coffee!

Reina drove with one hand on the wheel and the other relaxed on the center console. Jerry sat quietly beside her, fingers tracing the seam of his leggings. The gentle buzz of the car and the soft hum of the playlist she insisted he listen to created a warm haze in the space between them.

The hum was more than music. Reina had built the playlist herself using SpaFreu’s internal subliminal generator, a free employee tool that was far cheaper and easier than therapy. It had started as a handful of affirmations to help her through difficult evaluations, but over time she had blended in the lines she wished she had heard growing up.

You remain calm.

You are capable.

You deserve to present yourself beautifully.

Reina let the words slide across her thoughts like warm sunlight across her skin. They steadied her more than she would ever admit to anyone. On days when Camille pushed her patience or when management expected perfection, these quiet messages held her together.

Jerry heard the same lines without noticing them at all.

You remain calm.

You are capable.

You deserve to present yourself beautifully.

The phrase brushed the back of his awareness, feather light, warm, and unchallenged. He did not recognize it as foreign. It simply settled inside him as a gentle, agreeable truth.

Jerry was not aware of the thought as anything separate. It simply felt true. He had been so nervous about the little coffee date and noe for a reason he couldnt pinpoint had a sesnce of calm come over him.

Reina glanced at him. Her voice was light, almost teasing. “You look like you are thinking very hard for someone who just finished a workout.”

Jerry’s cheeks warmed. “Just… wondering what kind of dress you have in mind… not like I have experience or a desire to get them… wait.” He brightened with a sudden idea. “From what I understand, girls are supposed to like shopping. How about we pick up a dress for you today, my treat!”

Reina blinked once, then laughed softly. The sound was warm enough to soften the air in the car. “You want to buy me a dress. That is sweet, but no. Today is about you.”

Jerry shrank a little in his seat. “Sorry. I just thought…”

Reina shook her head gently. “Do not apologize. I love spending time with you.”

The words slipped out naturally before she realized how they might sound.

Jerry sat up straighter. His chest fluttered. “You… do?”

“Of course I do. And when you spend more time with someone you enjoy, you start liking the things they like too. Shopping included.” Her smile brightened. “You just need the right partner in crime.”

Jerry could not hide how pleased he felt. “So… I will magically learn to like shopping?”

“With me? Absolutely, I do like the idea I can do magic”

He looked down at his hands, flustered and glowing.

Reina continued, her tone warm but firm. “We had a deal, we are getting you a dress since you didn't feel confident enough to wear one out. I assume you are a man of your word… if you will excuse the saying.”

Jerry let out a nervous little laugh. “Yeah… I am. Or I try to be.”

Reina gave him a warm, approving nod. “Good. Because confidence does not grow by backing out of promises. It grows when you show up for yourself. And for me too.” She added the last part lightly, but it struck Jerry right in the center of his chest.

“I… want to,” he murmured, unsure why saying the words felt so intimate.

Reina tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. “Then we keep the deal. One dress. Something soft. Something that feels like you, even if you do not see it yet.”

Jerry swallowed hard. “Feels like me? I do not think dresses feel like me at all.”

“That is because you only think of dresses as clothing for other people,” Reina said gently. “Not for someone who deserves to present themselves beautifully.”

The phrasing echoed the playlist.

Jerry felt it land inside him with no resistance.

He shifted in the passenger seat, unsure why the idea did not feel as absurd as it had that morning. “Okay… but… you promise it is nothing too wild?”

Reina grinned. “I would never put you in something you could not handle. But,” she added pointedly, “there is one condition.”

Jerry tensed. “Condition?”

“I pick the shoes.”

His eyebrows rose. “The shoes?”

“You will need a starter pair,” she said simply. “For the class Camille signed you up for.”

Jerry groaned. “Right. That.” He paused, frowning. “Wait… why do I need another pair? I literally bought new shoes yesterday. You picked them out. Shouldn’t those work?”

Reina glanced over with a patient smile. “Those are training sneakers, Jerri. They are perfect for the gym floor, but not for what this class teaches.”

Jerry folded his arms, unconvinced. “They look fine to me. And they were not cheap either.”

“I know,” she said gently. “And they are perfect for what they were meant for. But this class has a different goal. Different muscles. Different posture. You need footwear designed to help with that.”

Jerry blinked. “Footwear designed to help with posture? What does that even mean?”

Reina kept her voice calm and reassuring. “It means I am not letting Camille be the one to choose what you walk in. I will pick something safe. Something that supports you. Something that will make the class easier and will look right with the dress i pick.”

Jerry hesitated. “So… not just another pair of sneakers?”

“No,” she said with a soft laugh. “Something more specialized. Trust me. When you try them on, it will make sense.”

Jerry deflated just a little. “I guess… if you really think I need them.”

“I do,” she said warmly. “And I do not want you to feel embarrassed or unprepared in front of Camille. Let me handle this part.”

Jerry looked out the window, cheeks warming. “Okay. I… do trust you.”

Reina parked the car in front of a small café with pale wood tables on the patio and soft golden light spilling through the windows. The aroma of roasted beans drifted out each time someone opened the door.

She shut off the engine and gave Jerry a reassuring smile. “Ready to relax for a minute before we tackle dresses and specialized footwear?”

Jerry let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. “Yeah. I think so.”

He followed her out of the car, his ponytail bouncing gently as he walked. The leggings hugged his legs with every step. Normally he might have felt self-conscious, but that warm thread of calm from the playlist still lingered. The world felt softer. Less threatening. More… open.

