When they enter, they find Nori curled up on the loveseat, her head covered by a blanket with tufts of dark, wavy hair poking out from beneath. Normally, she would have opened the shop with Galadriel, but she had felt, and if being completely honest, had looked like absolute death that morning. Poppy had agreed to cover for her; a perk of living with friends who happen to also be your co-workers.
Moving through the living room, Galadriel heads into the kitchen.
“How ya doing under there, Nori?” she calls out. “Need anything?”
The lump on the couch groans and coughs. Poppy sits at the opposite end by Nori’s feet, tapping her own knees excitedly as she talks.
“Nori, do you want to hear something so exciting that it may just cure you?” Poppy doesn’t wait for a reply. “Gal talked to him! And not just the ‘what can I get started for you?’ type of talk. She made him laugh.”
There’s a brief pause, then from under the blanket: “Talked to who?”
“What do you mean who? Nori, she talked to Halbrand!”
Nori throws the blanket off, hitting Poppy in the face.
“Are you kidding me?” she all but yells. “Noldor, get out here and spill it!”
Galadriel sighs and emerges from the kitchen with a glass of water.
“There’s nothing to spill,” she says. “All I did was guess his order. I mean, he orders the same thing every time he comes in. It wasn’t that hard. He found it funny, I guess.”
Poppy holds Nori’s blanket in her lap. “Oh, it was so much more than that. I could tell.”
“You’re delusional, Pops,” Galadriel says. “We shared two or three sentences at most.”
“You’re not usually one to make any small talk,” replies Nori. “You’re our little wallflower.. Nah, I think something is changing - maybe we’re starting to accept things and move on?”
Poppy elbows Nori hard in the ribs.
“Ow, what was that for? It’s true!” Nori looks up at Galadriel. “It’s been eight months. Don’t you think it’s time that you get back out there?”
“Celeborn and I were together for five years,” Galadriel replies, struggling to mask her irritation. “You don’t just get over something like that.”
“You do when the guy’s a cheating asshole. You deserved better then, and you deserve better now. Look,” Nori’s voice softens. “I’m not telling you to jump into bed with the guy, but maybe a little flirting would be the first step towards closure?”
“I mean, she could jump in bed with him,” Poppy whispers, to which Nori nods enthusiastically.
With a roll of her eyes, Galadriel retreats into her room. She closes the door behind her, abandoning her water glass on top of her dresser before falling onto her bed. She stares up at the ceiling, and as she listens to Nori’s and Poppy’ muffled voices, she wonders whether Nori is right. It’s been eight months since her break-up, and though it doesn’t seem like much when you compare it to the five years she and Celeborn were together, perhaps it’s time to take the next step forward.
Taking her phone out of her pocket, she scrolls through her Instagram. She had unfollowed Celeborn the day they broke up, the day she learned about his years of infidelity. And though his page is still public, she hasn’t looked at his profile in over two months, not since he had posted photos of himself at some upscale club. A work event, most likely, but he had looked so happy that it made her sick, so she had chosen to avoid him altogether. She considers her restraint an achievement, maybe even a sign of growth despite her curiosity.
Her thumb hovers over his name, and she hesitates briefly before tapping the screen. When his profile opens, her heart plummets like a weight into her gut, and for a moment, she doesn’t breathe.
The most recent photo is from two days ago; him at a beach, his blonde hair wind-swept. He’s smiling wide with his arm around the waist of a beautiful, dark-haired woman, and the caption, a red heart emoji, is so simple, yet it makes Galadriel’s blood boil. She had given up everything for him, had turned down her dream job and left her family to follow him into the city after graduation. She had been too blind and too naive then to see him for the jackass that he was.
Fucking bastard.
Slamming her phone down on the bedside table, Galadriel rolls over and buries her head into her pillow. He had cheated on her, yet he gets to be the one who’s happy and moving on as if nothing had happened, as if nothing had mattered. As if she hadn’t mattered.
Rolling onto her back, her mind drifts to Halbrand, and her stomach flutters at the memory of his smile and his laugh. She decides then that Nori’s right. She does deserve better, and hell, she’s a grown-ass woman; not to mention very single. What harm could come from some innocent flirting?
Picking up her phone, she opens Instagram again and searches for him. Turns out Halbrand isn’t much of a popular name. She barely has to scroll before she comes across his familiar smile. Halbrand Maia. His photo is a black and white, candid close-up of him laughing, his medium-length hair tousled and framed by the Ray-Bans propped on his head. But of course his page is locked, and the dreaded This Profile is Private message glares back at her.
“Damn it.”
