The coffee shop is exactly what you'd expect from a place that charges seven dollars for a latte. Exposed brick, plants hanging from the ceiling, the kind of carefully curated, rustic vibe thatscreams, “We're artisanal!” It's busy enough that we won't stand out, but not so packed that we can't move around.
“Oh, God, he looks really good. Is that a new shirt?”
“It's a gray t-shirt, Stell. Pretty standard.”
“But it fits him really well.”
I glance over. She's not wrong. Mason looks like he was designed by someone with excellent taste in men.
“You ready?” I ask.
Stella nods, but she's holding my hand again, and the grip says she has no intention of letting go anytime soon.
“I think it might look better if you let go of my hand.”
“Oh, shit. I'm sorry.” She looks up at me, and for a minute, neither of us makes a move to untangle from each other. It's like, for a moment, we both realize how natural this feels.
We reach the counter, and Stella orders. While we wait for our coffee, I can see her shoulders starting to tense up again, so I place my hand on her back, just between her shoulder blades, and give her neck a gentle squeeze.
“Breathe, sunshine,” I murmur, quiet enough that only she can hear. “You've got this.”
She relaxes slightly under my touch, and I feel her take a deeper breath.
“Stella,” the barista calls out. She takes her drink, turns around with what she probably thinks is casual surprise, and stops mid-step. Mason has looked up from his laptop and is staring directly at her.
“Oh! Hi, Mason,” she says, her voice about an octave higher than usual. “I didn't see you there.”
He smiles, the kind of warm, genuine smile that makes it obvious why Stella's been obsessing over this guy. “Hey, Stella. Nice to see you outside the building.”
“Yeah, I love this place. The coffee's great.” She gestures vaguely with her cup. “This is my friend Brandon. Brandon, this is Mason.”
I bite back a grin as Mason stands, clearly entertained. “Good to see you again, man.”
“Right,” Stella says, her voice a whisper. “You two know each other.”
“Likewise.” I turn to Stella with a grin. “That reminds me. I mentioned to Mason that you're a trivia whiz.”
Mason's face lights up. “He did! And I wanted to see if you would be interested in trivia tomorrow night? Eight o’clock at 33 Taps. Feel free to bring friends if you want to. It's more fun with a lot of people.”
Stella's face brightens immediately. “I love trivia! That sounds really fun.”
“Great. I hope you’ll come.” He starts packing up his laptop. “I should probably get going, but I'm really glad we ran into each other.”
“Me, too!” Stella says, her voice still pitched slightly higher than normal.
He waves goodbye and heads out, giving us both a friendly nod as he passes. I watch Stella track his movement through the window until he disappears from view. Then she turns back to me with a grimace.
“Well?” I ask as we make our way back toward Caroline's table.
She slumps slightly, her shoulders deflating. “That was terrible. I was so awkward.”
“You were fine. A little nervous, maybe, but he didn't seem to notice.”
“He invited me to trivia but said I could bring friends. That's not exactly romantic.”
“It's an opening. First contact. You build from there.”
We reach Caroline's table and settle into our chairs. She looks up from her phone with mild curiosity.
