Page 27 of Welcome to Ero-TEA-Ca: We’re Open!

Cassandra

W ell, Cass just felt stupid. After getting herself into such a state over Ero-Tea-Ca’s existence, imagine her humiliation when everyone in the place just…drank tea.

It didn’t take a genius to know she’d projected her warped view of sex onto the new tea shop and Harriet. And all the people associated with her. The presence of toys and erotic art still sent a wave of unease up her spine, but even after just a few hours in the environment, she felt better.

The day started with putting the shop’s standard order away, which helped Cass settle into her new role.

It didn’t stop her mind from racing, but she did her best to focus on the job at hand, a job that turned out to be bigger than first predicted because the second Cass saw the stockroom’s disorganisation, she knew the rest of the morning would be spent rearranging it.

She’d got the okay from Harriet, as long as she didn’t touch the crystals.

Cass definitely rolled her eyes a few times at that.

Satisfied with a job well done, Cass filled the shelves in the tearoom.

It was the first time she’d entered with clients occupying tables.

There was a low hum of chatter, but other than that, it was peaceful, bar the old woman talking to Harriet about a coming out party.

She’d not expected to get dragged into the conversation, but it’d happened and Cass felt strangely okay about it all.

Alright, she may have gotten a bit snippy when the nosy old sod asked her to label her sexual orientation.

That was a little too forward, in Cass’s opinion.

But then she was suddenly going to the aforementioned coming out party and was actually looking forward to it.

Once Busybody Ronnie had waddled off, Harriet taught Cass the ins and outs of the cash register, which Cass thoroughly enjoyed. Every time she made the machine ping, a giggle wanted to slip out.

Standing behind the counter, taking money and writing orders, hadn’t been scary either. So far, nothing about the experience was as bad as she’d feared it would be. Now Cass decided to face her fear head-on, and she was more determined than ever to soak up as much as she could.

The majority of soaking up arose when she volunteered to swap with Harriet. Cass wanted to wait tables for a while. It meant she would interact more with customers, and even though that came with the possibility of awkward conversation, Cass was dead set on doing it.

So, she weaved her way through the tearoom, stacking teapots and teacups on trays and wiping away cake crumbs and half-eaten sandwiches. As she worked, her eyes roamed and took note of several books clients were reading, all sapphic by the looks of things.

She listened in—discreetly—to a group of four friends who were chatting about their relationships, sex included.

Cass’s ears flamed, but that was as far as it went.

What really surprised her was the lack of…

well, to be blunt, the lack of debauchery.

Cass had been convinced the customers would be people like her mother: loud and brash, wanting the entire world to hear about their conquests.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely fair to Lolita.

Yes, she was loud and brash, but she didn’t tell strangers her business.

It just felt like that to Cass at times.

The four friends were discussing a sex position one of the women had never done before.

By all accounts, the woman’s new girlfriend wanted to spice things up, and it was causing her to feel uncomfortable.

Cass hovered as the friends talked her through it, offering support.

No mocking or silly jibes. It was refreshing to hear and made Cass feel like there was hope for her after all.

She wasn’t alone. There were other people out there who weren’t as experienced as some, but they wanted to learn. Cass could do that.

By the end of the day, she was feeling reinvigorated. She’d made a list of things to research. Homework, of sorts, starting with a trip to the bookstore.

She left the shop with a quick goodbye to Harriet. They’d spent a lot of time together this afternoon and Cass needed some space. All this talk of new sex positions had Cass’s mind going to some inappropriate places. She couldn’t help it.

At one point, her befuddled brain came up with a scenario where she asked Harriet to help her with the physical aspect of her education.

Cass wanted to get over her shit, and she would by researching.

But, at some point, she’d need practical experience, someone to test her newfound confidence—or the confidence she hoped to gain over the next week.

Of course, she quickly dismissed the idea as absurd. Harriet would think her pathetic, plus she wouldn’t want Harriet to feel used. Cass still couldn’t commit to anything more than friendship. Not until she was positive she’d moved on from her issues.

Cass would also read up on the different types of tea Harriet offered.

This whole thing couldn’t revolve around the erotic part of the business.

