can i kick it?

tyler atkins, 28. downtown.

[txleratkins]

itswillbennett‌:

Will widened his eyes a bit, his hands reaching hesitantly for the coffee. “Are you sure? You won’t get into trouble with your boss or anything?” He’d met the guy once before, the one who owned the place. Didn’t seem to be much of the type to be all touchy-feely, giving away free coffee to the poor, over-stressed individuals who walked into it. He unloaded his bag off his shoulder, haphazardly stuffing the stray papers back into the bag while taking out his laptop, hopping onto the barstool right up in front of her. He figured while he was here, he’d get some work done. “Only if it’s on the house,” he joked, opening up his laptop. Will reached into his bag again, this time uncovering a large stack of papers neatly bound by a large binder clip, and placed it right next to his laptop. 

“So,” he started, as he began to unbind the papers, “are you new here then? I have to say, I come around here a lot and I haven’t seen you around.” After he asked the question, he hoped it didn’t sound too intrusive or creepy. The barista probably had plenty of men coming in and hitting on her all the time. He wanted to be able to come back, after all. They really did have the best coffee in town. 

Tyler smiled at the man’s concern. “Don’t worry about that guy, I have him under control,” she said, whipping a rag around to clean up some spots on the counter. It was true--her relationship with Solomon was a good one, and besides, one free coffee wouldn’t close the business. He was cheeky about the cookie--she’d meant for that to be an upsale, but she was feeling generous today. She set a cookie on a napkin in front of him.

“Just pay it forward,” she said with a wink, giving the man his space as he set up his laptop. Definitely some kind of academic.

She stretched out her arms, ready for the silence to begin before the man interrupted it. Not at all unpleasantly, but a bit unexpectedly. She smiled at him, at his nervous energy, doing her best to soothe it with her own calm demeanor.

“Not creepy. It’s a small town, it’s perfectly fine to get curious,” she said knowingly, “And yeah. I’ve only been here for a few months but I practically just started this job. It’s pretty nice, much better than any barista gig in the city.” Even if Lakeham wasn’t quite a small town, it was still a big difference from the other cities she’d lived in.

“And what are you up to there, on your computer?” she gestured to it. She figured if he knew her job, she was allowed to know his.

[txleratkins]

solomonemsworth‌:

“probably best,” solomon agreed with a short nod. he’d been told a story or two by staff members that’d since moved on, mostly moving to bigger cities. they’d definitely ground his gears, fanned that hot lick of anger that rose so quickly in his throat. bloke seemed like a bit of a bastard if anything he’d been told was to be believed. 

“yeah? good idea. i am your boss, after all,” solomon said with a warning point of one finger, though his mouth curled up at the corners. he didn’t really like to play the boss card in anyway other than joking - he had a line that he liked to be toed, of course. but he tried not to be an asshole about it all. 

“that’s what i like to hear. y’know, you should be teachin’ the rest of these bloody kids how to do that compliment thing - it’d make me like bein’ their boss a lot more,” he joked, rolling his eyes a bit at the mention of tyler’s taste for blended drinks. 

“s’just a big fuckin’ milkshake. i don’t get it,” solomon muttered, quieting a bit as a customer strode on in. ah, a business prick. lovely. solomon was more than happy to let tyler take over - he just gave the bloke a little nod and went to rearrange some drinks in the fridge, making sure their labels were pointing forward and all that gaffe. he turned back when the man finally left, fixing his gaze on tyler again. 

“that’s nice of you,” he noted. “looks like you’ve got this all under control, eh? bet i could pop home for a spliff and a sleep and you wouldn’t even notice i was gone.”

wishful thinking, of course. but you had to crack a joke or two - solomon was surprisingly cheerful, despite the unplanned day at work. 

Tyler rose an eyebrow. “You want me to tell the rest of the team to compliment you more, huh?” She was poking fun at him, of course--but in a way where maybe it could be perceived as mean. Regardless, she was right to, because Tyler was always right.

As the customer exited, Tyler listened to her boss’s response. Yeah, she was sure the guy would love to head home. As would anybody. But at the same time, wasn’t this his business? Wasn’t he happy here? If not, why? None of these questions were Tyler’s responsibility to ask, but they did make her curious.

