Hopelessly Falling [book 2]

Chapter Four

IV
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"You seem slightly more sleep-deprived than usual," Seth said over to me, pouring the milk into a latte with the typical design.

"A little hungover is all," I told him, continuing to rub the bridge of my nose. We didn't have a lot of customers today.

"That'll get ya," he said, walking over and handing someone the latte with a smile.

I hopped down from sitting on the counter, making myself a double-shot of espresso. I let it cool down for a sec before I downed it. Seth gave me a funny look.

"Trust me, hungover me is not a pretty scene without caffeine," I told him. He chuckled.

"That rhymed." He commented, sweeping some crumbs off of the counter. A few moments later the door bell rang, signaling to us that someone had just come in.

I walked over behind the register and looked up at the customer with a friendly expression, only to be caught slightly off-guard.

She looked to be a few years older than me. Her thin hair was platinum blonde, she had brown eyes with dark eyeshadow, and her skin was very fair. She wore dark skinny jeans, a black tank top with a grey sweater over it, and grey booties.

She was looking at me speechless, as if I was a long lost friend she hadn't seen in years. Her eyes were slightly teary as she continued to stare at me. I awkwardly smiled back as she approached me.

"What can I get for you today?" I asked. Her eyes scanned over my face one more time, before she finally said something.

"You're Crystal, right?" she asked hesitatingly. Her voice was slightly raspy.

"That is what the name tag says," I said with an awkward laugh. She seemed to be weary at saying whatever she was going to next.

"Hi, um, my name is Cassidy.. I knew your brother."

My heart stopped beating in my chest as my face immediately fell. Not one person had mentioned my brother since we moved to California a little over a year ago.

"W-what?" I stared back at her. Her eyes were a little more teary now.

"Can we talk? Please?" She implored, and I nodded after trying to swallow the knot in my throat.

"Hey, Seth, can you cover for me for a minute?" I asked as he walked back in from the storage room. He noticed my serious face and flashed me a confused expression, his gaze flashing over to Cassidy and then back to me.

"Yeah, of course," he replied. My mind still completely somewhere else, I thanked him and made my way out from behind the counter.

We went over to the corner booth across from each other. When we were both sat down, I just stared at her and waited for her to say whatever she had wanted to. My face felt like it was on fire, while my mind was trying so desperately not to think about.. well.. you know.

"Me and John," she paused. I winced at my brother's name. "We, uh, we were pretty involved." She started. I kept looking back and forth between her and the table, trying my hardest not to show how much the thought of him was effecting me.