The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside.

A barista behind the counter looked up, smiled warmly, and said, “Good afternoon, ladies. What can I get for you?”

Jerry’s breath caught, but Reina responded without hesitation, as if nothing unusual had been said.

“I will have a cinnamon almond milk latte,” she said pleasantly. Then she glanced at Jerry with that bright, encouraging expression she always wore when she expected him to speak for himself. “Go ahead, Jerri.”

Jerry stepped forward, cheeks warm but strangely unbothered by the greeting.

“Um… caramel iced latte, please.”

“Perfect,” the barista beamed. “We will have those right up.”

They moved toward the pickup counter together. Reina stood close enough that their shoulders almost brushed. Jerry felt his heart flutter but tried to play it cool.

Reina stretched her arms above her head, working out the post-spin stiffness. Her shirt lifted just slightly, revealing a toned sliver of midriff. Jerry snapped his eyes away before he embarrassed himself.

“So,” she said lightly, letting her arms fall again, “how are you feeling now? After the class. After Camille. After everything.”

Jerry considered the question. “Honestly? Not as nervous anymore. I was earlier. But… I don’t know. Something feels different now.”

Reina gave him a soft smile, warm and proud. “Good. Growth feels like that sometimes. A little uncomfortable. A little exciting. A little new.”

Jerry ducked his head. “I guess.”

“You handled yourself beautifully today,” she added. “I am very proud of you.”

His chest fluttered again.

The barista set their cups down. “Lattes for the ladies.”

Jerry froze for the briefest moment, but once again Reina stepped in smoothly, lifting both drinks with no sign that anything unusual had been said.

“Come on,” she said gently. “Let us sit outside. The breeze will feel nice.”

They chose a small round table on the patio. Reina sat with elegant ease, crossing one leg over the other. Jerry attempted the same and immediately felt awkward, lowering his leg again in a fumble that made her laugh softly.

“Relax, Jerri. You do not have to mirror me. Sit however feels comfortable.”

“Right,” Jerry muttered, though he tried again anyway, shifting until his posture looked neater, cleaner, almost polite.

Reina noticed and her smile warmed even further.

“So,” she said as she stirred her latte, “about your dress.”

Jerry froze with his cup halfway to his lips. “We are already talking about that?”

“Of course,” Reina said lightly. “Confidence grows faster when you do not give your doubts room to settle.”

Jerry felt his stomach flutter. “I just… don’t want to look ridiculous.”

Reina gave a soft hum of amusement. “You will not. And even if you feel awkward at first, that is normal. Dressing up is a skill like anything else.”

Jerry stared into his latte. “A skill… right. I guess that makes sense.”

“You know what helps with skills?” Reina asked.

He looked up, caught by her tone. “What?”

“Practice. And trust.” She leaned forward ever so slightly. “Do you trust me?”

Jerry’s breath hitched. The answer was automatic, but saying it aloud made something warm fill his chest. “Yes. I do.”

Her smile softened. “Good. Because this is not just about a dress. It is about confidence training. You told me you wanted to feel better about yourself. This is how we start.”

Jerry nodded slowly, rubbing his thumb along the cup sleeve. “So… trying on a dress isn’t… weird. It’s like an exercise. Confidence homework.”

“Exactly,” she said warmly. “And you do it with your shoulders relaxed, your posture open, and a smile. Fake it till you make it.”

Jerry winced. “A smile? While trying on a dress?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “Especially then. You smile to tell your body you are safe. You smile to tell your nerves you are stronger than them. You smile because that is how confidence grows.”

Jerry swallowed. “That feels… hard.”

“And that is why I am here,” Reina reassured him. “If you pretend to feel confident for a few minutes at a time, eventually it stops being pretend.”

Jerry took a shaky breath. “Okay. I can… try.”

“Good,” she said, tapping his hand lightly. “Because after shopping, you are going home and showing Travis your new outfit.”

Jerry choked on air. “T-Travis? I don’t know about that. He’ll… I don’t know what he’ll think.”

Reina’s smile stayed warm, understanding. “He will think you are improving yourself. He will see you smiling. Standing tall. Looking like you feel good about who you are becoming.”

Jerry shifted in his chair, heart beating too fast. “It just feels like a lot.”

“It is only as much as you make it,” Reina said gently. “You can frame it however you want. A joke. A challenge. A confidence exercise. What matters is that you show him the version of you that is trying.”

Jerry breathed in slowly, searching for a justification that didn’t make him panic.

“Okay,” he murmured. “I guess… it’s like showing off progress. People do that all the time. Gym people show off their muscles, so… I can show off confidence.”

“There you go,” Reina praised, her eyes lighting with approval. “See? You understand it perfectly.”

Jerry felt himself sit a little straighter under that praise. “And… if I smile and act confident, then he’ll see I’m… changing. Improving.”

“Exactly,” she said. “And I think he will be pleasantly surprised.”

Jerry flushed. “Pleasantly?”

Reina sipped her latte. “Confidence is attractive, Jerri.”

The words echoed through him, mixing with the subliminal warmth still humming in the back of his mind.

Confidence is attractive.

You deserve to present yourself beautifully.

Jerry took another sip of his drink, suddenly aware of how tightly he was gripping the cup.

“Okay,” he said, quieter but steadier. “I’ll try. I’ll really try.”

Reina’s smile widened, proud and warm. “That is all I ask.”