Cass wanted to make sure she was offering the clients a well-formed knowledge of all things tea.

It would be a steep learning curve considering how many varieties Ero-Tea-Ca stocked.

A week didn’t feel like enough time. Could she ask Harriet for an extension?

Shaking her head, Cass headed into the bookstore.

She had three titles in mind, all of which she’d seen in the shop today.

With a successful book-finding mission complete, Cass was keen to get home.

There was no time to waste. Her phone chimed.

It was Kendal checking in. No time. There were subjects Cass needed to Google anonymously.

She was three hours down the rabbit hole when her doorbell rang. Cass’s eyes were glassy from staring at her laptop screen for so long. The bell sounded again, and then twice more in quick succession, which finally tore Cass from her digital world of all things sexy, and back to reality.

Stumbling to the door, Cass blinked several times. “Harriet?”

“Hey, can I come in?”

Letting Harriet by, Cass scrubbed her face. “Everything okay?” she called, closing the door. Harriet was already heading for the kitchen. Thank God Cass had the sense to close her laptop lid.

“I wanted to ask you the same thing.”

Cass headed for the kettle. “I’m fine, why?”

Shedding her coat, Harriet settled at the kitchen table. “You left abruptly. I was worried it’d been too much for you.”

Cass winced. In her hyper-focused state, she hadn’t realised Harriet had taken her departure as anything but what it was: a need to get her homework started.

“Sorry. No, everything was fine.” Harriet didn’t look convinced. “Honestly. The day was fun. Nothing like I imagined.”

“And you still want to come back tomorrow?”

“Absolutely. If you’re still happy with that?”

Harriet smiled brightly for the first time since arriving. “Of course I want that. But don’t feel pressured, alright? I know Ronnie was a bit forward today, and I can’t guarantee we won’t get other customers like that.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Cass needed Harriet to stop rambling. She needed her to know just how okay she was feeling. Maybe it was more than okay. It felt more like excitement.

“Um…sure?”

Cass chuckled. “It’s not a trick question.”

Harriet sat back in the chair, assessing. “Something’s different. I was expecting my sourpuss and am facing someone entirely different.”

Her sourpuss. Cass’s chest swelled with pride. Oh, dear. Taking some time to make their drinks, Cass weighed her options. Tell Harriet how she was feeling about today? The truth of it all or keep it to herself? Hmm, that might be where she’d gone wrong in the past.

Cass only had one true confidant, and that was Kendal. She was the only one to know Cass’s fears and anxieties. Maybe if Cass had opened up more, this whole sex thing wouldn’t have amounted to the giant problem it had become. Sadly, that just wasn’t in her nature, though.

Being timid and shy with personal things wasn’t an option.

It was ingrained in her character, so there was no point thinking of the what-ifs.

The fact of the matter was, Harriet had wormed her way under Cass’s skin.

She now felt comfortable enough with Harriet to talk, even though a part of her screamed not to, because Harriet felt like more than a confidant and what she had to say could lead to a world of embarrassment.

Steeling herself, Cass sat opposite Harriet and placed their cups on the table. “The truth is, today was wonderful. I can’t explain it, and I’m sure I’ll need to unpack some of it with my therapist, but I feel like I have knocked down a barrier.”

Harriet leaned forward. “Okay. Will you explain that to me?”

Cass nodded. “I’ll never be the type of woman to be openly secure with sex.

It’s just not who I am. But today proved I don’t have to be so scared.

The only way I can explain it is…” Cass huffed.

“It’s like a weighted blanket, but not the comforting kind.

That’s how anything sex-related felt. Like it was a constant pressure on me.

I understand part of it is my personality and part because of my experience with my mother and her behaviour.

The two, combined, created this seemingly insurmountable thing I didn’t think I could overcome.

I didn’t want to, if I’m honest. But then you came along and installed a shop that brought all my fears and anxieties to the surface.

” Harriet opened her mouth to comment, but Cass leaned over and rested her hand on Harriet’s.

“That’s not an accusation.” Cass laughed.

“Well, not anymore. It’s just fact. The thought of seeing something that made me so uncomfortable, every day, was awful. ”

“Made? As in past tense?”