“Good morning!” he says cheerfully through his window as I approach.
I grit my teeth. “Are you always so chipper at this time of morning?” I ask, opening his car door.
His brows wriggle and he huffs as if I said something amusing.
The aroma of coffee feels like a hug. My mouth drops when I see he’s stopped at Starbucks before picking me up. There are four cups in the tray.
He follows my questioning gaze. “I didn’t know what you liked so I got black coffee, coffee with cream and sugar, a caramel macchiato, and an iced vanilla latte.”
I can’t help but grin as I close the door. It might be one of the most considerate things anyone has ever done for me.
“I hope one of those works. If not, we can stop on the way.”
“I’d drink any one of them,” I reply.
He smiles. “I’ll tell you what, have two. We have plenty.”
“Not unless you want me to pee myself before we get to work,” I say without thinking. I immediately wish I hadn’t opened my mouth at all. I’m so stupid. It’s why I don’t like talking.
“It’s leather. It’ll roll right off.”
I smile awkwardly, surprised my weirdness didn’t seem to faze him.
He places the car in reverse and I buckle my seat belt. He’s pleasantly quiet as we make our way down the street. I fight the urge to be polite and just enjoy the silence, but my need to have manners wins out. “Thank you for getting coffee. You didn’t have to do it.”
“I know I didn’t. I wanted to. I’m really not very good in the morning without it. Speaking of which, you need to pick one, because I’ve been dying for a sip.”
“You bought it. You pick.”
“This is research for me. I need to know your first choice. I insist.”
I grab the macchiato and he nods. “I knew it.”
“No you didn’t. You had no clue or else you wouldn’t have bought four drinks.”
“Maybe I secretly want the other three.”
I laugh sarcastically. “I hope you have a strong bladder because ifyoupee yourself on the way to work, I’m telling everyone.”
“And here I was, all nice about lettingyoupee all over my new car. I’m going to drink them just to prove you wrong.”
I shrug, taking a sip of my hot coffee. “Your choice.” I note he’s one of those people who probably thinks he has to do what he says, even in a joke. The coffee warms me from the inside out. I haven’t had Starbucks in months. It’s heaven.
He takes the black coffee. It suits him.
Traffic is already crawling, but when we edge into the carpool lane, we start moving faster than I’ve ever gone before. We’re only going around twenty miles per hour, starting and stopping here and there, but we’re moving and that’s a pleasant change. I can’t help but smirk at the drivers we pass. I don’t mean to be one of the people I hate, but it’s kinda cool to not be sitting still for once.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” he asks.
“The quiet is nice.”
He huffs in humor as he takes his last sip of coffee, replacing the empty cup in the tray. “This is number two, if you’re counting.” He lifts the coffee with cream and sugar in the air to me and takes a sip. He’s drinking that way too fast. I hope he knows what he’s doing.
I pull my phone from my purse, quietly scrolling through mechanics near work. I’ve already said way more than I usually do before noon.
“Do you know who you’re going to call?” he asks, obviously trying to make conversation.
I sigh. “No.”
