Always Us

morning buns

Standing in line at her favorite coffee shop, Olivia switched back and forth between apps on her phone while she waited for the woman in front of her to finish placing her order. 

Ray's Coffee was her favorite spot in downtown LA. Located right by her office, the space felt like an extension of home. The owner Ray decorated the space with warm browns and creams that always made Olivia feel calm the moment she stepped inside, which she did quite often. Every day she stopped by to get a green tea on her way to work. On special occasions, she treated herself to one of Ray's homemade morning buns.

She stepped up to the counter once her turn came up. 

"Hi Sandy, can I get my regular green tea and, umm, a cappuccino? And that's all for today, thanks," Olivia said to her favorite barista.

"Meeting someone special today?" Sandy asked. Over the years, Sandy has gotten to know Olivia well during her daily visits to the café, and she was very aware that Ray's was one of Olivia's sacred places. Olivia didn't meet just anyone at Ray's.

"Heh, yea, I mean I hope so. He seems really sweet," Olivia blushed letting Sandy in on her morning date.

Olivia's phone dinged, and she looked down to see a text from the date himself. He's right around the corner and should be there in three. She smiled down at her phone, and quickly sent back a response.

Behind her Olivia heard the door bell ring indicating that someone had stepped into the café. Not wanting to hold up the line, Olivia pulled out her wallet, paid, and stepped over to the other end of the counter to wait on her drinks.

A couple more minutes of scrolling through her phone then Olivia looked up as Sandy was placing her drinks on the counter. She reached to grab the green tea as Sandy brought over a morning bun on a plate.

Olivia smiled at the surprise treat. Right as she was about to thank Sandy, Sandy interrupted.

"It's not from us, it's from the gentleman over there," she nodded her head towards the other end of the counter by the door.

Olivia's smile dropped as she looked up and recognized the muscular man standing in the corner.

Thankfully, he hadn't seen her look over. She tried to look away quickly, but Ricky, her date, stepped inside at that exact moment catching her frowning in his direction.

"Hey lady, why the sad face? Is everything ok?" Ricky rushed over to her.

"Yea, yea, sorry I, uh, just realized that I forgot to pack my snacks for work, but it's no big deal. I'll just run out and grab some later on," Olivia spit out the first thing she could think of. 

As she was rambling off her excuse, Spencer looked up and caught her eye over Ricky's shoulder. She quickly diverted her eyes and tried to move her date away.

"How about we go find a seat, I ordered your favorite," Olivia smiled recovering from her  moment.

"Thank you," Ricky leaned in for a quick peck, and Olivia froze unsure of whether a specific pair of eyes were still on her. Thankfully, Ricky didn't seem to notice. 

He grabbed his cappuccino and her morning burn as she led them to her favorite spot in the far corner. On her way over, she quickly debated whether she'd take the spot facing the window or have a view of the café. It seemed like a safer bet to face the café so that Ricky wouldn't wonder why a strange man was glaring at the back of her head.

"So this is the famous Ray's," Ricky made small talk as they took their seats at the small table.

"Yea, this is it," Olivia lifted her arms gesturing towards the bookshelves along the walls, "I stepped in once by accident a few years ago and have been coming back ever since."

"Well I love it, it's very... you," Ricky smiled at her and proceeded to ask her about her plans for the day.

As Olivia told Ricky about her latest project at work, she quickly scanned the room hoping that Ricky wouldn't notice her drifting gaze. He seemed interested enough in what she was saying that he didn't notice when her eyes found him sitting a few tables down with an older gentleman.

Relief washed over Olivia knowing that at least Spencer didn't come to the café with the sole purpose of finding her. He had a meeting. That seemed normal enough. A meeting he chose to schedule at her favorite café, but she couldn't deny that no where in downtown LA compared.

Three years had passed since Spencer had left her life. It was his rookie year in the NFL, and he got caught up in the glamour of it all. Late nights out with his teammate led to missed dates which led to constant arguments. She loved him more than anyone she'd every known, but it was all too much to handle. He was no longer the Spencer she fell in love with in high school anymore.

Since then, she's steered clear of his orbit. From avoiding any sports-related projects at her job to declining Jordan's invitations to hang out in any sort of group setting, Olivia was determined to keep her peace after the break up. It was hard enough to break it off with someone you still love. She didn't need to see his face as a reminder.

This past year has been a turning point in her journey. After months of therapy, she discovered the courage to go out and start dating again. There were some duds, a few handsome, yet immature, men just trying to get in her pants, but then there was also Ricky. Ricky was sweet and caring. He asked about her day and actually listened to her answers. He could always sense when she needed a little extra care. They'd been going out for a few weeks, and she felt positive about the direction they were headed.

Olivia smiled as Ricky raved about the latest book he was reading. She loved that about him. He wasn't afraid to share his love for fiction. Whenever he was telling her about a new plot, it's as if he went off to his own little world. She couldn't help but feel just as excited as him.

"You'd really like this one, Liv," he exclaimed, "I'll bring you over my copy this weekend."

Olivia chuckled knowing that she already had a pile of recommendations from Ricky that she had to catch up on.

"Ok, time to get going," Ricky stood up clearing the table and taking their empty cups over to the trash. "I'll be back in a second. Let me just run to the bathroom, and then I'll walk you over to your office."

Olivia suddenly got nervous again realizing that she had no one to preoccupy her, and she had lost track of Spencer. Was he even still in the café? She slowly scanned the floor wondering if she'd be able to recognize his shoes.

She didn't have to scan for long as she spotted a pair of black and white Jordans coming towards her. He was alone now. His meeting must've ended a few minutes earlier, and she didn't notice.

He slowed down as he got closer to her.

"Thank you," she murmured remembering the sweet treat that had lasted all of 60 seconds in front of her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she averted his gaze not knowing whether she could handle looking into his warm brown eyes.

"Is he good?" Spencer asked, and Olivia looked up. His question catught her off guard.

"Yeah, he is," Olivia replied staring intently back at him.

"Good," Spencer smiled sadly and started to turn away, "you deserve it."

Her heart sank as she watched a piece of her heart walk out the door.

Moments later, Ricky came out of the bathroom and offered her his arm, "ready to go?"

"Yea, I'm ready," Olivia responded, now in her own thoughts as they walked out of Ray's and into the city.