"So how did you end up here?" He asked, leaning on his elbow with one hand set on the small cafe table. My hand, which had been on his for the past hour, was tracing shapes into the skin of his palm while I sipped a cup of tea.

"I just wanted a change." I sighed, looking up to meet his gaze. His dark hair fell on either side of his face and he nodded.

"I get that. Running from the law?" I nodded and we laughed, leaning closer in the crowded coffee shop. "Any siblings?"

"Hmm, nope. Just me and my dad."

"The one who loves hockey, right?" I rolled my eyes involuntarily and he laughed, leaning back in his chair and setting his hands on his knees. "What? What's wrong with hockey?"

I scoffed, taking a long sip of tea before setting my cup back down. "Honestly? I have no issue with it. But when it's all you hear about for the first twenty years of your life it gets old."

"He was that into it?"

I raised an eyebrow, "You have no idea. It got so bad that my mom left just to get away from it." As soon as I said it, I regretted it. Wishing I could pull the words back into my mouth, I apologized. "Justin, that was- I'm so sorry."

He reached out to take my hand again, pursing his lips in a soft smile. "No, don't apologize. I can't imagine how shitty that had to be."

"He's just a passionate guy." I shrugged and took another sip of tea. "It's- it's stupid."

Justin opened his mouth to say something but his phone buzzed in his pocket. "So sorry, I have to-" He pulled it out and answered, his eyes widening after a moment. "Oh shit, okay. Yeah, I'm on my way."

I watched him hang up, setting both hands on the table and pulling his mouth into a taut grimace. "Georgia, I hate to do this but I lost track of time and I'm so late. I have to go."

"Oh yeah, no problem." I stood up and he pulled me into a fast hug. Before I could say anything, he was gone

~

"Soooooo?"

I looked up from my breakfast and frowned, April leaning close with a wide smile on her face. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. How was coffee?"

I ripped the top off of my blueberry muffin and shoved it all in my mouth as April dropped into the chair next to me. "I was saving that seat for someone." I said through a full mouth.

She reached out to flick a crumb off of my chin and shook her head. "Liar. I'm your only friend here and I'm asking you how it went." She reached out and took the rest of my muffin, breaking off a piece to snack on while I tried to swallow the mammoth bite I took.

"Horrible." I finally said, grabbing a napkin to wipe my mouth. "It was horrible. Started off great and I blew it." She gave me a quizzical look and I continued. "All was well, we talked for hours... and then he brought up hockey. And I brought up Max and Irene." She gasped and I held up a 'wait for it' finger. "And then he took a phone call, said he was late for something, and ran out of there like a bat out of hell."

April silently shoved the rest of my blueberry muffin in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out while her eyes avoided mine. I silently wondered if I looked that dumb when I avoided talking to her, quickly dismissing the thought before taking a bite of my apple.

"Mrr hrr war rrrr lar?" She offered.

"Chew and swallow, then be a good friend."

She did, taking a big sip of her coffee. "I said, maybe he was really late. Maybe he had so much fun with you he lost track of time and-"

"April, you know how we have the emergency call? If it's a bad date, you got dumped and you need me home. If it's a great date, you'll be fine on your own. Ringing any bells?"

She nodded and I watched it connect in her head. "Do you think guys have that?"

I shrugged, leaning back in my chair and frowning. "I dunno Apes. But I bet you $20 that call was fake. I mean, the only time I've ever run that fast was when I... nope. Never. I've never run that fast."

Notes

AAAAAHHHHHH, I've done this before.