She laughed, nearly incredulously. “Funny how you types always bring up weed around me,” she said. It could be offensive but it wasn’t that far a miss at a conversation topic, since Tyler did have a penchant for getting stoned. And it was a nice way of letting her know that someone wasn’t a total narc, even if it was a little obvious. So she’d make him feel a little uncomfortable about it, just enough to amuse her before she saved the mood. “Just kidding, man. But if you’re gonna take off for a hit then it’s only fair if you let me do the same sometime.” Or maybe just, during work.

[sageandsynchronicity]

Visit Original Link

I don’t eat 

I don’t sleep

I do nothing but think of you 

[txleratkins]

solomonemsworth‌:

“wouldn’t put it past him,” solomon replied, as if he were some great authority on the subject. “i know he’s done some ah… less nice things to employees. i’ve heard some stories.” 

solomon liked to think he was a decent sort of boss - he’d had enough bad ones to know how utterly shite it was. he knew he could be a bit of a grouch and a bit scowly and not fun to be around, but he thought he was okay everywhere else. paid a decent wage, tried not to boss people around too much.

solomon unstacked the last few chairs, snort puffing from him at the vape complaint. “yeah yeah, what doesn’t kill you, eh? i’ve been smokin’ cigs since i were about fifteen - surely it’s too late for me, anyway. if it stops me from smellin’ like an ashtray at work i’m probably gonna stick with it when i’m on the clock.” 

“even if it does look fuckin’ stupid,” he added, half to himself. it did look a bit silly, chuffing away on the brick of a thing he had. better than those thumb-drive looking ones, though. the kids he saw dragging on those looked even stupider than he’d done at that age, smoking badly rolled cigs behind the bike sheds. 

“i like ‘em ‘cause they can’t talk. or order blended drinks,” solomon claimed. “everybody likes dogs.”

“Uh oh. Things. Not sure I wanna know more,” she said, moving to wipe down the counter simply because there wasn’t anything else to do and her damn boss was right there--best make it look like she was working rather than just sit on her phone or read a book. She wasn’t really sure if Solomon was cool with that level of her chilling at work; some bosses didn’t even like you checking the time. She’d gotten fired too quickly too many times to chance it.

“I can’t really blame you or judge you,” Tyler said, voice a little far away as she dreamed of the other drugs she’d tried in her life. She stuck with the one, but some other stuff was nice every once in awhile. She never quite got into cigarettes though--she wasn’t anxious enough for them.

“You smell lovely,” she said, over-polishing the counter, not looking up at him.

She sighed, looking up and running hands through her curls. She wore her hair down today--another shot in the dark. Some bosses wanted her to wear a damn hat on her head which never worked with how she liked to style her hair. Thankfully Solomon hadn’t gotten on her case about wearing a hairnet or anything--for that reason alone, he was on her good list.

“I like blends,” she said, still enjoying poking fun at him. She sighed as the first customer of the day came in: a rushing businessman. She anticipated his order and started grinding--he ordered an Americano and she put it out with great ease and timeliness, even earned herself a whole dollar tip instead of the change. The customer was gone just as quickly as he arrived, walking to his office up the street.

“That dude’s always running around. Hope he gets to take a breath sometime,” she mused lightly.

[txleratkins]

itswillbennett‌:

Will needed coffee. He’d been running on fumes for the last couple of hours, even almost falling asleep in his senior seminar — which wasn’t a good look when you taught it. Of course, not any coffee would suffice, certainly not the bitter muck that Lakeham U’s campus center served, or the watered-down piss that the national chain liked to promote, so he walked the ten minutes off campus to one of his favorite coffee shops downtown. 

As he strolled in, it was obvious that he was positively frazzled. Papers were sticking haphazardly out of his half-unzipped crossbody bag, his hair stuck up in a million different places, and his shirt looked wrinkled, even though he’d had them pressed the day before. The first thing he noticed was the woman leaning on the counter was new; or at least, newer than when he entered last. She had a funky look about her, like most indie coffee shop baristas did, and could have been anywhere between eighteen and thirty-five — although, Will was never very good at sussing out other people’s ages.

“Um — one cobbee, uh, I mean, coffee. Medium.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. He could feel his brain pounding against his skull, screaming for any little bit of caffeine. 

Tyler didn’t have to look at the guy long to clock that he was on edge--thankfully he was the type to internalize his struggle instead of take it out on customer service. It made Tyler feel a bit bad for him, but she’d also seen a lot of folks in his exact condition, considering she was the coffee supply for half the town.

