I opted for short and sweet this time.

Closing Time

Julie had wanted to make a little cash on the side, to buy a new amp and some recording equipment, so she found a job at the coffee shop within walking distance of her house. She only worked a couple of nights a week, and often until closing, which was at 10 pm.

The boys would often get bored and drop by to try and distract her. The customers thought she was a little eccentric because she kept making weird facial expressions at the space behind them, but they chalked it up to the charm of the little coffee shop.

After a few months of this, the manager trusted Julie enough to close up the store at the end of the day, and often took advantage of that so she could run home and see her kid before he went to sleep.

So, one average Friday night, Julie was wiping down all the counters alone and singing to herself at a medium volume.

Behind her, a low voice said, "Sounds beautiful." Julie jumped, surprised, and then realized it was Luke and he had poofed in and snuck up behind her.

She put a hand over her heart, feeling it beating wildly, and said, "Geeze Luke, you scared me. What, no crazy Friday night plans?"

"Oh you know how crazy ghost parties get, I just wanted a quiet night for once," he teased back, and tried not to think too hard about the Hollywood Ghost Club disaster.

"Well, help me load the dishwasher then," she commanded, and he obediently followed her behind the counter. He had done this a few times, so they worked smoothly as a team.

Soft jazz music was playing over the speakers, and it was mostly old standards they both knew. "Fly Me to the Moon" came on and they both started singing at the same time. They grinned at each other and instinctively started perfectly harmonizing. When the song came to an end, they were still smiling.

"Song game?" Julie asked, referencing the game they played where they tried to name an album from every year in chronological order, alternating between the two of them.

Luke agreed, and another half hour passed of wiping down glasses and laughing. Often, as he handed her glasses for the dishwasher, his fingers would brush against hers and she would feel a little crackle of electricity between them.

A jazz cover of "Maria" from West Side Story came on over the speakers and, before she knew what was happening, Luke had tugged her into dancing with him. This was no basic swaying in place like a middle school dance, but proper, old-school dancing.

"I didn't know you could dance," she commented, once she had caught her breath and slowed her racing heart a little.

"Mom made me take dance classes when I was twelve. I used to hate it, but I guess some of it stuck." She smiled at the thought of a twelve-year-old Luke pouting as he danced with some little girl who probably had a crush on him. Then she leaned her head against his shoulder and they continued dancing until the song ended.

"Okay, if we're ever going to finish up, we've got to get going," she said, stepping away from him reluctantly. The last task before locking up was to put the cash into the cash box which went on a high shelf in her manager's office.

Julie had emptied the cash register and put all the money into the box, so she carried it into the office, and Luke followed her. She tried lifting the box onto the shelf herself, but they had had an especially good day so it was heavier than usual and she couldn't get it up there. Luke saw her struggling and came up behind her, took it from her hands, and put it onto the shelf for her. This caused his entire front to be pressed against her back, and her body warmed from the contact.

She turned around, planning to leave the office, but Luke hadn't moved, which meant she was now pressed against him, and only inches from his face.

"Hmm, maybe there's one more task to complete before we lock up," he murmured, before leaning down and closing the distance between them.

It felt remarkably taboo to be kissing Luke in her boss's office, but suddenly Julie didn't care. Her arms hooked around his back and up to his shoulders, holding him close to her, and his arms snaked around her waist, pressing her against him. Then he picked her up and, in one swift movement, had her sitting on her boss's desk as he stood between her legs, kissing her like his life depended on it. The kisses were not fast and hard, but neither were they soft and gentle. It was like the kisses were as essential to him as breathing and he was determined to keep kissing her like this as long as he could.

Julie had no idea how much time had passed before they finally came up for air. Luke pressed his forehead against hers, breathing a little heavily, and his eyes were alight with a joy more intense than Julie had ever seen before.

"We… we have to lock up," she finally said, as her eyes flicked over to the clock. Her dad would be expecting her home any minute. Luke just smiled, understanding the situation and liking the reluctance in Julie's voice. He helped her down from the desk and held her hand as they left the shop.