By rushing Ianto was just able to make it to the coffee shop before seven thirty. He was out of breath but as he entered through the back door he saw that he still had a minute to spare. His dalliance with Jack had lasted longer than either of them had expected much to his chagrin. Still, it was a good way to start the day off, he thought with a grin.
He had to blink a few times as the contacts still felt odd, but he was glad that Jack had insisted he wear them. He wasn't too happy with the gun in his bag, but he knew it was prudent to have it with him. He was still the first one there even with being late, so he got the coffee started again that morning, prepping for the start of the day.
By the time he was finished, Ticia had shown up and was helping him get everything ready. There were people waiting outside even before they opened, so Ianto told Ticia to open up since they were already ready. They worked steady from the time they opened until mid morning when finally the late commuters trickled down to just a few people who were lingering over their morning cup.
"So I guess you had a good date last night," Ticia said with a smile as she glanced at Ianto while he was wiping down the coffee machine.
"Mmmm," Ianto responded. "Does it show?"
"Mmm hmm," she said with a smile. She reached out and touched the side of Ianto's neck. "Right here."
"What?" Ianto said, startled. He turned and looked in the mirror, groaning when he saw that Jack had left a rather large love bite on his neck from their time in the shower. He tugged on his jumper, but it was too high to cover. "I'm going to kill him," he muttered. He started as he caught something being typed on what seemed to be the inside of his eye. The word sorry appeared to float over his reflection and he realized that Jack was apologizing to him.
"Oh, it's cute," Ticia said. Ianto rolled his eyes and she laughed at his reflection in the mirror. "You're in love, what's wrong with it?"
"What's wrong is that people will see it," he muttered, still pulling ineffectually at his jumper. He stuck his tongue out at his reflection. She slapped his hands away and laughed at him.
"So?" She was still laughing, pulling on his jumper so he couldn't tug it up when they heard a noise behind them. Startled, they turned to see Mrs. Trundle staring at them.
"Good morning, ma'am," Ticia said. Ianto nodded as well, finally removing his hand from his neck. What was done was done, and Ticia was right. If nothing else it would serve as a reminder to Mrs. Trundle that he wasn't available.
"Good morning, Mrs. Trundle," Ianto said.
"What is that racket you two were making?" She asked. Obviously another day where she hadn't gotten up on the right side of the rock again, Ianto mused.
"Nothing, ma'am," Ticia said, her head down. Ianto leaned back against the rear counter and smiled at her.
"Don't disturb the customers!" Mrs. Trundle said crossly. Ianto laughed since the place was empty. She had a confused look at his reaction. "The least you can do is start roasting again. You're the only one who can do it."
"All right," Ianto said agreeably. It would give him an excuse to get down to the basement with his equipment. "Let me get my stuff," he said. He turned back to grab some containers for the coffee and he put the bag inside one to hide it. Lifting the pile, he nodded to Ticia who opened the leaf for him to walk through to the store side of the counter. He gave Mrs. Trundle a brief nod before heading into the back room and down the stairs.
