Seth
The faint buzzing against the wooden counter had been going on long enough that it was starting to get under my skin.
When were they going to give up?
I tried to ignore it, I really did. My attention stayed on the espresso machine in front of me, the low hum, the steady pull of coffee into the cup.
Still, my eyes drifted to the shelf behind the counter where I’d shoved my phone earlier.
It rattled faintly against the wood, lighting up again.
A slow breath left me as I turned back to the machine, pressing the buttons a little harder than necessary while I started steaming the milk.
The milk pitcher jerked in my hand when the machine suddenly shrieked, a sharp warning beep that cut through the noise of the café.
“Hey, careful!” Janine elbowed me out of the way before I could make it worse. “That’s the third one you’ve messed up.”
I blinked, staring down at the cup in front of me. Milk had spilled over the rim, thick foam sliding down the sides and pooling onto the counter.
Janine was already moving, grabbing a cloth and wiping everything down before it could drip any further.
“Sorry,” I muttered, already reaching for another towel to help.
She tapped my hand lightly before I could, stopping me mid-motion.
“Don’t,” she said. “You’re just going to make it worse.”
A quiet huff left me as I backed off and picked up the ruined drink instead, tipping it into the sink. I rinsed the cup, then grabbed a clean one and placed it next to her.
It was a silent peace offering. Also a very clear I don’t trust myself with this right now.
Janine didn’t say anything about it. She just took it and kept going, already remaking the drink. I leaned back against the counter, watching her work for a moment.
“Sorry,” I said again, softer this time. “I’m just a little distracted.”
Right on cue, the buzzing started up again. Both of us looked at my phone at the same time.
Janine didn’t even try to hide the look she gave me, half exasperation, half something that looked a lot like pity, as she poured the milk into the cup in one smooth motion.
“Why don’t you just answer it?” she said. “Get it over with.”
My phone vibrated again. A long, resigned sigh slipped out of me as I pushed off the counter.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Yeah, okay.”
Janine was already handing the finished drink to a customer before sliding straight into the next order without missing a beat.
I grabbed my phone, the screen lighting up in my hand.
“I’m just gonna…” I gestured vaguely toward the back.
Without looking up, Janine waved me off. “Go, before you ruin anything else.”
That got something close to a laugh out of me.
“Hey!”
The sound made me pause. I glanced back over my shoulder.
Janine finally looked at me properly. “…good luck.”
I nodded at Janine on my way out, pushing through the back door into the alley.
The cool air was a sharp contrast to the warmth of the café. There was a faint smell of coffee grounds and something greasy from the restaurant down the street.
I breathed it in, hoping it might steady me. It didn’t. I let my phone continue buzzing for another second before I finally hit accept.
“You finally answered!”
I flinched, pulling the phone slightly away from my ear.
Glen’s voice was loud enough that I was pretty sure half the alley heard him. There was some shuffling on his end, like he’d turned away from whoever he’d been talking to.
I forced my voice into something casual, like I hadn’t just ignored his last ten calls. “Hey, Glen. What’s up?”
There was a beat. Then, flatly Glen asked, “That’s all you have to say?”
I leaned back against the brick wall, closing my eyes for a second.
“Look, whatever,” Glen continued before I could come up with something better. “Are you coming to my brother’s wedding or not?”
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see it.
How many versions of I don’t want to go to my ex of five years’ wedding did they need?
“I already told you why I can’t.”
Glen went quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice had softened a little.
“I know. I get it, but look,” he continued, “the whole gang’s gonna be there. Even Lynn’s flying halfway across the world for this. And you—”
He hesitated, like he was choosing his words carefully, “we haven’t seen you in years, Seth. Everyone’s been asking why you never show up for the reunions anymore.”
I didn’t have a good answer for that. Or at least, not one they wanted to hear. The sigh slipped out before I could stop it.
“C’mon, man,” Glen said, exasperation creeping back in.
“Don’t be such a—” he broke off, then laughed lightly, “a hermit! Live a little. Get out of your tiny town and come see your friends. There’s gonna be food, drinks. My idiot brother’s paying for everything, so you might as well take advantage.”
"When else are you gonna get an all-expenses-paid trip?" he added.
“I’m not a hermit,” I muttered under my breath before I could stop myself.
I cleared my throat, hoping he hadn’t caught it.
