Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to post, things go super busy recently, anyway enjoy!
It was a quiet late September Sunday morning working at Latte Lounge. You and Anna were taking advantage of the morning by trying to figure out some new seasonal drinks. The mainstays for fall are hot caramel apple cider, spice chai tea and as much as you hated it, pumpkin spice latte, but you wanted to add something new to the menu. So far you've come up with a cinnamon apple latte that tasted great but everything else you and Anna have tried wasn't so good.
"I think that's the worst tasting drink i've ever tried" Anna cringed. "You won't even touch it"
"You know I hate pumpkin" you giggled a reply.
She sighed, "Summer drinks are so much easier, the only fall flavors are apple and pumpkin and theirs only so much you can do with that."
You nodded in a agreement as the bell on the door rang signaling a customer. You frowned upon seeing Eric, he's been giving you such a hard time ever since everyone met Jack, its even strained his relationships with Meg and Raul because they don't agree with his behavior towards you. Unfortunately for you Anna had excused herself to the back room for a minute so you were stuck handling his order.
"What will it be?" you asked hoping to keep the conversation short.
"Vanilla latte with a double shot of expresso and a date tonight."
"No" you replied with a glare as you began making his drink.
"Come on its not like you have a real boyfriend" he argued.
"I said no" You replied again with your back to him. It was taking every fiber of your being not to scream at him because he's not worth your time and you don't want to disgrace Anna's business especially when she's worked so hard and dedicated her life to it.
"He's not even real" Eric said through gritted teeth, "What does he have that I don't?" he nearly growled.
"Respect for women, compassion, charm" You rattled off and mentally added, an infectious smile, dreamy eyes and he's probably the hottest guy ever.
"He's still not real" he retorted.
"The only way you can see him is if you believe in him and you must if you can see him" You said in annoyance as you finished up his drink. "$2.75" you said as you placed it on the counter.
Eric didn't really have a response to that, he put down his money and just look at you which really creeped you out. "You'll come around" He said as he turned an left.
"Gross" you mumbled under your breath as Eric left and Anna walked back in.
"Did I miss something?" She asked innocently upon seeing your annoyed face.
You sighed and gave her a wiry smile, "No it was just Eric again." you replied.
She rolled her eyes, "That boy will never learn, I can ban him if you want" she offered.
You giggled, "Its fine, he may be a tool but he's harmless, besides if he does anything Meg will deal with him" You told her.
"She's a sweetheart but I never want to be on that girl's bad side" Anna shuttered, you nodded in agreement.
The rest of your shift was pretty uneventful. You and Anna made a few more drinks, none of which were very good, the only decent one was the hazelnut hot chocolate with a Nutella drizzle. As you walked home you smiled at the sight of the leaves finally changing color. You've always liked fall but you've never been this excited for upcoming cold weather means there will be frost and that means Jack will be back until the spring.
You felt your phone buzz as you walked up the steps to your house. You checked the text as you unlocked the door and walked inside. "dinner? theirs a new burger place that makes bomb mac and cheese!"~Meg.
you replied with a sure and closed the door behind you before heading up to your room. You were excited to work on your latest painting; it only took six months but you finally felt ready enough to paint Jack, and its already halfway done. You set up your paints and tied up your hair before settling down to work on your painting.
You decided to paint the moment that Jack realized that you could see him. Unlike most of your paintings this one was on a very tall canvas because you wanted to paint his whole body instead of a traditional portrait. You must have worked for hours on it, because you didn't even realize when the sun set or that your phone buzzed a few times. You were finally knocked out of your zone when your bedroom door flung open.
"I have been texting you for the past…. whoa thats amazing" Meg said in absolute awe.
"I'm happy with it" you told her as she walked closer, "Sorry I guess I lost track of time again"
"No its fine, that painting is totally worth it" she complimented. "You even got that look in his eyes just right, its your best work"
"You think so?" You asked overjoyed.
"You're so modest," she sighed, "Without a doubt, and here I thought you'd never top that cute one of Bunnymund" She joked.
"That one is your favorite"
"I can't help it, he's so adorable, you know I can't handle cute animals" She defended.
"Or cute boys, or cute couples, or cute old people, or cute kids, or anime characters…" you were cute off.
"Ok I get it, I can't handle cute in general" She sighed dramatically.
"You know you can keep the Bunnymund painting" you told her as you packed up your paints and headed into your bathroom to clear your brushes.
"Probably not the best idea, I don't think Bunny likes me very much" She replied.
"Well you did chase him around" you laughed.
"He's so adorable I just wanted to see how fluffy his tail is" she tried to defend herself.
"He's six feet tall, cute isn't the first word that comes to mind" You replied as you dried the brushes and put them away with your paints.
Realizing that this was not a disagreement she was going to win she dropped the topic and started talking about the Burger place. You grabbed your leather jacket because the nights have finally started getting cold and slipped on your converse. The two of you met Raul outside and headed towards the Bennett's to pick up Ryan and Christine.
The two kids were extremely talkative tonight. All of the kids are excited about the cold because it means Jack will be back. You shared their excitement but for a different reason. They can't wait to have all the winter fun that Jack brings with him, you can't wait to have your boyfriend back, going a month without seeing him was pretty lonely. At least you'll get to see him soon.
When you finally arrived at the burger place you were seated immediately. Ryan and Christine want to get one of the milkshakes with a full slice of cake on top for dinner but you told them to order real food and we'll see about dessert after. In all honesty those kids would be getting a milkshake either way and you're definitely getting the birthday cake shake for yourself but you knew they needed to have actual food too.
On the way home you absently took the long way so that you could spend more time with your brother. Christine and Raul ran ahead racing each other and Meg ran after them yelling to slow down and be quiet even though she was the loudest of them all.
"Guys be careful! Don't run in the street, its dark!" you called. Moments later you felt Ryan tug on your sleeve as he called your name. "What's up kiddo?" you asked.
Ryan stayed quiet for a moment, he seemed almost nervous, so you gave him a soft smile in an attempt to comfort him. "I miss being home" he told you quietly.
You frowned. "Is everything ok with the Bennett's" you asked.
"Oh yeah they're great, Mrs Bennett said we can paint my room as soon as we pick out a color, and Sophie can say my name better than Jamie's and its cool seeing Jamie all the time, but I miss you" Ryan admitted.
"Awe I miss you too, you know I would have you home if I could" You told him sincerely. In all honesty you've been a bit of a hermit ever since Ryan had to go live with the Bennett's, for a while you were doing well being outgoing mostly thanks to Meg and Raul, but since Ryan has been gone you've fallen back into old habits.
"I know" Ryan mumbled.
You put a hand on his head and messed up his hair, "In a few years I'll be old enough to be your guardian"
"I can't wait to come home"