I go back and forth with her, narrowing down my choices until I decide on one.
She happily rings it up along with my teammates' orders, and Orion pays.
“Where do you want to sit?” Magnus asks me.
I scan the café, seeing it for the first time. I didn’t notice anything apart from the menu before.
“Over there,” I say, nodding at a table with window seats.
There’s a couch and a mishmash of chairs pulled up around it. I sit on the couch, sinking into the plush cushions.
With the scents of coffee and sweetness in the air, the warmth from the vents, and the subtle buzz of people, I could spend the whole day here relaxing and melding with the couch.
Henri and Cato bring the drinks over when they’re ready, and Cato joins me on the couch even though there’s still one open chair. He takes up more space than he needs, filling the other two cushions. I’ve noticed he loves to sprawl out wherever he is, and usually ends up sitting close to me. He doesn’t seem to have much sense of personal space.
I ignore his rich chocolate scent, pretending it’s the smell of my coffee that’s making my mouth water.
I ordered a drink from the menu but couldn’t help adding a little extra chocolate to my peppermint bark latte.The whipped cream on top is even peppermint flavored, with red and green peppermint candy chunks and small curls of chocolate shavings. My customization was adding thick slices of chocolate that they cut off a huge chocolate bar and stuck in the side of the drink.
I angle the cup to sip some coffee along with the whipped cream, and it tastes even better than I imagined. Both flavors are strong, sharp peppermint and dark chocolate, but they blend well together.
I savor it for a few minutes before selecting a mini poached pear tart and a cranberry hand pie from the pile of pastries Orion ordered.
The guys talk about the town’s holiday decorations while I’m lost in the food, only half-listening.
“I can never tell if the decorations are the same, but every year I think Starsfalls outdoes itself,” Charm says.
“They reuse the lights and garlands but change up where they put them. The town council rarely repeats designs even when they use themes from prior years,” Henri says.
“What’s the theme this year? There were a lot of stripes,” Charm says.
“I heard it’s candy land, so candy cane stripes, and I saw gumdrops, licorice, and lollipop decorations,” Henri says.
“Do you enjoy sucking on candy canes?” Cato whispers in my ear.
I choke on my coffee, the chocolate flavor sticking in my throat.
“Cato!” Orion snaps, so harsh it sounds like a bark.
But Cato is unaffected, so it must not have been.
“Yes?” he says lazily.
His thigh is hot pressed against mine, Cato’s arm draped over the back of my seat.
“You’re not allowed to say things like that just because we’re off the clock,” Orion grits out.
“It’s a simple question. Not everyone likes peppermint,” Cato says.
Charm rubs my back after checking that I’m not actually choking. I take a swig of water to wash down the cream.
“She got a peppermint drink, she obviously likes it. And there’s no reason to ask about it likethat,” Magnus says.
“Like what?” Cato blinks at him.
“Like—” Magnus’s mouth snaps shut, apparently unwilling to spell out the innuendo.
“It’s fine,” I say, finally clearing my throat.
