If That's All There Is

8. You really don't have to

Three bitter coffees and a slice of Victoria sponge later, Audra bid goodbye to Ren. She scribbled some extra notes in the margin of her notepad, her phone vibrating on the table again. Silencing the device, she collected her belongings and shoved them in her bag.

Audra pushed her chair and spun around, her body colliding with another. Warm liquid pooled the crisp white fabric of her shirt, ceramics clattering to the floor. She pinched the wet patch and peeled it away from sticking to her skin.

"I'm so sorry." She crouched down, picked up the discarded spoons from the floor and glanced at the slim brunette. "I really should have been watching where I was going. I'll pay for the broken cups."

The brunette's head snapped up, hands hovering over the tray full of contents that were previously on the floor. "Don't worry about it." She picked the tray up and winced at the mess staining Audra's shirt.

Audra followed her gaze. "Oh, don't worry about this old thing. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings." She wrinkled her nose, the stench of coffee invading her senses.

"Bloody students moving the tables." She muttered, dragging the furniture back in place to open up the cramped space. "I can give you a top if you want? It's got the logo for the coffee house, but it's better than nothing." She tightened the string of her apron and walked through the alley of tables, Audra trailing behind.

"Seriously, it's not that bad." Audra leaned over the counter, trying to get a view of the girl on the other side. She was still taken aback by the small-town dynamic. The city she ran from kept her invisible, unlike her home town where everyone helped each other out.

The girl held up a t-shirt, the material fisted in her hand. She shook the piece of clothing, "there's a toilet there where you can change." She pointed to the red door, smiling as Audra nodded in agreement.

Audra locked the toilet door behind her, the harsh yellow light making the brown stain worse in the small room. She peeled the shirt off and rolled it up to stuff in her bag. The brown t-shirt was soft against her skin, the fit baggy as it hung off her shoulders. She glanced in the mirror, the neckline gaping to show part of the scar on her collarbone. Adjusting the top, she smoothed the crinkled fold on the cheap printed logo of a coffee cup.

Unlocking the door, she stepped out into the coffee shop. "Thank you for the shirt." Audra's lips curved into a genuine smile, the girl returning her gesture.

The lunchtime rush was over, and a couple of people occupied the seating near the window. Instrumental music filtered through the shop, the bustle of voices before hid the relaxing atmosphere set now.

"I'll make you a coffee to go. I'm Jen, by the way." She tapped the small name tag on her chest. "I haven't seen you around here before. Don't get a lot of out-of-towners here." She opened her mouth to continue, but her gaze went to the right.

"Well, I..." Audra's line of thought withered away, her eyes trailing after the muscular guy helping himself to coffee. She swallowed the lump in her throat, the familiar male not yet noticing her. The light glistened on the chunky link bracelet dangling from his wrist.

Jen rolled her eyes and moved towards him, hands snatching the steel jug from his. "How many times do I have to tell you, just put an order in and come down to collect. She jabbed his side and nudged him out of her way, taking over to make a coffee. "Jay, you can't just help yourself."

He stood beside Jen, back turned to Audra as he watched his friend froth the milk. His shoulder blades shifted under the grey top he wore, his attention on the jammed coffee machine, palm slamming on top to stop the appliance from beeping in protest.