The Sound of Silence: A Dream Daddy story

Chapter Five

You woke with a crick in your neck and a puddle of drool marking the new couch as officially yours. You couldn't remember when you'd fallen asleep, but you'd slept so well on the couch that you almost regretted buying a new bed. The couch had been a nice investment at least.

You stretched and reclined on the couch for a little, trying to decide if you wanted to go back to sleep or finally get up and start your day. You'd gone nearly a week without getting any work done. It was probably time to get back to work.

That meant showering and heading back down to the Coffee Spoon. Once you'd gotten Wi-fi installed, you'd probably never need to leave the house again, but until then, free Wi-fi was a must.

You arrived at the coffee shop with your hair still damp and your shitty old laptop tucked under one arm. You hesitated outside for a moment. There was a chance you'd find yourself face to face with the man from the bar again. Were you ready to take that chance?

The need for caffeine finally pushed you inside. You're an adult, you can handle seeing someone who looks a little like him.

Mat the barista turned to greet you as the bells on the door rang, and his face lit up into a smile as he saw you.

"Oh, hey!"

"Hey," You wondered briefly if you'd ever get used to the enthusiastic way these people talked. Like everyone was their best friend and they were pleased as punch to see them. "Mat, right?" It couldn't hurt to be friendly with the barista. And it didn't seem like the guy from the bar was around, so staying at the coffee shop seemed like a good way to kill some of your time today.

"That's me. I don't think I caught your name yesterday."

You shrugged, introducing yourself.

"Having another Godspeed You! Black Coffee?"

"Not today." You'd taken another look at the menu, chuckling under your breath at the names you hadn't noticed the day before. "Mocha! At the Disco, please."

"Coming right up."

You found a plush armchair and kicked back at once, booting up your laptop.

Soon, you were absorbed in your work, typing away rapidly while you caught up on the writing that had been piling up while you drove for four days straight and then settled into a new home. That was the one benefit of working mostly from home, you realized. You could let the work pile up and then spend one good day getting it all back down to a totally manageable pile instead.

You became so absorbed in the words on your screen, your mind filled with your work for once instead of worries, that you stopped paying attention to your surroundings. All around you the coffee shop hummed with activity. Either Mat puttering around and cleaning, or customers coming in to order and then either leave or sit and chat or work. The atmosphere of the shop was cozy and calming, the perfect place to get some work done.

You typed away until your drink had cooled and you were jittering in your seat, adding the finishing touches to one of the articles you wrote every week. It wasn't for anything fancy, but it paid well, and the work itself was easy.

Out of nowhere, someone making their way past you to another chair jogged against your legs. You jolted up, startled by the sudden contact and the splash of lukewarm liquid that showered dangerously close to your laptop. Shrinking into the armchair, you cried out and pulled your laptop close, looking up into the face of none other than Robert.

Your heart did that familiar leap up into your throat, and you caught your breath at the sight of him. He juggled his cup, managing to hold onto it and, by some miracle, managed not to spill more than the few drops that had hit your jeans.

"Woah, I think I'm having Deja Brew."

The words popped out of your mouth before you could stop them.

The man froze, his eyes falling to your face and his expression going carefully blank. Only his eyebrows moved, drawing so far down that you flinched away, shrinking even further into the cushions of the chair.

Smooth, asshole.

On the other side of the shop, Mat burst into laughter. "Deja Brew, oh, my god! That pun was grounds for arrest."

Someone else liked your puns? Raising your eyebrows, you relaxed, uncurling a bit from the defensive position you'd taken as Robert stepped away, shaking his head. He didn't go far, plopping down on the nearest armchair and groaning in disgust at Mat's pun.

"I cannot espresso how much I hate you two right now."

You exploded into laughter.

Never, in a million years, had you expected to hear a pun come out of that man's mouth. He leveled an even gaze in your direction, glaring, but you couldn't stop laughing. You pressed a hand over your mouth, trying to stifle the sound, but now that it had started, you were in it for the long haul.

Finally, gasping, you managed to choke out something approximating words. "Thanks a latte for the laugh."

Mat barked out a laugh from across the shop, but Robert only rolled his eyes.

Wiping your eyes, you closed your laptop and stood up. "Jesus Christ, I think that's my brew to leave."

"Don't mind Robert's tamper," Mat quipped, waving broadly from where he clutched at the counter, laughing helplessly. "He's just bitter."

As you inched your way past Robert, who was carefully ignoring both you and Mat now, sipping his coffee with a glower resting on his face, you swallowed back a grin. Exchanging puns at the man's expense had relaxed you more than anything else ever could have. He took a pointed sip of his coffee as you passed, but you saw his eyes flicker toward you just as you turned toward the door.

You wished Mat a good day, still chuckling as you stepped outside and into the muggy heat of a summer day. The coffee had given you some energy, your work was mostly done, and you were in a better mood than you could remember being in for . . .

For weeks.

Your steps faltered at the thought, and you came to a stop on the sidewalk, your face falling into a thoughtful frown. You thought, hard, trying to remember the last time your spirit had felt this light. It had been months, maybe even a few years. You'd been in a constant state of . . . low for so long, you'd almost forgotten what it felt like to feel light and cheerful like this.

Behind you, the bells on the Coffee Spoon door jingled. You stiffened, starting to move again, hoping whoever had come outside would go the opposite direction.

"Hey!" You flinched, ducking your head and turning all in the same movement.

Robert approached slowly, his expression not changing from the same malcontent glare he'd worn every other time you'd seen him.

"Uh, yes?" Falling back a step as he came closer, you flinched as he lifted his hand.

"Affogato introduce myself. Name's Robert."

You stared, one arm thrown up defensively, at the hand he'd extended. His expression hadn't changed, but he had made that pun, right? "Uh," Carefully, you shook his hand, feeling the roughness of scars and callous on his palm and fingers. You introduced yourself, stammering. "Yeah, right. Nice to . . . officially meet you, I guess?" Your heart had been in your throat since hearing the bells jingling, but looking into his face, you didn't see anything there to alarm you. He met your gaze as evenly as he always had, his grip firm as you shook hands for just a fraction of a second too long.

He was the first one to pull away, but you broke eye contact only a moment later.

"If you're ever back at Jim and Kim's, maybe I'll buy you a drink."

The offer hung in the air, along with the ever-familiar scent of smoke and leather, even after he'd abruptly brushed past you and left.

What the hell kind of town had you come to?