My Mind Meadow of Meandering and Musing

Coffee

It was a bright afternoon in April, with just the slightest of breezes ruffling Damian's hair as he made his way briskly towards the front of his favorite coffee shop. He wiped his boots hastily on the carpet as the door closed noisily behind him.

Pulling out his wallet, he made his way to the counter unchallenged in the peaceful atmosphere. He ordered his espresso and a minute later cradled the cup in his hands and turned around to the seating area.

There were a couple of early morning customers, some chatting quietly, some on their laptops or phones, and one girl reading quietly from a thick novel.

Damian's heart almost stopped as he realized who the girl was. Images of the year before flashed through his mind: her smiling face, cuddling in front of the fire, going on walks through the downtown area to shop for anything and everything that caught her fancy. Dragging her out in the middle of the night just to go star gazing, kissing her in the morning and seeing her rumpled hair, talking for hours and holding hands under the table.

His feet moved on his own, and before his brain had time to register what he was doing, he was sitting down in the chair across from her.

She looked up, her expression part annoyed, part curious and also simply surprised.

Their eyes locked for a couple of moments before he smiled. "Hey Jess," he started.

"Um, hi Damian," she responded cautiously.

"I thought you were in California?"

"I took a break to visit family," she explained. "I'm leaving in a couple days again.

"Oh," he said, nodding.

Silence fell.

"So," he began again. "How has everything... been?"

"I've been good," she said, slowly slipping her bookmark into place without actually closing the book on it. "How are you? Still working for Newscapes?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm a manager now."

She nodded, not looking directly at him. "That's good news."

"It's been going well." He took a sip of his coffee. She looked down at her hands, spinning a bracelet unconsciously around her wrist.

"That's a nice bracelet," Damian offered, gesturing at her arm.

"Hm, yeah, I like it too." She paused, studying the object in question. "My girlfriend gave it to me," she said, not looking at him.

Damian paused for a moment before remembering himself. "Oh," he said. "How long?"

"About a month after I got to California. The bracelet was from a trip a few months ago, she brought it back for me."

"Does your girlfriend... travel a lot?"

"Journalist," she explained.

He nodded, taking another sip.

"What about you?" she asked suddenly.

"What about me?"

"Anyone special with you right now?"

He took a moment to respond. "There was some potential, but... no, not right now. I guess I've just been processing my life for a while."

"Yeah," she agreed.

Damian looked down at the hands clasping the cup in front of him. "Y'know, I looked into everything we talked about before you left. I've talked to a lot of people."

She looked up, a combination of unreadable emotions in her eyes.

He met her gaze and held it. "I'm so sorry for everything I did. I was a complete jackass, you know. Well, of course you know," he said, sounding flustered. "I... I can't say I understand everything, but I've learned a lot and I have... a lot more respect for you. I can't imagine figuring that out with someone like me breathing down your neck every step of the way."