“Medium coffee,” she repeated back, turning and pouring it quickly. Tyler was a get-it-done-now kind of person, if only because it meant she could relax immediately after. She slid it across the counter to him.

“This one’s on me. You look like you’ve been through it today,” she said with an easy smile, eyeing the man up and down. They weren’t far from the college, an dhe looked about the type to be involved with academics. She couldn’t be sure, though.

“Sure you don’t need a cookie, too?” she smiled again.

[txleratkins]

solomonemsworth‌:

“sincerely doubt you’d go that low. that’s below sellin’ your organs on the black market, that is,” solomon protested. probably a little unfair of him to say, but he’d had staff members in the past that’d worked there. they’d all said it’d been terrible, and had needed serious retraining to be up to scratch. “heard the bloke that runs that is a bit of a dickhead. a bigger dickhead than me, even.” 

that were difficult. 

“yeah yeah, don’t go talkin’ sense. business is nice but at what bloody cost, eh? what bloody cost.” he murmured the last bit half to himself, shaking his head as he sipped more at his coffee. for someone who ran a hospitality business, solomon sure could hate customers. they weren’t all the worst - there were some genuine gems that came through, truly - but there were a few bad apples that poisoned the bunch. 

“what?”

solomon had clearly caught the look, word spoken through yet another lungful of vapour. he figured it were best to blast the thing ‘til it were time to open - get him a bit headspinny, loaded up on enough nicotine to greet the first customer with some level of cheer. the early ones were always so bloody cheerful - solomon couldn’t stomach it. 

he set his vape into the pocket of his apron, though, when tyler moved to open the doors. that was his cue to heft out the tables and matching chairs and set them up outside - sometimes he just wanted to leave the bloody things out there, but he knew better. a part timer had done that once and some local yobs had pinched them. fuck’s sake. 

“aw, don’t mind her. her dog’s lovely even if she’s a bit of a twat.” 

that was solomon - easily placated by a massive friendly dog. even one that drooled everywhere. 

Tyler laughed at how her boss disparaged his competition. The other place was pretty corny, but the lighting was nice. “Oh yeah? What, he fire girls for giving food to the homeless?” she challenged with a raised eyebrow, “You’re kinda hard to beat.” She meant it with appreciation, love even.

Tyler sipped her coffee, amused at Solomon this morning. His vaping. The accent. The grumbling around. Reminded her of the guy up the block who’d yell at her if she biked in his driveway. But, like, hot.

“You know they’re investigating those things now. Say they’re just as bad as cigs,” she said with a smile, “You need to switch your supply, man.”

She stretched as the business opened, getting ready for whatever the day might bring. “You’re soft on the fuzzy customers,” Tyler said, shaking her head and moving to drink her coffee again.

[txleratkins]

evelynhawthorne‌:

“Space out all you want.” Evelyn waved off her apology. “I’m not in a hurry for once.”

And it was nice to not be hurrying either. Nice to get to just sit, if she wanted. Enjoy. She eyed the counter near the barista prep station, considered for a long moment, then decided. If they weren’t too busy…then yeah, why not?

“Just for me. The men can make their own coffee for once.” She rolled her eyes. “Between you and me, pretty sure they’ve never used an appliance in their lives. They’re the kind of guys who keep marrying purely so they have someone who can cook for them. Ugh.”

The bile was strong today. Gabe wasn’t awful, but the people he met with sometimes to make deals? Not her favorite.

“Please tell me you’ve got some pumpkin spice in here. Is it seasonal yet? Or does your boss eschew the basic bitch things? Because I’m feeling pretty damn basic today.”

Tyler smiled, turning to finish her coffee. If a customer gave her the out she was quick to take it. Tyler’s key to longevity in places like this was to not work if she didn’t have to. If someone gave her a minute to finish up her own morning, then she was happy to have it.

She smiled at Evelyn’s words. “If that’s not the truth,” she agreed, sipping at her latte and moving to relax one elbow on the bar to chat with Evelyn, “Men like that don’t really... know a whole lot.” Maybe it was a bit of a sweeping statement, but Tyler felt confident in knowing it was true.

She liked people like Evelyn for that reason: people who lived at about the same level of the world she did, who she could relate to, and talk shit with.

