Page 49 of Come to Me

"But your coffee making skills... leave something to be desired."

"Do not even!" She folds her arms. "Fine. Then we'll get it out."

"You want to go out?"

"Yes."

"You know the TV is here." I look over at the living room.

"I do more than watch TV. I go to the Paley Center."

Crickets.

"It's a museum about TV... never mind. It was supposed to be a joke." She shakes her head. "I want to show you around the village. With plenty of stops for coffee and food." She puts particular emphasis on the food, like she's also worried I'm not eating.

Great. Another person who thinks my business is her business.

Okay, I know that's not fair to her or to Luke, but, right now, I don't care. I'm tired of being on the defensive.

"You sound like Luke."

"Don't get too hot and bothered over it."

"It's too early for bad jokes."

"Good thing I only tell good ones."

She pours herself a glass of water while I get dressed.

I check my phone for any contact from Luke. There's nothing new. Why would there be anything new when it's six A.M. in Los Angeles? He probably went to bed before I did and he's probably sleeping right now.

Then again, he's not exactly a sound sleeper. It's perfectly plausible that he spent the night working or watching TV on the couch or taking another dirty video for me.

I check my email again, just in case. There's nothing.

"What's the weather like?" I ask.

"Typical late spring shit. Gray and muggy. Jeans and a t-shirt would be fine."

I take her advice and pull on a pair of skinny jeans and a fitted blue t-shirt. It's an outfit I can disappear in.

In the kitchen, Laurie slurps the last drop of her coffee drink and tosses it in the trash can. "Damn, girl. You really do wear clothes. Now, let's get some coffee before we both fall asleep."

* * *

We makeit all the way to the village before we acquire coffee. That's four stops on a crowded subway car. Nearly half an hour of my brain flailing in a torturous caffeine-free state.

When we finally sit down at some little cafe that "absolutely has the best coffee in the city," I am in heaven.

It's such a quaint place. Most New York restaurants are tiny--the tables are packed so tightly they're almost touching--but this one is especially cozy. The walls are painted pink and there's a huge clock on the wall that says "it's time for tea."

I take a picture with my phone and send it to Luke. He'd kill to get that clock in his house.

Well, maybe not. It wouldn't exactly fit with his sparseI'm not going to decorate until you agree the house is ours not minedecor.

I shake my head. I don't need to deal with anyone's attitude today. I don't need anything but the giant mug of coffee in front of me. It's damn good coffee--strong and nutty with hints of cinnamon. I squeeze honey onto my spoon and bring it to my lips, letting the sweet substance coat my tongue. I could really put this honey to good use under different circumstance...

"Are you going to order food or are you just going to make love to your coffee?" Laurie asks.