She’s scheduled to open again the next day with Elrond, which is good since she doubts she would have the courage to even think about flirting if Nori or Poppy were there. And as if on cue, a soft knock rises from the other side of her door. Galadriel sits up just as Nori pokes her head in.
“Hey, are you OK?” she asks.
Galadriel nods. “Hey, yeah. I’m fine.”
Relaxing, Nori gives her an apologetic smile and comes in. She takes a seat on the edge of the bed, and when she holds out her arms, Galadriel leans in to rest her head on her shoulder.
“I know I’m a bitch, but I promise it comes from a good place,” Nori says, hugging her. “We all just want you to be happy, Gal. You haven’t been the same since you broke it off with Celeborn, which, by the way, I’m very proud of you for doing.“
“I know, and you’re right. It’s time to move on. It’s obvious that he has.”
“You’re damn right I’m right. Now, wanna take your mind off of him and everything and come watch some trashy TV with us?”
Galadriel laughs. “Always.”
She wakes up the next morning excited; nervous, but excited, and early enough that she actually has time to do something with her hair. It takes way too much time these days, the length a few inches too long, and she’s gotten into the habit of carelessly throwing it up into a blonde, messy bun. This morning, however, she takes the time to blow-dry it and weave it into a loose French braid that falls down her back. Never one for a lot of make-up, she chooses a sheer lip gloss and a thin layer of mascara. It’s simple, but after having been in a funk for eight months, it’s exactly what she needs.
She leaves before Nori and Poppy are awake, hugging her oversized coat close to her body to ward off the chilly October air. It’s her favorite time of day, when the streets are still sleepy and quiet and the sun is only just beginning its slow ascent. The rain from yesterday had passed, but with the asphalt still wet, the petrichor hangs in the air like a heavy fog. She sometimes wishes the walk to the shop was longer if only to enjoy the quiet for a few more moments.
Elrond is already at the shop when she arrives, his wool cap pulled low over his brow. He’s sitting in one of the steel chairs under the awning, his feet propped up on the patio table. When he catches sight of her crossing the street, he swings his legs down and stands.
“Hope you weren’t waiting long,” Galadriel says, pulling out the shop keys.
“Nah, just a few minutes.”
He follows her in and flips on the lights before heading towards the tables. They have a good routine, one that makes opening the shop smooth and without hiccups. While she turns on the machines and ensures everything is up and running properly, he sets out the chairs and restocks the counters before going to the back to check inventory. They work in comfortable silence, and if he notices how fidgety she is, he doesn’t say anything. She waits until he’s in the back room before starting on an Americano, and the moment she snaps the lid onto the cup, the bell above the door chimes.
He’s in charcoal gray but has a heavy, black topcoat over his suit. They make eye contact from across the room as she moves to the register, and smiling, he takes out his AirPods. She matches his smile and prays that he won’t be able to hear how loud her heart is thumping. When she places his sixteen ounce Americano in front of the register, he frowns. Her quickened heartbeat stutters.
“Oh, shoot. Um, you know,” he says. “I was actually going to do a cappuccino today..”
Heat floods Galadriel’s cheeks. She hesitates for a moment, her smile falling, but before she can even reach over to take the cup back, Halbrand laughs. Pulling out his wallet, he shakes his head.
“I’m totally joking,” he chuckles. “I’m sorry. I know that was horrible, but you one hundred percent fell for it.”
Galadriel narrows her eyes, feigning irritation, but she can’t hide the smirk that’s tugging at the corners of her mouth. She puts his order into the computer.
“$4.69, jerk.”
He laughs again and, as if wounded, puts a hand over his heart before swiping his credit card. Elrond then emerges from the back room and busies himself with the inventory in the cabinets under the espresso machines.
“So, are you working tomorrow?” Halbrand asks. He takes a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Yeah, I open every morning, Monday through Friday,” Galadriel replies.
He smiles.
“Lucky me, then. I suppose I’ll be seeing you soon. Thanks for the coffee.”
And then the man does something he’s never done; something that leaves her speechless, breathless and unable to think. He winks.
She struggles to keep her composure steady as he walks out the door and down the sidewalk. Once he’s out of view, she turns and slowly slinks down to the floor, her back sliding along the counter.
Elrond peeks out from around the cabinet door.
“You OK?” he asks.
Galadriel nods, her face on fire.
“I’m on strict orders to report any and all flirting to Nori, just so you know,” he tells her.
Finally, she finds her voice and laughs. “Of course you are.”