“I got pumpkin for you, pumpkin,” she said cooly, moving to turn on the espresso machine, bracelets dangling as she did so, “I cracked that nut. I told him he was going to either give me a headache telling the customers no, or lose business if he didn’t keep up with the seasonal flavors. Plus I like all that shit too.” She spoke the words as if they were secret.

[wildspringday]

like wow though?

[outdarethenight]

Visit Original Link

Prelude No. 4 in E minor, Op. 87, Dmitri Shostakovich Tatiana Nikolayeva

[txleratkins]

evelynhawthorne‌:

@txleratkins 10:45am, Saturday, 9/21 - Talk is Cheap

It was rare that Evelyn found herself at the local coffee shop on a weekend, unless she was pulling a bizarre emergency overtime shift for Gabe. She came here often, if not to purchase coffee for Gabe himself, then to buy it for some of his associates for a meeting - yes, she was that woman that men gave their coffee orders to without even checking to see if she was a part of the meeting.

Honestly, on days like that, the only joy was in the possibility that she might run into a particular barista.

She didn’t know Tyler deeply - Evelyn wasn’t the sort of woman to trouble a hospitality worker or pretend they were friends when she knew deeply how frustrating it was for clients to assume they owned a piece of her that they didn’t. But Tyler had a certain smile, a certain wit, a certain drawl that kept things interesting, and on a draining day like today, Evelyn thought she might deserve that.

Fortunately, things weren’t very busy when she arrived, dressed down for once in a simple light sweater and jeans rather than to the nines that her job, in Evelyn’s mind, required. With no one in line, Evelyn went straight to the counter with a smile, waiting for Tyler to notice her.

Slow days were the best.

Maybe they went by at an undesirable pace, but Tyler found she much preferred to laze around for hours compared to busting her ass for people who didn’t appreciate her. The nice thing about small town life was that most days were slow--she wondered why she hadn’t moved to suburbia earlier. Everything was so quiet, it felt like she could actually think.

And think she did. Tyler was turned away from the door to make herself a coffee, playing with her hoop earrings, lost in her own little world. Eventually she turned around and was surprised to see one of the regulars.

“Oh, hey,” she said, voice a little hoarse from the lack of use, “Sorry I didn’t see you. I’m spacing out today.”

She moseyed her way to the counter, putting on an easy smile. Evelyn was one of the good regulars, someone she enjoyed speaking with. It helped that she felt a kinship--considering they were part of the handful of WOC this town actually had--but beyond that her attitude was always pleasant as well. And there was some part of her soul that Tyler felt like she could see, a part of it that made someone a little more self-aware than others. Tyler appreciated that.

“Ordering for you or the yuppies?” she queried with a grin.

[freshmoviequotes]

[txleratkins]

solomonemsworth‌:

“you’ve only had her for two months - try a year an’ a half,” solomon retorted as he situated himself behind the machine after popping all the lights on, shaking out his little half-apron to tie it around his waist. saved him from wearing a day’s worth of coffee on his clothes, really. “she weren’t so bad at first, but fuck if she ain’t lost her way.”

a groan rattled low in solomon’s throat at tyler’s fun little anecdote. “fuckin’ ‘ell. don’t remind me, eh? i’m tryna stop smokin’ at work,” he protested. news like that was just so bloody disappointing - he took another drag on his vape as he seasoned the machine, as if to placate the sudden urge to smoke. he didn’t even bother trying to hide it - tyler had caught him out often enough, hiding vapour in the purge of the steam wand. there weren’t anyone important around yet, anyway. just him and that little gobshite. 

“very funny. you wouldn’t lower yourself to that,” solomon replied, setting his vape up on top of the machine amongst the stacked cups and glasses to begin pulling shots for their coffees. he’d figured out how tyler liked hers now - more often than not he left her to do it herself, but he was feeling a little generous. 

“oi, nunna that, thank you. i’m tryna think positive here!” he cut his eyes at her. “maybe they’ll all have minute noodles an’ free office tea like normal people an’ leave me the fuck alone for once.”

that was definitely wishful thinking - highly unrealistic of solomon to entertain the thought. it was a nice one to entertain, though - not financially, of course. but for the good of his psyche. he plodded over to set tyler’s coffee at her elbow, taking a sip of his own before chasing it with a lungful of vape. not quite the same as coffee and a ciggie, but close. he’d savour it a moment before he set up the outside tables - give himself a few minutes of comfort before the day properly started. 

