Page 2

TWO

Aditi

The last thing anyone wanted when they were admitted to the hospital was an overworked, underpaid, caffeine-deprived nurse. And yet, some days, that was exactly what Aditi was. And recently, heartbroken had been added to the list as well.

Unfortunately for her, heartbroken wasn't an acceptable reason to call in sick so she had no choice but to come to work with a smile on her face and resentment in her heart.

So really not all that different than usual.

One of the only things that could make it better was a good strong cup of coffee. Usually, Aditi made do with the sludge from the staff room or the instant coffee in her cupboard but after a double shift and an ungodly early start, she really had no choice but to stop at Dragon Roast.

The coffee here was excellent but Aditi hadn’t been here since her break-up with Lena.

There were too many memories here that made the coffee taste bitter but it was an emergency this morning.

At least it was quiet in the usually bustling coffee shop, but that was because she was ahead of the morning rush.

All thanks to her shitty supervisor's demanding schedule.

Behind the counter, Renata turned around at the sound of the bell and looked seemingly a bit frantic and unprepared. "Oh, hello."

"Sorry, am I too early?" Aditi gestured to the sign at the door. "It said it was open."

"No, we are," Renata replied quickly as she ran a hand through her long dark hair. "Just running a little behind but that's fine. What can I get you?"

"Triple espresso, please. To go," Aditi replied, her usual order and the only thing that kept her functioning this early.

Renata cracked a smile. "As a nurse, you should know that's not good for your health." It was something only a friendly acquaintance could say, one that had faithfully served her many triple espressos over the years.

"And as a barista, you should know pointing that out to your caffeine-deprived customers isn't good for your health," Aditi quipped back, a little sharper than she intended it to.

Renata chuckled, clearly not bothered or insulted. "Fair enough. Triple espresso coming right up."

With a nod, Aditi settled at one of the tables while she waited.

If she was sensible, she would go straight to the hospital but stopping for coffee was a small luxury she afforded herself and it was one of the few things that kept her sane.

More or less. She supposed she could go without but then she risked killing one of her frustrating patients, or more likely, her supervisor.

The door above the bell rang, indicating the arrival of another customer. Aditi looked up, wondering what other poor soul was also in need of coffee this early on. Her stomach dropped instantly and she quickly looked away, but it was too late.

Lena had already seen her but didn't smile or nod in acknowledgment. Instead, she just looked at her with those cold brown eyes of hers, the very same ones that Aditi once thought were the warmest of colours.

Even though she hated herself for it, she checked Lena out while she ordered her coffee.

Nobody could make casual look so good as her ex who was naturally tall and slender.

At first glance, some might mistake her for a young man but Aditi knew the softness of what was underneath Lena’s oversized shirt well.

It was really unfair that someone could look this good with so little effort, unlike Aditi who needed lots of conditioner just to tame her unruly thick black hair, an elaborate skin care routine to keep the spots away, and concealer for the bags under her eyes, special expensive concealer because regular brands didn't make it in her skin tone.

She'd always been jealous of Lena who could roll out of bed and run her hands through her hair, throw on a shirt, and look absolutely fabulous.

If anything, the simplicity of her attire really let her own strong features shine.

That prominent brow of hers, the slightly upturned nose, her sharp jaw that clenched whenever she was uncomfortable.

Lena wasn't necessarily a classic traditional beauty but she turned heads wherever she went.

And Aditi had been a sucker for Lena's intense looks from the first day they met.

She quickly looked away when Lena turned back around, unsure what the protocol was for when they ran into each other like this. Despite working two blocks away from each other and running in the same friend circles, there had been surprisingly few unplanned meet-cutes.

She suspected it was good planning and deliberate avoidance on both their parts.

Lena paused a few steps away, much further away than Aditi was used to. "Didn't expect to run into you this early."

"Early shift," Aditi clarified, as if that wasn't obvious from her attire. "What about you? All-nighter?"

"Mhmm," Lena responded, simply nodding. She looked around a little before turning her attention back to Aditi, like she realised there was nothing else to distract her but the ceiling. "I didn't realise you still came here."

"I don’t, really. This is my first time since… in a while," Aditi said, not wanting to bring up the breakup. Lena would know what she meant anyway.

Lena hummed. “Hah. Same. Funny that.”

“Yeah, it’s almost like it’s—” she really did swallow that last part of her sentence. The last thing she needed to bring up between them was fate . Blasted fate, the very thing that broke them apart.