The next morning is Wednesday, and with Nori still sick and no one to cover, Galadriel is forced to open the shop on her own. Having already decided to make Halbrand another Americano before he arrives, she forgoes the usual inventory check and quickly turns on the espresso machines before setting up the chairs. When the bell jingles, she smiles to herself and doesn’t look up, instead focusing her attention on the espresso as it drips into the demitasse.
“You’re going to spoil me, you know.”
At the sound of his voice, she peeks up from over the espresso machine, catching his smile as he walks up to the counter. He’s dressed in a gray-blue suit, one she hasn’t seen before, and the light gray dress shirt beneath his jacket is paired with a matching pocket square instead of a tie. His hair is damp, as if he’s fresh out of the shower, and heat coils in her belly at the thought.
“This is for me,” she teases. “What was your order again? A cappuccino?”
Halbrand barks out a laugh.
“Yeah, alright, I guess I deserve that.”
Leaning against the counter, he watches as she carefully pours the espresso over hot water, a method that keeps the top layer of crema intact. She likens being a barista to being an artist, and over her four years at Lindon Coffee House, she had learned the various techniques that would make her drinks taste better and look prettier. Elrond had once said her latte art was second to none, and damn it, if that hadn’t given her the biggest confidence boost.
Smiling, she snaps a lid onto the coffee cup.
“Now, don’t let this go to your head,” she says. “For all you know, this is something I do for every customer.”
His laugh is a soothing balm for her nerves. She slips on a cardboard sleeve before handing the cup to him, their fingers brushing together not once, but twice as he pays cash. He then leans forward, and she feels her breath catch at the scent of his cologne. It’s light, but masculine; something heady and earthy that she can’t place. And when he opens his mouth to speak, she finds herself leaning forward too, moving closer as if he has his own gravitational pull.
But before he can say anything, the sharp trill of the bell echoes across the shop. Halbrand presses his lips together and leans back, a flicker of disappointment dulling the green of his eyes as the customer walks up and stands behind him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Galadriel,” he says softly. “I hope your day goes well.”
Doing her best to mask her own disappointment, Galadriel smiles as he walks away. There had been a glimmer in his eye, something almost mischievous, and she’s sure whatever words he had poised on his tongue would have been clever. Perhaps he was going to ask for her number, or maybe he was -
“Uh, ma’am?”
She snaps out of her thoughts and looks at the older man standing on the other side of the register.
Shit.
“So sorry,” she forces a light-hearted chuckle. “Looks like I’ll need to make myself some coffee soon, but what can I get started for you?”
The next morning, she opens with Disa, who’s waiting by the glass doors when she arrives, her crimson winter coat complimenting the warmth of her brown skin. She smiles wide as Galadriel pulls out the keys, puffs of frozen air slipping past both of their lips.
“You look adorable today,” she says, following Galadriel in. “Love the hair.”
Blushing slightly, Galadriel shrugs off her coat and hangs it on the rack by the back room. Earlier that morning, she had braided half of her hair so that the strands wrapped around the crown of her head; the rest fell loosely down her back. She kept her make-up light again, but opted for a slightly bolder lip color. Strawberry daiquiri, the lip gloss tube had read, which she thinks sounds more like the description of a crayon, but it’s what she had.
While she busies herself with the espresso machines, Disa sets up the chairs, flipping them onto the floor from their upside down position on the tables. She pauses every so often to look at Galadriel, smirking all the while.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” Galadriel asks. Then it hits her, and she narrows her eyes from above the espresso machine. “What did Nori tell you?”
“Elrond actually,” she replies as makes her way around the counter. At the chime of the bell, she gives Galadriel a wink before disappearing into the back room.
Holding a freshly made Americano, Galadriel moves to the register. She catches Halbrand’s eye as he approaches, and his gait, usually so fluid and confident, stutters. He pauses, eyes widening, and though he recovers quickly, something seems off.
“Are you OK?” Galadriel asks. She places his cup beside the credit card reader.
“Uh, yeah, sorry,” Halbrand replies. The words tumble clumsily from his mouth as he pulls out his wallet; he seems almost sheepish. “It’s just, that, uh, well you look really nice today. I mean, not just today,” he adds quickly. “You look nice every day.”
Galadriel bites the inside of her cheek to stop her smile from growing too wide, knowing full well her face is likely as pink as her lip gloss.
“Thank you,” she says. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
There’s an awkward pause as Halbrand takes a sip of his coffee and drums his fingers on the counter. The air between them thickens in the wake of their silence, unspoken words gumming up the gears in her head until, finally, he speaks:
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow? Same time?”
Galadriel nods, her whole body buzzing excitedly as he walks towards the door. Once outside, he locks eyes with her through the large window and waves before disappearing down the sidewalk.
