Page 11

Chapter 11

Alex

“A ww, now there’s a sight for sore eyes!”

“We should have eaten at home,” I groaned to Donovan the second we walked into Buns ‘n’ Roses. One of the perks of how much time I’d spent there was that I’d become friends with the two baristas, Rachel and Ashley. The downside of that was that they’d become friends in return and treated me as such, rather than as a customer.

Case in point, Rachel stood at the cash register with a teasing grin on her face. I wouldn’t call myself particularly tall, but Rachel barely reached my shoulder. What she lacked in height, though, she made up for with sass and a touch of evil.

“At least they’re busy, so she has to deal with customers instead of interrogate us,” Donovan murmured back. “I always thought she’d be a terrifying detective if she ever wanted to change jobs.”

“The rest of the police department would be out of a job if she worked there. Everyone would be too afraid to do anything bad if it meant dealing with her.”

“I can tell you’re talking about me!” she called down the line, despite the customer standing right in front of her. Anyone who came to Buns ‘n’ Roses regularly knew how it went, though. It never felt like walking into a corporate coffee chain, but rather more like a bustling family kitchen that also happened to take your money.

“It’s not too late to run,” I whispered.

“Yes, it is. She’s spotted you. It’d be like trying to run from a velociraptor.” Ashley, her arms full of mugs and plates from the table she must have been clearing, paused beside us and grinned. “The chase just makes it more fun.”

“You two have been spending too much time together. You used to be so sweet.”

“I just put on a good front,” she laughed. “I’m glad to see you both back in here together, though. The last few days just felt wrong.”

“I’m so glad we can provide gossip and entertainment for everyone here.”

“It’s a small town,” she shrugged without a bit of remorse.

“It’s good to have things back to normal,” Donovan cut in, taking my hand in his. “Those mugs look pretty heavy. We won’t keep you from taking them to the kitchen.”

“Very smooth. Fine, I’ll leave you alone. You still have to face Rachel, though, so have fun!” Ashley disappeared into the kitchen to deposit the dishes, but now we were at the front of the line.

“So, you two obviously worked everything out,” Rachel said immediately, already punching in things on the computer without even asking for our order.

“What would you do if we wanted to try something different today?” I asked instead of responding.

She just rolled her eyes. “Donovan has been getting the same thing since he started coming here and you let yourself be at the whim of Camille and Raina, but sure. What can I get for you?”

“It’s like having the little sister I never wanted,” Donovan teased. “I’ll have my usual.”

“And for you, sir?” Rachel’s smirk was all evil, brows raised as she waited for my inevitable answer.

“The raspberry coconut coffee and… whatever that is,” I pointed toward the new item in the bakery case.

“The breakfast torta? That one’s eggs, beans, bacon, and avocado. It’s a Mexican recipe Camille wanted to try. So, basically, you’re putting yourself at their whims and ordering the two experimental items.”

“The customer service here sucks,” I muttered, earning a laugh from her and from Ashley, who’d come back out to run orders.

“I’ll give you all the money in the tip jar if you say that to Raina’s face,” Rachel said. I noticed she didn’t type anything in, just totaled up what she’d already ordered for us before my little tantrum.

“I’d like to live to see tomorrow, thanks.” I reached for my wallet, but Donovan beat me to it, handing over his card.

“One of these days, you have to let me pay.”

“Maybe one day,” he said and his smile was so warm, so familiar, that it wiped away any further token protests. It’d only been a few days, but I’d missed him so damn much.

“The last few days were so boring without a real life romance movie playing out at my cash register,” Rachel said, handing Donovan’s card back.

“And we’re done here. Come on, let’s go grab a table.” I tugged Donovan out of line before Rachel could keep teasing us, but also, the place was filling up fast, so getting a table fast would be smart.

“I’ll let them know you’re here!” she called as we fled.

“That felt like a threat,” Donovan said. He brought us back to a table near the windows, one of the last open spots available.

“It was,” I assured him. We had a few minutes before Raina and Camille came out, though, and I planned to use a bit of that time just looking at him. Sunlight had always favored Donovan, picking out the glints of gold in his hair and eyes. Even in winter, his skin kept a warm glow courtesy of his Italian heritage, and seriously, how had this gorgeous man chosen me?

“You’re staring,” he murmured, a little smile tugging at his lips.

“If you had this view, you’d be staring, too.”

Donovan very deliberately looked me up and down. “Trust me, I’m quite happy with my view.”

“Awww, you two are so cute,” Camille said, skirting the table closest to us and putting two plates in front of us.

“Or something like that.” Raina appeared on her heels with two mugs, setting them down before leaning on my shoulder. “Everything good?”

“Seriously, we should have just eaten at home,” I whined to Donovan. He had the grace to take it all in stride, though, and just smiled up at the girls.

“We’re good. Thank you for caring enough to check in, though.”

“You sure know how to suck the fun out of teasing, don’t you?” Raina pouted a bit, but behaved herself surprisingly well.