“Hey,” I added quickly, forcing a lighter tone, “you just saw me like, seven months ago. That’s not that long ago. That’s less than a year.”
“Yeah,” Glen said dryly, “and that’s exactly why they’re making me call you.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. For a moment, there was nothing but silence on the line.
“Still there?” I asked, hopeful that the call had dropped, or maybe he’d given up.
“Yeah, hold on,” Glen said.
I frowned, putting the phone closer to my ear, trying to catch what was happening on his end. There was some muffled talking like he’d covered the mic but not quite well enough.
I caught pieces of it. Then, clearer this time…
“Yes, fine, I’ll tell him! Jeez.”
I stilled. That didn’t sound good.
“Okay,” Glen said, returning to the call. “Mom wants me to tell you she’d really love for you to come. And if you don’t say yes right now, she’s going to come over there and convince you herself.”
A groan slipped out of me as I tipped my head back against the brick wall. There was no way that was happening.
Gabby didn't bluff. Neither did Glen. If she said she was coming, she would. Five-hour drive or not. Bad hip or not. And that was exactly the problem.
Because the second she shows up, smiling like she always did, arms wide open, pulling me into one of her warm, familiar hugs like nothing had changed, I’d fold.
I knew I would. I always did with her.
“She doesn’t have to do that,” I said quickly, pushing off the wall. “Don’t let her come all the way out here.”
“So you’re saying yes?” Glen asked.
“No, I…” I scrubbed a hand down my face, words tripping over each other as my brain scrambled for anything that would slow this down. Anything that would buy me time.
“My boyfriend,” I blurted.
I definitely hadn't been planning on saying that. The word hung there for half a second too long.
“I just haven’t had the chance to ask him yet,” I added quickly, forcing the lie into something that almost sounded believable. “He just got back from a job in—”
My mind went completely blank. Anywhere. Just pick anywhere.
There was a pause on the other end. “You have a boyfriend?”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
At least we weren’t talking about the wedding anymore. But I wasn’t entirely sure if I felt relieved or if I was digging myself into something worse.
“Yeah.” I didn’t even know why I kept going. But it was already out there. “Yeah, I do. And I’d just feel better going if he came with me, you know?”
“I’ll ask him later,” I went on. “I’ll let you know.”
Another pause. Then, “So should I put you down as a yes?”
I hesitated. And that was my mistake. Because in that split second, I heard an excited shriek in the background, too loud to ignore.
“Oh my god, did he say yes? Let me talk to him.”
The line shifted, a bit of fumbling, and then—
“Seth? Oh, sweetheart, I can’t wait to see you again!” It was Gabby.
There was no getting out of this now.
“Yeah,” I said, softer than I meant to. “I can’t wait to see you too.”
More excited noises on the other end. Glen saying something, Gabby talking over him, but I didn’t want to stick around long enough to catch more of it.
“I’ve gotta get back to work,” I said quickly, already pulling the phone away. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
I hung up before they could say anything else. For a moment, I just stood there.
I had no idea what just happened. One second I was saying no, then the next, I was going to the wedding.
A breath left me, something halfway between a sigh and a laugh, except there was nothing remotely funny about it.
Before I could think too hard about anything else, especially the fact I’d just lied my way into a corner, I shoved the phone in my pocket and pushed off the brick wall.
The back door swung open harder than it needed to when I went back inside and slammed sharply behind me. It wasn’t much, but it helped.
For good measure, I turned my phone off before throwing it back onto the shelf behind the counter.
“So,” Janine said as I stepped back into place beside her, “I’m guessing that went well?”
I grabbed the next few order tickets, scanning them as I lined cups along the counter.
“No,” I said flatly. Then, after a beat, “But if you happen to know anyone who’s interested in pretending to be my boyfriend for a wedding, then yeah. It went great.”
Janine winced. “Yikes. That bad, huh?”
“You have no idea.” I tipped espresso beans into the grinder a little more forcefully than necessary. “I swear, I can never say no to that family.”
“You could,” Janine said, ringing up another order. “You just don’t.”
I paused for half a second, then let out a quiet breath. “Yeah. Well.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Look, just call them back,” she said, leaning a hip against the counter, “Say you’re not going. People back out of weddings all the time.”
“Yeah. I know.” I nodded, but it came out a little automatic.
I grabbed a cup and set it under the machine.
“Part of me just wants to get it over with,” I admitted.
The words landed heavier than I expected once they were out.