Later that night after closing, Galadriel and the rest of the Lindon Coffee House crew meet up for happy hour at a local bar. Elrond, having arrived first, had found a corner booth large enough to fit all six of them, and when she, Poppy and Nori arrive, they find him with a pint in one hand and a book in the other. A pitcher of beer and a few empty glasses are already on the table.
“How can you even read in here?” Nori asks, scooting into the booth. “It’s so dark.”
“Practice,” Elrond replies. Pausing, he closes his book. “And I won’t lie: not without some eye strain.”
He pours them each a glass of beer. Mirdania arrives next, followed soon by Disa and her husband.
“Durin!” Elrond calls out excitedly. “Hey, man! Disa didn’t tell us you were coming!”
“As if I’d miss the chance to kick your ass again in air hockey,” Durin laughs. And while he’s shorter than Elrond, he has a much more commanding presence, his thick beard and broad shoulders likening him more to a lumberjack than anything.
Downing the rest of his pint, Elrond shuffles out of the booth and motions across the bar.
“You’re on, my friend. Lead the way.”
The two men venture off to where people are gathered around the pool and air hockey tables, and with a roll of her eyes, Disa slides in to take Elrond’s seat.
“I knew that was going to happen,” she says, shaking her head. “I swear, sometimes I think Durin would rather be married to Elrond.”
They all laugh, and Mirdania pours the last of the beer into the remaining glasses. She’s the youngest out of all them, just a year out of undergrad.
“Sooo, Gal,” she drawls. “What’s all this talk I hear about you flirting with a customer?”
Galadriel glares at Nori, and her answer is automatic: “It’s nothing.”
Nori coughs the world bullshit into the sleeve of her jacket. Unable to stop herself, Galadriel takes a sip of her beer, doing her best to hide her smile behind the glass.
“Oh my god. Look at you!” Mirdania cries. “Girl, you are smitten. Tell me everything. I don’t even know what this guy looks like!”
“You would if you ever picked up first shift,” Poppy chides. Mirdania rolls her eyes.
“He’s handsome?” Galadriel says. “He looks good in a suit.” She pauses, unsure if she should say what she’s thinking, what she had already decided on. “I, uh, I think I’m going to give him my number tomorrow.”
The collective, high-pitched squeal that erupts from around the table pulls stares from everyone in the bar. Putting a hand over her eyes, Galadriel shrinks down into her seat, and Nori pulls her into a stifling side-hug as she speaks.
“You guys, our little wallflower is blooming.”
“Alright, ladies. Alright, that’s enough,” Disa says. “Let’s give the poor girl a break, shall we?”
They relent, and as they start talking about something unrelated, Galadriel breathes a sigh of relief and takes another long pull from her glass.
Sleep evades her that night, and when the wake-up alarm on her phone finally goes off, Galadriel doubts she’s slept more than three hours. Her throat is sore, nose congested, and her head feels like it weighs a ton. By some miracle, she finds the strength to drag herself out from underneath the covers and trudges out of her room in search of some aspirin. Both Nori and Poppy are already awake and in the bathroom, brushing their teeth at the sink.
“Whoa, you ook awfu,” Poppy says, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.
“Just blame patient zero here,” Galadriel replies, glaring at Nori. “Can one of you hand me the aspirin?”
Opening the medicine cabinet, Nori passes her the bottle. She takes two pills and pops them into her mouth before squeezing between the two girls to drink water from the tap.
“You need me to cover your shift today?” Nori asks. “I’m up early for the gym, but Poppy is right, you look like shit.”
“That would be amazing,” Galadriel replies. “I can make it up to you?”
Nori shoos her out of the bathroom. “Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who got you sick anyways. Go sleep.”
She doesn’t need to be told twice, and back in her room, Galadriel all but collapses onto her bed. She doesn’t wake up until hours later, when the sun is bright and spilling right into her face. She drags the covers over her head, and reaching a hand out, she fumbles to grab her phone before pulling it under the covers with her. She squints against the bright screen and reads the notification: 9 unread text messages.
She opens the thread with Nori.
6:10am NB: Tan suit today 🔥 🔥
6:15am NB: OK, so I just did something..
6:15am NB: Don’t be mad.
6:15am NB: Fuck, you’re probably asleep by now..
6:20am NB: Text me as soon as you wake up!
Galadriel rubs the sleep from her eyes and texts a quick reply:
9:20am GN: What did you do this time? 🙄
She closes the thread and opens the second one. It’s an unknown number, one she doesn’t recognize. Her heart is suddenly in her throat.
