HARLEY

My phone vibrated in my pocket at the exact moment I pulled open the door to my favourite working cafe. I didn't know for sure who it was, but my best guess would've been Jae. We hadn't seen each other in almost a week, but we had a date planned for later on that evening, and butterflies filled my stomach every time I thought about it.

Not nerves, per se. Excitement, maybe?

It was more about the kisses during our last date, and how much I looked forward to doing that again. Well, not that I wasn't looking forward to seeing Jae. I was. But it'd been so long since I had last kissed someone, let alone like that. His kisses were gentle, yet firm, and he held and touched me like he wanted to remember what I felt like.

The only issue so far was that he texted me way more, and way faster, than I'd ever respond. Texting had never been my strong suit, let alone small talk or long conversations over text. I liked hearing from him everyday, but after a while I didn't know what else to say. So, I would put down my phone and, all of a sudden, it's been twelve hours since I've replied.

I shook my head so I could focus on what I'd left my house to do.

When I started to actually get paid for my writing, people that I told would assume that meant I had all the time in the world to go on trips, hang out, and relax, while they clocked in and out of their jobs. The first time I told one of my former friends I couldn't go to the movies with him 'cause I had to meet a deadline that night, he laughed because he thought I was joking. Then he got mad as he was sure I was lying.

While most people leave their jobs at work, I always get to take mine with me. I'll be out with friends, or at dinner with my family, and see some people that could've been old friends that make me think up story ideas. The amount of ideas I have written on my phone make me confident I'll always have something to present to my editor and publicist.

"Hi," I smiled at the barista behind the counter, finally ready to order something after I'd spent five minutes reading the menu on the wall. "Could I get a large quad-shot caramel macchiato with oat milk and an extra pump of caramel? And an egg white and spinach wrap, please."

She nodded, tapped in the order, then asked, "Iced or hot?"

"Hot, please." The last thing I wanted in the middle of winter was an iced latte.

"And your name?"

"Harley."

The barista's eyes lit up, "Like Harley Quinn?"

"...Yeah."

She grinned, "That's such a cool name. Better than mine."

Curious, I searched for her name tag, which I found stitched into the left corner of her apron. The name 'Meghan' was surrounded by flowers smiling, and a few positive words like 'fun' and 'caring'.

"I like your name. It's pretty. And people won't assume you're named after The Joker's lover."

"Yeah," Meghan laughed, my statement going right over her head. "Thanks, Harley! Oh, and your order will be ready at the end of the counter soon."

I gave her one last smile before I made my way down there, "Thank you."

Once I picked up my things, it was easy to find my editor at one of the biggest booths in the mostly empty cafe, by a corner window which let in plenty of light, but not so much that it would cast a glare on our laptops. With her braids piled into a bun on top of her hair, she had two stacks of paper on either side of her Lenovo laptop, and she was hunched over staring at her screen while she scribbled something into the margins of the stack on her right.

"Hey, Sadie," I slid into the opposite end of the booth, then took off my coat and set it down on my left side. "I hope those aren't my manuscripts."

Without looking up, she said, "They are, actually."

"Great..."

"Oh, don't worry." She glanced at me for a moment, "I'm just making some extra notes I forgot to add. Most of this stuff you've heard already. Well, I sent the gist of it."

With that being said, I got my laptop out of my messenger bag and turned it on. Whenever Sadie and I are about to meet to discuss one or more of my stories, she sends me the digital copy with some notes and things she wants to talk about. For whatever reason, she never tells me everything online, and we end up sitting at a cafe or, sometimes, a restaurant for at least an hour and a half discussing edits. I think it has something to do with her attachment to paper, hence the printed out manuscripts.

After ten or so minutes, Sadie sat up and cracked her knuckles. "Okay, let's start! You have some food, right?" Sadie took a sip of her coffee, then bit into her ham and cheese croissant.

I held up my untouched wrap as I took a sip of my latte. "Mhmm."

"Good. This is gonna take a little bit." She drew a line over her eyebrow, touching her deep brown skin before she hummed a bit. "I feel like we can really add some punch to this mystery, you know? And I love the romance between Ellie and Jack, but she's too nice to him."

The sooner we got done, the sooner I'd be able to go home and get ready for my date tonight with Jae. I looked at my watch, "Yeah, I'm glad I got some food."

Line by line, Sadie went over everything she liked, disliked, what I could improve, and suggestions she had for additions to the book. It wasn't long before I realised, since she kept going back to it, that the untouched manuscript was an older version, her way of showing how much progress we've made.

Nearly two hours later, I saw that telltale smile on her face, and my shoulders felt lighter.

"I think this is a good place to call it," Sadie grinned. "Nice work today."

"You, too." I stretched my arms up over my head, a yawn escaping me. "I'm excited to get on with my Friday, though."

At that, I could practically see her ears perk up. Sadie touched her rouge-brushed cheeks, her eyes wide and full of curiosity. "Ooh, you have plans?"

"I do."

"A date?" She wiggled her shoulders the way she always did when asking me that question.

Usually, I'd say no. I spent most of my time focusing on work, family, and friends. Dating hadn't been a priority for a while, because it seemed like when I put real effort into it, I'd get let down. Part of me still feared that happening, but I shoved the feeling aside as often and strongly as I could manage.

"Yes, actually." I couldn't help the corners of my mouth turning up. "I'm going out for dinner and a movie with a guy tonight. Classic, I know."

Sadie blinked several times, "In all the time I've known you, I don't think you've ever been on a date-."

"Okay, okay, I've been on dates. I just haven't told you about them."

"Ouch," She put her hand over her heart. "Well, I'm glad you're telling me now."

I shook my head, "They were nothing to get excited over. None of them lasted more than a month, and I didn't want to get anyone excited over nothing. Very few people in my life knew, and not even every time."

That seemed to help a bit, the slight frown on Sadie's face disappearing. "I get that." She put her laptop and the manuscripts into her bag, then looked at me. "So, tell me about him. What's his name, what's he like, how long have you two been seeing each other?"

"Wow, you want all the info, huh?"

"Of course."

"Well, to make it quick, his name is Jae. He's twenty-eight, works in IT, and is really good at skating. He played hockey like all his life." I told her.

Sadie nodded for me to go on, "And?"

"I mean, he has the nicest hands. I love his smile. Great sense of humour. He's kind... And he kisses like-. Oh, sorry, I meant to say that his hugs are incredi-."

It was too late. Sadie jumped up from the table and cheered. "Yes! You let it slip, I already know." She sat back down, but that cheshire grin wasn't going anywhere. "Wow, this is incredibly exciting. I remember when Max and I first started dating... I have a good feeling about this."

I shrugged, "We'll see."

To that, Sadie rolled her eyes, "You're allowed to be happy about it, you know. Even if it doesn't work out, which I doubt."

I tipped my head to the side, "You just found out about him today, literally minutes ago."

"Let me have my good feeling," Sadie punctuated her statement by tapping my arm before she got up, for real this time. "Let's go. I don't want you to be late for your date."

I shot her a smile as I got my stuff, "Thank you so much."

*********