“which wanker d’ya think we’re gonna have in first, eh? reckon it might be that dickhead with the white tesla. y’know, the one who always curbs it.” 

“There’s a lot of things I’d lower myself to, Solomon,” Tyler retorted, eyeing his vaping in the workplace with extraordinary amusement, “You have no idea.” She took the double shot latte he’d made for her with graciousness, nodding her thanks as she didn’t think a verbal token of gratitude was necessary.

She put a hand in front of her mouth as she giggled at his complaints, Solomon was funny when he was grumpy. Adorable, really. Plus the way he spoke made everything he said twice as potent--Tyler liked that about him, even though customers often took it the wrong way. It was just... him.

“Don’t you like, want business?” Tyler no longer had her usual morning vocal fry after a sip of coffee, “Isn’t that the whole point of this?”

As the morning tasks were done, Tyler focused on gathering energy for the rest of the work day before they officially opened the doors. She sipped her coffee, shot a judgmental, but good-natured glance at Solomon’s vape smoke, and headed to unlock the doors.

“Think that guy’s on vacation, he hasn’t been here in a few days,” she said, “All I can hope is that it’s not the woman with the massive dog. I like dogs just as much as the next girl, but not when the dog’s slobber flies in my face when it shakes its head.” Tessa shuddered at the memory.

[txleratkins]

open starter location: talk is cheap cafe, 12 pm

Tyler was having the most boring work day imaginable. Even the morning coffee rush had been mild, and now the store was empty except for the two regulars who came to work on their “novels” that they’d never finish (Tyler had only been working here two months, but she knew the type when she saw it).

This left Tyler with two options, either read her book with eyes that were getting tired, or fuck around on her phone with the abysmal battery life. At least the busker kid was outside, that was nice, but Tyler needed a little something more to get her through the rest of the day. Hopefully one of the nicer regulars would come in and have a longer chat with her, but she knew she couldn’t rely on that to save her.

She leant on the bar (always nice, a cafe with a bar) and doodled aimlessly on a napkin, listening to the music outside and brainstorming ways to rearrange her apartment when she finally heard the bell jingle.

“Thank god, I was about to lose it,” she said to the presumed customer without looking up, “What can I get for you?”

[txleratkins]

🍎- For something they secretly wish did exist

Maybe it’s silly, but Tyler wishes that teleportation devices existed. Nothing better than quality personal time with people you love. Facetime doesn’t always cut it, and travelling is expensive. More than anything she would use this to visit her little brother overseas–dammit, why did he join the military?

[rp-meme-glaceon]

Force my Muse to Spill their Secrets

🌧- For a heavy, emotional secret

🙃- For a lighter, slightly embarrassing secret

🌟- For a secret wish or desire of theirs

🍏- For something they secretly wish didn’t exist

🍎- For something they secretly wish did exist

❤️- For a secret crush

📲- Talk about someone/something you dislike, but only pretend to like

👁‍🗨- Talk about someone/something you like, but pretend to dislike

🍻- For something bad/mischievous you did as a child or teen that your parents don’t know about

🌜- For a ‘weird’ habit or tic that no one knows about

💃- For a talent that they like to keep hidden from others

🏹- For a talent they wish they had

👻- For something that scares or disturbs them, but they refuse to tell anyone

☢️- For a controversy or scandal they have been able to keep mostly under wraps

🐇- For a secret item they keep (stuffed animal, comfort object, etc)

📒- For a secret journal/diary they keep (Bonus: Share an entry from it!)

📔- For a secret sketchbook they keep (Bonus: Share a sketch or doodle within it!)

🖤- For something they secretly wish they could do with your muse

❓- Free Space! Ask them about a specific secret!

