a hand was lifted in a wave once more, brows furrowing. “no such thing as ‘too kind’, and like i said - i’m sure you’re underselling yourself. you seem lovely, until proven otherwise i will believe just that.” carlos offered another warm smile, grabbing a hoodie from the stairs’ bannister to slip on over his head. he raised a brow just slightly when she spoke up once more, rolling his eyes and gesturing in over-exaggerated manner. “no problem; a lot of people in this neighbourhood are incredibly far up their own asses i’m surprised they’ve seen daylight.” such an opinion was the reason he’d been fired from the local celebrity magazine; but that had been for the best. now he was a serious journalist, and a recognised author. “at this point, i’m not sure i’d be too bothered if you were poisoning me – least i’d go out eating tarts. worse ways to go. as for bribing, well… i’m happy to do most things for people without bribes.”
“if a bit of milk and a whole lot of sugar makes you a child i must still be an infant.” when desperate he turned to black coffee ( he was desperate often, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant to swallow. ) the writer figured he’d get used to it eventually. “oh, yeah. i know the one. it’s really nice to meet you too, even if it’s a little later than it probably should have been. better late than never, right?” turning away with another bright smile, he set about preparing the coffee - instant, because who had the time to sit around waiting for the proper stuff to brew? that was something he indulged in on special occasions; a cup of yaucono or alto grande to remind him of home during the holidays. it was enough. moments later, he turned to face her once more and offered a steaming hot mug to paige. “there you go. let me know if you want more sugar.”
“ well, suit yourself, then ! " paige replied, a grin still on her lips as she let out a light chuckle. she was definitely no angel -- her past definitely showed that ;; her life in new york city definitely wasn't that of an innocent high school teenager. still, there were more than enough people in this town who judged her for keeping her darling baby boy, almost always on her hip. she didn't need to sabotage herself anymore than she already had. " and, hey, ain't that right ! it's crazy ;; how much some people in this town need to open their eyes and see the world. some people in this town are crazy ignorant ;; makes me kind'a wish that i had stayed away forever sometimes. " then, she let out a cackle, throwing her head back as she repeated, " go out eating tarts ? that's a good one. got'ta make that my slogan or something, if i ever do open up my own business. "
" yeah, exactly ! better late than never. " she smiled, nodding her head as she placed the plate on the table, taking a seat in one of the chiars. paige had lived her for most of her life, and at one point -- before she left for new york, she had known almost everybody in town. still, after a couple years away... well, it was hard to get back to that place, especially since she had tyler. socializing and meeting new people wasn't exactly her priority now, but it was still nice... it was nice to have conversations with people who weren't her son or her grandparents. taking the cup from carlos, paige took a small sip, a genuine smile forming on her lips as she sighed and said, " that's really good. pretty perfect -- and i'm a waitress who has to pour a million cups of coffee a day, so i should know. "
maybe, it was just because it was early and she needed her coffee -- but, actually, this was really nice.
