But I did it.
I had a wee hiccup in these efforts halfway through the morning, when my phone in my server apron buzzed with a text, I pulled it out and saw from Gabe, At urs 2nite. Want to fuck u in ur bed.
I had to turn my back to hide my big smile when I texted back a thumbs up, the double pink hearts, a smiley face and a drooly face.
And when I wasn’t sure that communicated the extent of my excitement for our plans for the night, I texted him a GIF of Alexis from Schitt’s Creek dancing in a chair and flicking her hair.
I knew I chose my GIF well when Gabe dropped a Ha Ha on it.
He upped his goodness with a reply of, Bring 1 of ur toffee cookies home for me.
God, I loved it that he loved my baking.
And I didn’t hesitate to hit the case in the coffee cubby to grab his cookie.
However, with all this righteousness happening, by the time the second shift was in, I couldn’t contain it a second longer.
Shanti was logging into the till. Jessie was behind the bar, assessing the area (she wasn’t just a server, she was our mixologist). Harlow was waiting for Shanti to be done so she could log in. Luna was making Byron, one of our regulars, another dirty chai (yes, another one, that dude had to run on caffeine in his veins rather than blood, he consumed so much of it). And Raye was heading out to the seating area with a pitcher of water, when I approached.
“You win,” I said to Shanti.
Shanti’s head twisted toward me, her halo of glorious hair floating with her movement.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me.
I just grinned, and I knew it was goofy, but I didn’t give that first shit.
“Oh my God,” Shanti whispered.
I grinned bigger, so much so, it hurt my face.
And I didn’t give that first shit.
Then she came to me and gave me a hug so big, we had to sway side to side with it.
“This makes me so happy,” she said softly in my ear.
“Me too,” I replied in the same tone.
We let go, she stepped back, and they were all gathered around.
“I don’t think we have to ask if it was good,” Raye, also all smiles, remarked.
“No, you don’t have to ask that,” I concurred.
“I would be bummed I lost a hundred bucks if I didn’t get to see the look on your face right now,” Luna said. “That’s worth way more than a hundred bucks.”
God, soooooooo worth a repeat.
I loved these guys.
“I can’t believe you managed to wait until second shift,” Raye remarked.
“It was a struggle, but I wanted you all to know at the same time,” I replied.
“This means I can pay off my car,” Shanti declared.
For a second, I was stunned.
