Chiron

An hour later, my phone buzzes with a text, but I’m in the middle of making a coffee, so I don’t check it. A couple of minutes pass and it buzzes three times in quick succession, nudging its way across the counter towards me. I grab it and shove it into my pocket so that it doesn’t fall. Immediately, there’s a vibration against my leg, alerting me to another volley of texts.

I rush to finish with the customer, then sneak into the kitchen to check my phone in private. There’s a string of messages from an unknown number. My pulse quickens and I suck in a breath. It must be Leo. Biting my thumbnail, I cautiously open the text app.

I cover my mouth to muffle my giggles and save his number in my contacts. My heartbeat stutters a bit when I imagine him kissing me and butterflies dance in my belly. I take a big deep breath to calm them and send back a reply. 

I anxiously watch the little dots bounce for a couple of seconds. They disappear and then bounce again. I tap my fingers on my leg and take a quick peek towards the front to make sure there are no customers waiting. Still all clear. I can close up soon. If I start the tasks now, maybe time won’t feel like it’s dragging through mud. It’ll get me home sooner either way, and then I can text Leo all night long if I want to. My phone buzzes in my hand.

I can’t help but squeal and do a little happy dance. Slapping my hand over my mouth, I peek to see if anyone caught me. Still in the clear, but I definitely should get back to work.