7:00am UNK: Hey, hope you don’t mind me texting.
7:00am UNK: Your co-worker (Nori?) gave me your number.
7:01am UNK: Anyways, I hope you feel better soon.
7:03am UNK: Oh, and this is Halbrand, if you hadn’t already guessed that.
She reads and rereads his messages, smiling through the fogginess in her head. Having no idea how to respond, she starts to text back a few times, but quickly deletes them all before finally hitting send on one.
9:35am GN: Hey there! Yeah, I feel like crap. Sorry I wasn’t there to spoil you.
She’s about to put her phone down, but then she sees the three dots appear below her message. He’s already replying.
9:36am UNK: She lives!
9:36am UNK: And you should be sorry. I had to wait a full three minutes for my Americano. 😉
Her response is immediate.
9:36am GN: Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be better by Monday.
Three dots, then:
9:37am UNK: I sure hope so. The coffee just doesn’t taste the same today - not as sweet.
Smiling, she feels hot all over, though she knows it’s not from a fever. She can’t decide whether she wants to kill Nori or hug her, but as she rereads his last message, she’s certain it’ll be the latter.
Galadriel is sitting on the couch watching TV when Nori gets home in the afternoon, and she pauses her show when she hears the front door open. Nori hadn’t responded to her text, and she looks guilty as she turns the corner into the living room.
“I didn’t see your text until after the mid-morning rush,” she says. “But yes, I did something. Promise me you won’t be mad.”
“You gave my number to Halbrand.”
“Yeah, I did. I’m sorry. He just looked so disappointed and - wait,” Nori pauses, narrowing her eyes. “How do you know? Poppy was in the - oh, no fucking way. He texted you, didn’t he?”
Nodding, Galadriel holds out her phone and scoots over as Nori moves to sit on the couch beside her. She takes the phone and scrolls through the brief text exchange. When she reaches the last text, she reads it aloud.
“‘The coffee just doesn’t taste the same today - not as sweet.’ Oh, Gal, this guy has it down bad for you. And hold on, why didn’t you reply to that text?”
Galadriel snatches her phone back. “I didn’t know what to say! My brain kind of short-circuited after reading it.”
“You cannot leave that man on ‘read’,” Nori says, standing. “I’m telling you.. the look on his face this morning when he realized you weren’t there was so damn precious.”
She heads into the kitchen, and Galadriel unpauses her show, though she can pay little attention to it now. It isn’t until later that night, alone in her room, that she decides to text him again.
7:50pm GN: Hope you were able to make it through the day with such bitter coffee.
She opens Instagram and goes to his profile again. She feels it’s too soon to send him a follow request, and the last thing she wants is to look desperate. She figures she can at least put his full name into her phone.
No sooner does she have his name in her contacts does a notification pop up at the top of her screen.
7:52pm HM: It was a close call, let me tell you.
7:52pm HM: Feeling any better?
7:53pm GN: I wish.
7:53pm HM: Well, that’s no good. You should get some pho - that’s my go-to comfort food when I’m sick.
7:54pm GN: Yeah? I’ve never had it.
7:55pm HM: Damn, you’re missing out then. We’ll have to remedy that when you’re feeling better.
7:55pm GN: We will, huh?
7:55pm GN: I’ll hold you to that.
Galadriel watches as the three dots appear, then disappear. She worries briefly, but then he’s replying again.
7:58pm HM: Well, what time are you usually off shift?
8:00pm GN: Depends on the day. I’m off at noon on Mon and Fri, then 2pm on Tue, Wed and Thurs.. why do you ask?
8:00pm HM: … Because I want to take you out for pho, you dork.
Her heartbeat quickens.
8:01pm GN: Did you just ask me out on a date and call me a dork in the same text?
8:01pm HM: Is my irresistible charm working?
Yes, she thinks.
8:01pm GN: Well, I’m not about to turn down free food.
8:05pm HM: Haha, how about Monday then? Lunch? Assuming you’re feeling better, that is.
8:05pm GN: You got yourself a date.
Setting her phone down, she turns off the lights in her room and settles herself under the covers. She makes a mental note to drink some Emergen-C the next day, determined now more than ever to feel better by Monday. And soon, the night time cold medicine she took earlier starts to kick in, the edges of her vision blurring as her eyelids flutter. She’s nearly asleep when her phone chimes, the bright screen illuminating the dark room. Rolling over, she lifts the phone and squints at the text.
8:20pm HM: Can’t wait, truly. Get some rest!
Sighing, she puts the phone back down, and within minutes, she’s asleep.