Falling Up

31. Burning

The morning after the fight, Riley was sitting down to breakfast with Noah, who still couldn't wipe the smile off his face after last night's victory. On the other side of things, Jason was gloomy in the kitchen over the frypan as he finished up the last of the bacon.

"It's not that I'm not happy you won," said Jason, placing the plate on the counter in front of them as he pulled a heap of bacon onto his own plate.

"You just wish I didn't hit his face so hard," smiled Noah. "The bruises will fade and you'll have your pretty little man back in no time," Noah said as he ripped into a piece of bacon.

That was true. The bruises would fade in time, but it wasn't like Noah escaped unscathed as well. He had a purple bruise on the corner of his jaw and every time he moved, he winced slightly and clutched his side. They worked each other over quite well.

Riley finished her breakfast with the others before grabbing her bag and heading out to the car. Noah was going to drop her off this morning, bright and early for her shift at the coffee shop.

"Don't forget," said Noah as they pulled up to the campus, in gaze on her turning serious. "You're grounded. Jason will be back here this afternoon to pick you up after your last class."

She rolled her eyes, stepping out of the car and ignoring the deathly stares he directed at her. "Yeah yeah," she said, waving Noah off and heading for her morning shift.

The nerves in her stomach were swirling around more than usual this morning as she remembered the study session she had planned mid-morning with Kain. There was something about him that just put your body on edge. And she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Pushing open the door to the coffee shop, she heard the bell chime on the door before walking behind the counter to pick up her apron. "Morning Ian," she said to her co-worker as he hunched himself over, cleaning out the machine.

He grumbled back a response before heading back to whatever it was he was doing. Her co-worker definitely wasn't a morning person.

The hustle and bustle of the coffee shop increased as more customers flooded in, keeping her run off her feet for most of the morning. It wasn't until the crowd started to die down a few hours later that she took in a deep breath and finally paused, leaning against the counter. Brushing away her now messy hair that was sticking to her face, her eyes glanced over the shop and it was for the first time that she noticed him.

Sitting in his usual corner, eyes downcast with one arm propped up over the edge of the booth and the other propping up a newspaper, was Kain. The angle he was sitting in had his legs positioned slightly outside of the booth, one propped up over the other, and his arm hanging over the booth caused his shirt to stretch tight over his torso, showcasing his athletic form. The sleeves of his light grey shirt were rolled up over his forearms, as his strong muscular arms flexed with the turn of the page.

Riley nervously pushed her back and tied it up into a rough, messy bun on the top of her head. It may not have been the greatest looking hairstyle, but at least it was practical and off her neck, which was sticky and hot from standing next to the constant brewing coffee machine.

"I'm finishing up now if that's alright," she called back to her boss Bridget who was standing behind the till.

"Not a problem, love. Thanks for today. You've been a real lifesaver around here."

Riley blushed. It was rare for her to receive a compliment, but she smiled back politely. "Of course. Do you mind if I grab a couple of coffees? Kain and I were going to study at the booth, if that's okay?" She pointed over to Kain, who was still engrossed in his newspaper.