“We just wanted to come and see you two and say hi,” Camille said. “Oh, and Alex, I wanted to check in with you. If you’d like me to go visit Ori with you again, I’d be happy to.”

“Thanks, but I think it’s going alright. They stopped by the store yesterday and worked on some focusing exercises with me. I was planning to practice some more today, actually, and see how it goes. I appreciate you, though.”

“I’m happy to help. And now we’re going to let you two eat and have some alone time,” she went on when Raina started to say something. She grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and smiled. “Let me know what you think of the torta. Rai, let’s get back to work before the line is out the door. Donovan, could you stop at the counter before you go? I want to make sure Will eats this morning.”

“Absolutely.”

“I love them so much,” I murmured when they walked away, leaving Donovan and me in peace.

“We’re pretty lucky when it comes to friends,” he agreed. “It sounds like you made another one? I’m glad Ori has been helping you.”

Right, I’d been so busy making up with Donovan that I hadn’t mentioned Ori stopping by. While we ate, I gave him a quick recap of the weekend. I didn’t mention Charlie’s journal, though. I trusted Donovan completely, but he hadn’t known Charlie and in my gut, I knew Charlie wouldn’t want other people to see that vulnerable side of him. He probably didn’t want me to see it, either, which I assumed was why he’d never mentioned that notebook in all the time we’d lived at the house together.

“That sounds like pretty good progress,” Donovan agreed once I’d caught him up.

“I guess. I’m hoping it’ll get easier the more I practice, so I wanted to spend a good chunk of time today working on it.”

“Today shouldn’t be too crazy, so let me know if you need anything. And don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“I’ll try my best not to sit and breathe too much,” I assured him, biting back a teasing grin.

“You’re such a brat.” Donovan rolled his eyes as he said it, but the love and affection in his voice made it sound more like an endearment.

A comfortable peace settled between us as we finished breakfast and went our separate ways. For the first time in days, I walked back into my house with a smile on my face.

“Alright, Louis. Let’s meditate.”

Thoroughly unimpressed, Louis oozed over onto his back, splayed out in a patch of sunlight, and promptly went to sleep.

“That’s the spirit.” I sorted through the supplies I’d bought from Ori, most of them still in the bag. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with them yet. Having a bunch of crystals just sitting around seemed like a recipe for disaster, with my limited knowledge and experience.

One of Ori’s suggestions included swapping out the quartz for amethyst, because that apparently helped? Thankfully, they’d included a small card identifying each stone, otherwise I’d have no idea which was which. The little chunk of purple rock didn’t seem like much, but I’d made a promise to myself to take this seriously. Or at least to not outright dismiss the idea that it could help.

Still, I couldn’t shake the self-consciousness when I sat down on the couch with a book in one hand and the stone in the other. I knew no one could see me, not anymore, but it still seemed crazy.

“Nope. Not going down that road,” I murmured, pulling my thoughts back. Acknowledging those words would just lead me back down the road to grief and missing Charlie.

Focus, Alex.

Concentrating on my breathing came a little easier this time after practicing with Ori.

Maybe I’m getting the hang of this, after all. Ori was pretty helpful. I still can’t believe I’d never met them before. How is that possible?

“Shit,” I whispered. Counting out the rhythm of breaths in my head helped bring my wayward thoughts back, and a soft sort of peace settled around me as I drifted.

In for four, hold for four, out for four.

Rather than words, hazy images of the town drifted through my mind. The colors were muted, as though I was seeing it through a snowstorm. No one place stuck out and after a few seconds, my mind wandered further, into the trees and mountains surrounding Lowery’s Crossing.

In for four, hold for four, out for four.

Cold pricks my skin, tiny snowflakes landing and melting the moment they touch me. The smell of pine and snow waft past, carried by the wind coming down from the mountains. I run through the trees, but not out of fear. No, it’s simpler than that. I run because I can. Because it brings me pleasure. No matter what anyone else says, I’m whole and I’m fine. I’m better than fine. I’m free.

A sharp sting in my hand pulled me out of my mind and I flinched, opening my eyes and looking down to see the amethyst stone biting into my palm. The smell of trees and touch of snow vanished, but for a moment, they’d felt so real, like I’d actually been standing outside in the snow.

“Okay, I think that’s enough meditation for today.”

Louis, naturally, didn’t so much as twitch an ear as I got up and put the crystal back in the bag. For some reason, the hair on my arms was standing on end and an odd unease curdled my stomach. Why, though? Of all the places my mind could have wandered to, being outside in the fresh air was the best possible choice.

A glance at the clock showed I’d only lost an hour to this little endeavor, which left me with a whole day to myself. Maybe I’d read before I hit the grocery story?

Rubbing my arms to ward off a sudden chill, I paused and grabbed the LCPD sweater I’d left on the back of the couch and tugged it on. Even after a cycle in the washer, it still smelled like Donovan and I shamelessly snuggled up in it as I curled up in my armchair with my book. All thoughts of meditating and snow and mountains flitted away as I immersed myself in the story. Two chapters later, I’d completely forgotten anything strange happened at all.