[txleratkins]

solomonemsworth‌:

to say solomon was unimpressed would be an understatement. he’d been very much under the impression that he’d be getting a day off - they were needed, sometimes. he didn’t take as many as he strictly should - josh had always been on him about it. little bastard. but he took them all the same - maybe one a week. sometimes even two, if it were quiet enough and he was forced home by staff. he was sure they just got sick of the sight of him, being in there day in and day out. 

but that break had been culled pretty quick - solomon had woken up at six, dragged out of sleep by excited dogs. ideally he would’ve slept longer and taken them out later, but they were in a right old mood. he’d been up not long after his wake up, out the front door in his running shoes. it’d been on that run that his morning had been ruined - a call from maria, fifteen minutes before she was supposed to show up for her shift. she was sick, apparently. sick. solomon didn’t doubt she was dusty - she came in hungover often enough. he’d resisted the urge to curse her out over the phone - at this late notice it’d be him in for the day. he could hardly ring up one of the other kids and get them to cover. he already had tyler in on a day off - he felt bad about that, but now he was in the same bloody boat. 

solomon had raced home to try and get ready in time - he didn’t bother calling tyler. she could handle herself for a few minutes, he was sure. she was quickly turning into a favourite of his - it was so nice to have someone on staff that didn’t need direction. he trusted her to run the place while he wasn’t there - while she’d only been working for him a short time, he already much preferred her to a lot of the other staff. he did try not to play favourites, but it was hard. 

solomon parked his car round back, making the short walk down the side road and back onto the mainstrip. when he rounded the corner his eyes fell on tyler - she was hard to miss, really. he took one last hefty drag on his vape (he tried not to smoke before noon) before he shoved it in the pocket of his jacket, vapour furling out his nostrils. 

“bloody maria. she’s doin’ my fuckin’ head in,” solomon said by way of confirmation, pushing his still-wet hair from his forehead before reaching to unhook his keys from his belt. the carabiner of keys was definitely a look, but it were useful. “i told ‘er bean there’s lookin’ for staff.” solomon was at his wits end, a bit - she’d been getting worse the past few months, skipping out on work more and more. he’d had a guts full. 

“sorry t’call you in today,” he continued, sparing tyler a glance as he unlocked the door. “if it gets quiet i’ll try t’send you home - i’ll pay you ‘til the end of the day.” 

he pushed it open, offering her a small smile, gesturing her in before following her inside. 

Tyler stifled a laugh as she noticed the final fibers of vape smoke leaving his nose. “Both our heads, man,” she said, tying her bandana properly on her head before counting in the register, the morning task. The easiest morning task. “I think I told you this before but one time, I saw her sweeping like Cinderella in a musical. Just pushing crumbs back and forth. No dustpan.” Remarkable really, the things children learned from television. Tyler didn’t really mind that the girl didn’t come in from time to time. Why would you, if you didn’t really have to? But she did mind that the girl was just as unhelpful when she did show up.

The crack at their small town rival made her smirk. “Careful. I think they’re trying to headhunt me. Might take them up for the right price. Better name, too. I like puns.” She didn’t, but she did like teasing her boss.

She laughed at his excuses and offers of sending her home--Solomon was a good guy, beneath it all. “Don’t have to ask me twice,” sure Tyler needed the money, but she’d just as soon take a half day and eat ramen. Free time was valued more than anything to her.

“Not a chance though, Wednesdays are busy. People blow out their lunch budget for the week and start coming here for coffee meals.” Couldn’t blame ‘em. The coffee was good. And the cookies.

[txleratkins]

closed starter for @solomonemsworth location: talk is cheap, downtown, 7:15 am

Another day at work--but Tyler had gotten used to that by now, hadn’t she? She’d been working her ass off since she turned 16, so it was nothing new. At least the energy of this place was nice. She’d only been working at this cafe for two months, but it already beat the other two barista gigs she’d already had, even if the customers could get stuffy (that was to be expected from consumerist people, or maybe just people without their morning coffee).

She could easily point a finger at why, but she was actually pissed with her boss Solomon right now because he’d called her in on her day off. It wasn’t really his fault, one of the other girls on the line had flaked on him, but now she was stuck working with Maria who--god love her, could not sweep a floor worth a damn. Maybe in these small towns they didn’t have great pickings as far as employees went, but Tyler was getting a little bit sick of having to pick up the slack for lazy teenagers.

Maria was already late, of course, and the shop was opening soon. Oh well. Wouldn’t be Tyler’s first morning shift by herself. A brief look of surprise crossed her face, followed by a devilish grin, when instead of Maria rounding the corner towards the shop she saw her boss Solomon himself, glowering terrifically.

“Looks like neither of us get a day off, then?” she said, having grown somewhat comfortable with the man in the last few months. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, and his presence indicated to her that Maria had called off.