Aubrey woke up later than she planned. The sun was already coming through the blinds, hitting her face in a way she couldn’t ignore. She lay there for a minute, trying to figure out if she felt any different after last night. She didn’t. She was still tired, still behind on work, still unsure why talking to two strangers on a boardwalk made her feel more awake than sleep ever did.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. A message from her boss.

Need the comp update by Monday morning.

No greeting. No context. Just pressure.

She sighed, sat up, and opened her laptop. The file she had been avoiding still looked the same: half-done, messy, and full of decisions she didn’t want to make. She worked for twenty minutes before realizing nothing she did made sense. Her eyes kept drifting to the window. It was Saturday. If she stayed in the apartment, she would keep checking her inbox and pretending she wasn’t stressed.

She shut the laptop and grabbed her bag.

A coffee shop down the street usually helped her focus. Not always, but enough times to feel like a plan.

She walked there slowly, passing dogs, kids, couples, a man selling fruit from a truck, and someone loudly swearing at a parking meter. The usual morning energy. When she pushed open the coffee shop door, warm air and the smell of espresso washed over her. It was busy but manageable.

She ordered a latte, found a small table near the window, and opened her laptop again. This time she made a little progress. Not a lot, but enough that she didn’t feel useless.

She didn’t notice anyone walking toward her until someone stopped in front of her table.

“Hey,” a familiar voice said.

She looked up. Caleb stood there, holding a black coffee. His hair was slightly mussed like he just woke up. He wore a simple hoodie and jeans. Very normal. Very grounded.

“Hi,” Aubrey said. “Didn’t expect to see you.”

“Same,” he said. “This place is on my usual route. Mind if I sit?”

She shook her head. “Go ahead.”

He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat. It didn’t feel strange. It felt surprisingly normal for two people who barely knew each other.

“You working?” he asked.

“Trying to,” she said. “My boss sent me a message way too early. Kind of killed the morning.”

“What do you do again?”

“Graphic design. Mostly ads and layouts. Nothing glamorous.”

“Still sounds better than grading papers.”

“You grade papers?”

“Sometimes. Coaching comes with extra duties.”

She nodded, taking a sip of her latte. “Do you like it?”

“Most days. The kids are good. A few are trouble, but nothing wild.”

Silence settled for a moment. Not heavy, just part of the rhythm of the morning. Aubrey typed a few sentences, erased them, typed again.

Caleb watched her screen for a second. “That looks complicated.”

“It’s not,” she said. “I’m just overthinking it.”

“You look like you’re doing fine.”

She let out a small breath. “Thanks.”

Before either of them added anything else, the front door swung open, and someone walked in with the confidence of a person who didn’t care if he blocked the entrance for five seconds.

Chase.

He spotted them almost instantly.

“Oh, hey!” he called out, loud enough that a few customers turned. “Look at this. Morning study group?”

Aubrey blinked. “Hi.”

Caleb closed his eyes like he was preparing himself. “He’s too awake.”

Chase walked over to them with a to-go cup and a muffin he hadn’t opened yet. He didn’t ask before grabbing a third chair and turning the two-person table into a small triangle.

“Didn’t think I’d run into you again so soon,” Chase said to Aubrey. “Guess Ashford Bay’s smaller than it looks.”

“Or you two go everywhere,” she said.

Chase laughed. “I’ll take that.”

He leaned back in the chair, tapping his muffin against the table like he forgot it was food. “So. What’s the plan here? Work? Weekend productivity? Quiet suffering? I like to guess.”

Caleb stared at him. “She’s working. Don’t bother her.”

“I’m not bothering,” Chase said. Then he looked at Aubrey. “Am I bothering?”

“Not yet,” she said.

Caleb smirked. Chase lifted his eyebrows like he just won something.

Aubrey tried to focus again, but now she was more aware of both men. Caleb’s calm presence. Chase’s restless energy. Two different kinds of noise, one steady, one sharp.

“So,” Chase said, “are you two friends now?”

Aubrey almost choked on her drink. “What? No. We just ran into each other.”

“Twice in twelve hours,” Chase said. “That counts.”

Caleb shook his head. “Don’t listen to him.”

“Come on,” Chase said. “I’m just pointing out patterns.”

Aubrey closed her laptop halfway. “Do you always talk like this?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Caleb said.

“Hey,” Chase replied, “I bring life to the group. Without me, it’s just… quiet.”

“That’s not an insult,” Caleb said.

Aubrey laughed despite trying not to.

Her laptop stayed half-closed. She knew she wouldn’t get much done now, but she also didn’t mind the break.

Chase tapped his muffin again. “So, Aubrey. You live nearby?”

“Yeah, a few blocks.”

“You like it there?”

“It’s fine.”

“Just fine?” he asked.

“I mean, the heater’s broken and the walls are thin, so… yeah. Fine.”

Caleb frowned a little. “Your heater doesn’t work?”

“It works when it feels like it.”

“You should get that fixed.”

Chase pointed at Caleb. “See? Responsible. You two balance each other out.”

“We do not,” Caleb said.

“You don’t know that,” Chase replied.

Aubrey shook her head, smiling without meaning to.

The three of them talked a little longer. Nothing deep. Just small things—bad landlords, early morning practices, strangers who cut in line, a new restaurant downtown that apparently wasn’t worth the money. Light conversation that didn’t demand anything from her.

Eventually, Chase stood up. “I gotta go meet someone. Try not to miss me too much.”

“We’ll manage,” Caleb said.

“Rude,” Chase replied, pointing at him, then at Aubrey. “See you around.”

After he left, the coffee shop felt quieter, but not empty.

Caleb took a sip of his coffee. “Sorry about him. He talks like he’s on a timer.”

“I don’t mind,” Aubrey said. “He’s funny.”

“He knows,” Caleb said.

She smiled. “Yeah. I figured.”

She considered opening her laptop again but left it closed. She wasn’t suddenly productive just because she was in a coffee shop, and she didn’t need to pretend.

“So,” Caleb asked, “you doing anything later?”

Aubrey hesitated, not because she didn’t know the answer, but because she wasn’t sure how honest she wanted to be.

“Probably just work,” she said. “And maybe laundry. Really exciting stuff.”

He nodded like that made perfect sense. “If you ever want a break, let me know. I’m around.”

She looked at him. His tone wasn’t pushy. It was just an offer.

“Okay,” she said.

It surprised her how natural the word felt.

A moment later, Caleb stood up. “I should go too. Got practice planning and some errands.”

“Thanks for saying hi,” she said.

“Thanks for letting me sit,” he replied.

After he walked out, Aubrey stayed at the table a little longer, staring at her closed laptop like it might open itself.

She wasn’t sure what the morning meant. Probably nothing. But it didn’t feel nothing.

It felt like her weekend suddenly had more moving parts than she expected.