Mina

A Coffee Shop

"A coffee shop?" Owen asked, peering out the windshield. "We drove two hours for a coffee shop?"

"Yeah." My voice trembled but if Owen noticed he didn't bring attention to it.

"They better have some fucking amazing coffee." He grumbled.

I rolled my eyes, kicking the door open to my car before I could talk myself out of it.

"Come on." I told Owen right before I slammed the door.

I swear, sometimes he purposefully moved as slow as possible, his seatbelt still buckled as he gawked out the window. Stomping around to the passenger side door, I yanked it open, Owen's smirk greeting me.

"I could get used to this. Opening doors, taking me on surprise dates even if they are just to a coffee shop." He mused.

"Get out." I snapped.

He shifted in the seat, his feet meeting the pavement as he winced slightly. "God I'm sore."

"Don't be a baby, come on."

"You know you're especially mean this evening." He told me, his voice lacking any sort of malice to it.

"Or you're just being especially obnoxious." I countered.

"And so feisty." He added, finally getting himself to a standing position.

If I was going to do this I wanted to be in the coffee shop first. I didn't want to have to take in my surroundings and see my dad for the first time in over fifteen years At the exact same time.

Owen stayed quiet as we made our way toward the doors, his concentration on himself rather than his surroundings. I was the opposite. Every time I heard a man's voice my eyes went darting around to find its owner wondering if it was my dad. I held the door for Owen, following him in, scanning the crowd as I did.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, I reached for it instantly.

Dad: I'll be there in 10 traffic sucks

I didn't respond.

Ten minutes gave me time to settle down. We could find a seat, I could take a breath.

Or ten minutes was enough time to bail.

I was leaning toward the later.

I watched the clock on my phone like a maniac as we stood in line. My body going through the motion of ordering and accepting my drink as ten minutes dwindled much faster than normal. When we finally took a seat there was only three minutes until everything would change. My hands shook as I brought my tea to my lips, the liquid hot and scalding but I didn't feel it.

"Mina?" Owen leaned into my side. "What exactly are we doing here?"

I shook my head no, I had lost all ability to form words, my eyes locked on the doors.

Owen blew out a breath, his hand landing on my thigh. "Whatever it is, I'm right here."

His words didn't have time to register in my head as a man walked in. He was too alert for someone just coming into get coffee, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, something akin to excitement rolling off of him.

I knew him.

I had seen him before. Recently.

My mind whirled through memories, discarding the irrelevant ones in a flash until I cycled all the way back to my graduation day. Chelsea pointed off in a direction and I had followed the line her finger had drawn through the air until my eyes met Carla's. But she wasn't alone. The man stood beside her, light hair, friendly smile. He had congratulated me.