Friday Morning Coffee

You felt like you were really starting to worry about Hikaru. It was Friday morning and she had gotten up to make you breakfast as usual, but she’d still had that stormcloud over her. Trying to cheer her up only managed to get you a few little smiles that quickly disappeared, and while she wasn’t turning any sort of anger towards you, you were worried that she was starting to go into a depression or something.

Deciding to give her some space instead of taking the day off, since she assured you she was ‘fine,’ you were left with the hope that Hannah would be able to get something out of her that weekend. In the meantime, you had your own stuff going on.

Paula, as always, broke into a grin as you entered the cafe and quickly handed off the till to one of her employees so she could say good morning to you. She was wearing her usual branded apron, but it was supposed to be a scorching day so she had a loose tank top underneath and a skirt instead of shorts. She’d also tied back her hair in a ponytail that left the ragged bangs free, and her quirky grin made you smile right back.

“Good morning, Ollie,” she said.

“Morning, Paula,” you said, accepting her hug.

As she stepped away she gave you a curious look. “Alright, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Nothing,” you said, but sighed again. “Well, something.”

“Lady troubles already?” Paula asked. “You just had that date!”

“No, no, not that,” you said. “That’s actually going really well. April wants to go out again this weekend and is setting up the date. I think she’s going to keep it a surprise.”

“Cute,” Paula said with a small, reserved smile. “So what is the matter?”

“Do you have any part-time staff openings?” you asked her.

Paula raised both eyebrows. “I mean, I do, but I think you’re a little overqualified, Ollie. I can’t exactly pay IT rates.”

“It’s not for me,” you said, knowing she was teasing you. “It’s for my cousin Hikaru. She’s come in a couple of times on the weekends.”

“Oh! She’s been in more than that,” Paula said. “She comes in some afternoons while she’s working on job applications.”

“I didn’t realise she came in,” you said. “It’s probably good she gets out of the apartment for a bit, at least.”

“So you’re hoping I might hire her?” Paula guessed.

“I think she might be feeling like she’s not measuring up to life after college,” you said. “She can stay with me as long as she wants, but she could be feeling like she’s freeloading and I don’t want her to. It would be nice if she had something more scheduled to base the rest of her life and job hunt around.”

“That could help,” Paula nodded. “I’ll tell you what. The next time she comes in, I’ll ask if she wants something part-time. Less than twenty hours a week, but enough to give her a few shifts and some cash in her pocket. I’ve got a few students on staff who are hoping to have someone new to trade shifts with when they need to, so she can probably work as much as she wants until she finds something more permanent.”

“Thank you, Paula,” you said. “That would be amazing.”

“Of course,” Paula smiled. “Plus if you’ve rubbed off on her at all, I’m sure she’s just as sweet as she seems and will fit right in.”

“I hope so,” you grinned.

Paula gave you your coffee and a pastry, and you hesitated but took the snack. You hadn’t started dieting and exercising yet. When Hannah told you what you needed to do, then you would start gently refusing the pastries.

They were just too good to say no to yet.

It took another few minutes before Margot showed up, waving to you lightly before getting in line for her order. When she finally sat across from you she was smiling and blowing on her cup of coffee. “Morning, Ollie,” she said.

“Good morning, Margot,” you said with a smile.

Your conversation went as usual, talking about what kind of day you were expecting to have and how hot the weather was going to get. Margot was thinking of finally using her student membership at the University gym to hit their pool if it kept getting hotter over the summer. She told you a couple of funny stories about going to ‘swimming holes’ back home on the ranch in Texas when she was a teen, and even one about going skinny dipping and getting caught by the neighbours. That got you daydreaming for a moment about Margot skinny dipping though, and you had to blink a couple of times to get that out of your head. She was wearing another one of her cute short-sleeved button-down plaid shirts tucked into her tight jeans, and even though she was wearing a white tank top under it she was still showing a hint of cleavage. That had never tempted you so much before, and you found yourself needing to focus just a little more on her face and not letting your eyes slip to her chest.

Sex had definitely changed how you thought about the women around you, and you weren’t sure if you were happy with that or not.

“So when am I going to meet your new girlfriend?” Margot asked you with a teasing grin.

“We’re not official yet,” you said, blushing a little. “And it’s just our second date this weekend.”

“OK, that’s fair,” Marogt said, reaching across the table and patting your arm. “But I’m just saying, you’ve got three women in your life who are very curious about this new girl. You know if there’s something shady about her, Hannah and I will both sniff it out.”

“There’s nothing shady or wrong,” you said. “But… Thank you. It means a lot. You know I would do the same for you.”

“Oh, I know, Ollie,” she said with a grin. “And if I’d met any man other than you in this city, I’d be asking you to do a deep dive on them. So just know, if she breaks your heart, I’ve got a couple of choice fields outside the city where I could bury a body.”

That made you laugh, and she laughed as well, but there was a part of you that had a feeling she was only mostly joking. Margot was the most rough-and-tumble person you’d ever met, and she didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

“My question stands though,” she continued. “When do we get to meet Miss April? If she’s going to be stealing your time, I want to know what I’m dealing with.”

“Maybe next weekend?” you offered. “As long as this weekend date goes well, I’ll have her come to the apartment so she can meet you and Hikaru.”

“Not Hannah?” Margot asked.

“I think Hannah will want to do her own reconnaissance,” you said. “But you girls can compare notes afterwards.”

Margot smirked and nodded. “Good for you,” she said. “You’re learning.”

“Learning what?” you asked.

“That you might be the big king of the jungle, but us lionesses work together.”

For some reason, Margot calling you a ‘king of the jungle’ kept a grin on your face all morning.

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