COFFEE

F

*_*_*

"Welcome to-Lacey!" Dayton cheered, sliding smoothly over the counter to sit with me at the table.

I smile. "Hey, Dayton."

"How did you sleep last night?"

"I didn't." I murmured quietly.

Dayton's eyes soften. "Lacey."

"I know, I know." I sighed. "I had a very long shift last night."

"Where are the children? I noticed they didn't come in with you."

"Field trip."

He nods. "Makes sense."

"Yeah. I just got out of class and decided to pop in here for a minute before going home."

"You need to sleep." He said, rubbing my back.

"Can you, like, not touch me right now?" I said as I fight to keep my eyes open.

His hand stops rubbing my back, but he does not take it off of me. "Why?"

"It makes me want to pass out right now on the table."

Dayton laughs. "Then I'll keep rubbing your back. You need rest."

"I also need to pick up my siblings from school today, so I can't fall asleep or I'll end up forgetting to get them."

"What time do you have to pick them up at?"

I sit up. "3:30 pm."

"Where do they go to school at?"

"Princeton Elementary."

"That's 15 minutes from here, right?"

"Yeah. I normally leave here around 3:10 pm in case there's traffic, but there's none most of the time."

I feel Dayton's hand rub my back in circles again, making my eyelids droop over my eyes. "Dayton, stop."

"Sh, it's okay." He said in a hushed tone. "Rest. I'll set a timer for you to wake you up so you can go get your siblings from school."

"I...need to...stay up." I breathed, my head slowly falling on the table.

He places a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Go to sleep, Lacey."

"Asshole." I muttered.

That was the last thing I remember before I fell asleep.