Author's Note #2: So at this point I have 3/4 of the story planned out, which will definitely help me update in a more timely manner. When finished, Full Circle will be around 30 chapters plus a couple of "special chapters" for fun (and to embellish the main story.) I'll be releasing the first few chapters more quickly just to get the story going.
Chapter 2: A Cup of Coffee
Laney stepped off the subway and made her way back up to the main street. Somewhere in the back of her mind she secretly hoped that Corey wouldn't show up at the coffee shop. Having to see him again was bad enough, and she couldn't believe he'd had the audacity to ask for her number without any context or explanation and after seven years of no contact.
At least, she thought, she'd been fortunate that two full-time employees had arrived to oversee the project before things had gotten too awkward. Corey and Laney hadn't needed to say a word to each other for the rest of the band session, and Meck, John, and Ricky didn't seem to mind.
Ultimately Laney had refused to disclose her number; but when Corey asked if she would be willing to meet him at Le Café Doux later that night, she reluctantly agreed. Laney instantly regretted it afterward.
She turned right at the end of the block and spotted the coffee shop. Opening the door, she couldn't spot anyone with blue hair, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Someone tapped her shoulder and she spun around.
"Hey, Lanes," said Corey, though somewhat nervously. He was dressed in jeans and a hoodie along with a black-and-red cap. The bags under his eyes looked a bit more pronounced than from the last time she'd seen him, and there were bits of stubble on his face where he hadn't shaved cleanly.
"Long time," said Laney sternly.
"Yeah." Corey paused. "Definitely," he added quickly, in the hopes of remaining casual.
Laney started toward an empty table and Corey followed. Laney sat down.
"Uh, I'm gonna get something to eat first," said Corey. He turned toward the counter, and then looked back. "Er, do you want anything?"
"If I want anything, I'll get it myself," she answered.
Corey returned with a medium-sized cup of coffee and a small cake, as well as two forks. "So what's been up for you lately?"
Laney eyed the forks. "You obviously didn't hear me."
"I mean, I did, I just figured, y'know. Just in case."
"Hmm." Laney took the fork but didn't touch the cake. "I've been fine. Grad school. You?"
"You're pretty smart, huh." Corey spoke between gulps of coffee. "I just finished college a few years back and I found a new band." Gulp. "Do you still play?"
"Little bit, here and there."
"Okay. That's cool."
Laney fingered the fork, unable and unwilling to make eye contact. She tried to read the faded letters on his shirt - they seemed to spell "RAD."
"You don't want anything?"
"Did your memory deteriorate that badly?"
Corey chuckled a little, but Laney was entirely unamused.
Laney took a breath and said, "How've you been doing after the breakup?"
"Pretty good, I guess. Yeah."
She nodded slowly. "Nice to know."
There were a few minutes of silence. Corey finished his coffee and stood to dispose of the cup. The cake remained undisturbed when he returned.
"It's chocolate, y'know," said Corey. "Your favorite, right?"
"Oh." Laney remained uninterested.
Silence. An hour had passed and only two or three tables remained occupied.
"Corey, what'd you invite me over here for? It's not like we have anything really worth talking about."
"I was just happy to see you, that's all."
Laney scoffed. "You sure didn't look happy when you saw me in the practice room."
"Surprised. Then happy. I haven't seen Kin or Kon in a long time, either."
"They're on the other side of the country now."
"Yeah, you still talk to them?"
"A little."
They stopped talking. Corey picked up his own fork and took a bite of cake. He chewed slowly, swallowed, and took another piece. Laney whipped out her phone and began reading. She only looked up when Corey got up again to throw away the forks and foam plate. Before he returned, Laney stood and began buttoning her jacket.
Corey was visibly surprised. "You didn't eat anything, Lane."
"I guess I wasn't hungry."
"You want to get some pizza or - "
"No. No, I'm fine, thank you." Laney walked briskly past him and out the door without even so much as a gesture of farewell. She'd have to see him again tomorrow, and she couldn't stand it. She couldn't stand talking to him and she couldn't stand how frustrating he was and she didn't even know why she hadn't just rejected his invitation in the first place. It'd been a waste of time and an embarrassing way to spend two hours.
She headed straight back to her dorm and buried her nose into a business textbook to take her mind off it all, but the diagrams were all the same blue as the hair under Corey's black cap.
