Forgetting August(80)
As I walked in that afternoon, her smiling face wasn’t the first thing I saw—which meant she was the one in charge of the crazy machinery that churned out the caffeine. As I heard her call out a double whipped, extra hot something or other, I began to understand why she took her coffee plain and black.
I had no idea coffee could be so damned confusing.
“Can I help you?” A perky young blonde asked from behind the counter.
“Yes,” I answered, giving her a lazy smile.
“What can I get you, handsome?” she winked.
“Actually, I’m just here for Everly. Wanted to see if she had lunch plans.”
She looked me up and down. Her caramel brown eyes assessed me before she turned and hollered over the noise. “Everly, you have a visitor!”
“Okay!” she yelled back, and I saw a tuft of her red hair peeking over the tops of the coffee machines.
“And who might you be?” the blonde asked, placing her hands down on the counter as if she had all the time in the world. I looked behind me, realized I was indeed the only person in line, and grinned.
“I’m Everly’s—”
“Friend,” Everly rushed over and cut me off. “Longtime friend,” she stressed again.
“Well…does your hot friend have a name?” the blonde asked, now looking me up and down like I was a large slab of steak and she was a caged lioness just waiting to sink her teeth in.
“August,” I answered, holding out my hand in greeting, although my eyes never left Everly’s.
“Well, feel free to visit more often, August. Much more often,” she purred.
“Will do. And I’m sorry,” I said, turning my attention back to her. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Trudy,” she answered, blushing.
“Nice to meet you.” I gave her a wink before Everly tugged me away.
“I’m going to take my lunch break. I’ll be back in an hour,” she said as we made our way toward the door.
“Okay, hon. Enjoy!”
We stepped out into the fresh air and began walking—no place or destination in mind. Just mindless, silent walking.
“So, do you think you could get me Trudy’s phone number?” I finally asked, the bitterness clear in my tone.
“Just stop.”
I froze on the street corner, anger radiating through my veins.
“You’re angry at me?”
“Yes! Why didn’t you call or tell me you were going to stop by?” she yelled.
“Would that have made it better, Everly? Would that have given you time to make up a better story about who I was or why some guy other than Ryan was coming to take you out to lunch? Because that’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You haven’t told them?”
“It isn’t any of their business,” she said softly.
“It isn’t any of their business or it isn’t worth telling anyone? Because I remember you telling me you and your coworkers were pretty damn tight, so if you can’t admit what’s going on to them, who can you tell? Have you told anyone?”
Silence followed, telling me exactly what I wanted to know.
“Is this a joke to you?”
“What?” Her eyes grew wide. “No, August. God, no.”
“Then why do I feel like the biggest idiot in the world right now, Everly?”
Her arms wrapped around me and as confused as I was, I sank into her warmth. “I’m sorry. It’s still all so new. I’m still working through what to say—what to tell everyone. No one knows about that part of my past. I don’t know how to explain you.”
“Then don’t. The world doesn’t need to know every detail. But, I do want to exist in yours. I want to be able to show up at your work and be recognized as your boyfriend, not some guy your coworkers can possibly hook up with.”
“I’m not sure the status update will change Trudy’s opinion on that.” Everly gave a hesitant laugh, her eyes filled with dread.
“I want to matter in your life,” I said.
“You do. You always have,” she urged, wrapping her arms around me. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to tell everyone.”
I pushed back in frustration, the back of my hand running across my forehead. “You mean you don’t know if you’re ready to tell them about me?”
“August—please try to understand. I was engaged two weeks ago. I—”
Taking a step back, not wanting to hear another word, I held my hands up to stop her. “I understand plenty.”
“August! Please don’t leave!”
But I couldn’t stop my feet from fleeing.
Maybe it was time she saw me walking away for a change.