Lena narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. Instead, she ran her hand through her short dark-blonde hair to push it off of her forehead. It was a casual gesture, but it drew attention to her jaw and her nice strong hands.

Aditi quickly looked away. The last thing she should be doing was checking out her ex.

She swallowed hard. "So how've you been?"

"Fine. You?" Lena replied, although she didn't actually sound interested in the answer. It was more like a polite response.

"Yeah, fine too," Aditi replied. And to think they used to stay up talking for hours until late into the night. It was a sad reminder of what she lost.

"That's good to hear," Lena said in her cool customer voice.

Aditi wished she didn't know Lena well enough to recognise it for what it was and glanced over to the counter, wondering what was taking Renata so long.

She considered just leaving and forsaking her coffee but she needed it to survive her shift.

And it would make it so obvious that she was fleeing and if there was one thing Aditi didn't do, it was flee.

She faced Lena, boldly looking up into her eyes. "It's Alix's birthday soon. Did she talk to you about it?"

For a moment, Lena looked surprised. "She did. I ran into her not that long ago. She practically begged me to go.”

“And you’re coming even though it’s at my mother’s house?”

Judging from the expression on Lena’s face, she wasn’t aware of this yet. “It’s at your mother’s?”

“Mhmm. Alix didn’t tell you?”

“Nope, she just said to come to hers and we’d go together.” Lena shook her head. “That little shit.”

Worry stirred in Aditi’s gut. “It’s not a problem that it’s at my mother’s house, is it?”

“Well, I don’t love it but Alix’s birthday is only once a year. Luckily.”

“She did remind me that we need to be on our best behaviour because she's determined to stay friends with both of us,” Aditi voiced, used by now to the twinge of guilt in her stomach whenever she remembered that their break-up had put their mutual friends in an awkward position.

Lena just shrugged. "Tell her it's fine. We're both adults, we can be at the same party for an evening, can't we?"

"Right." Aditi gulped, wishing she could be as aloof and casual about their break-up. It was still fresh in her mind, and heart, proven by the fact that it was aching just from this short interaction with Lena.

She was fairly sure she was the only one affected too, judging from Lena's slack shoulders and neutral expression.

Then again, Lena always had been much better at hiding her nerves and emotions.

There was relief when Renata called her name and she got up to pay, moving past Lena without looking at her. She went up to the counter where Renata pushed two paper cups towards her.

"Eight-fifty," she said.

Aditi frowned at the price before realising she was being charged for Lena's coffee too.

It made sense, they used to come here all the time.

Together. Sometimes for a quick lunch break, other times exactly like this where Aditi was about to start a shift and Lena was almost at the end of hers.

Little stolen moments during busy days where they both walked past much closer coffee shops so they could meet in the middle to see each other.

It was something two people desperately in love did, something Aditi had taken for granted until it stopped.

And now they were over and it wasn't like they had broadcasted it to the world. They certainly hadn't told the barista at their favourite coffee spot.

Not wanting to explain that they weren't here together, she just paid for both.

It stung to carry the cups back to Lena though, it stung to hand one over without getting a little wink and smile in return, without that spark of electricity when their fingers brushed together.

Instead, there was just the dull throb of her heart.

"You didn't have to pay for mine," Lena said.

"Renata charged me for both and I didn't feel like explaining that we didn't come together."

Lena's expression stayed frustratingly natural. "I see. Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome , I guess," Aditi replied, almost wishing she had told Renata they were broken up so she could've avoided this insincere lukewarm thank you. There was nothing worse than social pleasantries coming from Lena who always believed it was reserved for strangers and colleagues.

Aditi almost scoffed at the thought of them being strangers.

They were each other's most important person for four years, they were far from strangers.

And yet, when she looked at Lena and her detached casual stance and clear vibe that she would rather be anywhere but here, it was clear that they were exactly that. Strangers.

"I need to go," Lena said, not looking at Aditi.

“I guess I’ll see you at Alix’s party,” Aditi said, cursing how hopeful she sounded. She’d even raised her free hand before she realised what she was doing and ran it through her hair to hide that she'd subconsciously had reached for Lena.

Luckily, Lena didn't look like she noticed and turned away. She managed one step before turning back, a gesture that had Aditi's heart leaping up in her throat, until Lena said, "Next time, tell Renata to charge it separately."