I don’t know what his deal is, but I know all too well the thoughts that buzz through my head when he’s near. I should stay away. It’s the smart thing to do, and after that misfire on Friday, it’s obvious I did something to upset him.
But if he’s annoyed with me or wants to keep a distance from me because I’m lecturing in his class this semester, why does he keep looking in my direction? He’s been here for hours, and his smoothie is long gone. I’m half-tempted to walk over and offer him a refill, but I’m not a hundred percent sure he won’t bolt.
The bell above the door jingles and a guy walks up to the counter.
“Hey, welcome to Drip. What can I get started for you?” I say the words so often that I wouldn’t be surprised if I mutter them in my sleep. But instead of answering me, the guy just looks down and pats his pockets, like he’s looking for his phone or his wallet.
“Take your time,” I assure him. “No worries. And you can pay with the WolfApp, if you have it.”
He stares at me blankly and makes a motion with his hand.
“I’m sorry, I—” before I can finish my sentence, Booker strides up to the counter. I can sense him before I see him, but he’s picked an awful time to start a conversation. “Hey, Booker, I’ll be with you in just a sec, ok? Let me get this customer’s order started.”
There’s a ghost of a smile on Booker’s face as he turns away from me and toward the guy in the BU hoodie. But instead of talking, he starts moving his hands in rapid-fire succession. Almost instantly, a smile blooms on the guy’s face, and he answers back in kind.
God, I’m such an idiot. The poor guy was trying to ask for a notepad to place his order, and I totally missed the point.
Booker turns back to me. ‘This is Dane, and he’ll take a medium caramel crunch latte.”
“Absolutely,” I say, ringing up the order.
Theo gets the ticket and gets started making the drink, and Dane pockets his change and moves to the other end of the counter to wait.
“Thanks, seriously,” I tell him. “I feel like a dumbass. I totally missed that.”
“It’s fine.” Booker assures me. “He said he forgot his phone back in the dorm. That’s how Fallon talks in most situations too.”
“Makes sense. And we should probably keep a notepad up here or something? Or have a little sign? I don’t know. Is that totally insensitive? Maybe we could just get you to hang out here and interpret on-demand. We’d pay in Green Dream smoothies.”
“That’s a tempting offer.” He smiles, and for a second, it feels like the universe has shifted back into its rightful space. “Seriously, though, a notepad is a good idea. And like you said, you could have a little sign or whatever. That’s not offensive, just accessible.”
I nod, making a mental note to frame a sign tomorrow and to hunt up a cute little pad and pen.
Dane shoulders Booker on the way out, signing and smiling. Booker signs back, speaking aloud for my benefit. “Have a good one.”
But once Dane leaves the shop and Theo heads to the back to do the bakery count, Booker and I are all alone in the shop and awkwardness settles around us.
Booker looks at the floor for what I swear is a solid minute before turning his gaze back on me. “Hey, look, I really do need to apologize. I left in a rush on Friday and that was rude.”
“No, it’s all good,” I assure him. “Like I said, I didn’t expect you to baby me all evening. But I think I said something to offend or upset you, and I’m sorry for that.”
He looks at me, his eyes a darker shade of blue and his tone earnest. “You didn’t, trust me. I’m not saying my head’s not a messed up place to be because that would be a lie. But I promise, my mad dash out the door was all me and had nothing to do with you.”
His admission makes me feel marginally better, but I miss the easy camaraderie we shared the other night at the arcade. “Good,” I tell him. “I was really afraid I’d done something to upset you, and if that were the case, I’d feel like a shitty friend. Or maybe that’s the problem? Since I’m TAing your course, does that make things weird? Because I can promise you, I don’t know which submissions are yours and I can definitely maintain a distance between my work and my friendships. But if that bothers you, I get it. I can respect that.”
“No,” he assures me, the word tumbling out of his mouth. “It’s not that. It’s…me. I’m… a wreck right now. Between hockey and my family and keeping up with classes…it’s all just a lot, I guess.”
I nod in understanding. “Now that, I get. Sometimes it feels like my head is going to explode if I add one more item to my mental to-do list. But at the same time, I kind of love being busy, you know? And all the things that keep me busy are things I enjoy doing.”
Booker opens his mouth to respond, but Theo chooses that moment to stroll in from the back and flip the sign on the door to Closed.
“You ready to call it a night, boss?” he asks me as Booker hurries to gather up his stuff.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll mop if you want to close out the register.” Theo gets busy, and I grab the mop and bucket from the back. Making my way to Booker’s table just as he’s tugging on his hoodie, I smile. “Thanks again for the help, Booker.”
“With Dane? No big deal.”
“Maybe no big deal to you, but I appreciate it. See you in class tomorrow?”
