I’m not sure what to think of my new manager, Lottie. With her pale purple hair and piercings, the Asian beauty is one of those effortlessly cool people able to recite quotes from long-dead important people. She is also perpetually calm when explaining my duties to me. Nothing fazes her, and I’m confident she’ll get sick of my moody bullshit quickly.

Instead, she has a calming effect on me. Rather than thinking of the many differences between Ellsberg and White Horse, I focus on the restaurant’s serene vibe, the customers’ good manners, and the organized pantry. I’m extremely chill by the time Cap and Keanu arrive to take us to lunch.

Before driving me to work this morning, Cap made me promise I would tell him the truth about the job.

“If you hate it, don’t play the martyr. There are plenty of places in White Horse where you can work. Don’t stay at the Kitchenette if it’s not a good fit.”

“I won’t lie to protect anyone’s feelings.”

“You say that now, sure. Except you get all fucked in the heart when you worry about the opinion of others. Be honest with me if you hate it there.”

“What about Keanu and his girlfriend’s feelings?”

“They’ll survive, Audrey.”

Grinning, I fixed the collar on his black shirt. He looked so handsome after his shower that I wished we could hide in bed all day. The whole “grownup” thing meant we had places to go and work to do.

When Cap arrives with Keanu, his first question is predictable.

“Did the job blow chunks of fucking shit?”

“Not at all. I like it here.”

“Even with all the hipster twats?” he asks, glancing around at the customers who heard his comment.

“They’re entertaining.”

“Clowns always are,” Cap says and kisses my forehead and then my right cheek followed by my left one. Finally, he kisses me as if he wants to fuck right there in front of everyone.

“I thought you wouldn’t make a big show of being my boyfriend.”

“I’m your lover or man. Possibly your master. Anything along those lines will work, but boyfriend feels like something little kids have.”

“Well, then what happened to you not making a big show of being my lover or man. Oh, and you’ve got to be kidding about the master thing?”

“I lied,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “Well, not lied. I meant it at the time, but now, I just want to fuck you right here.”

“No,” Lottie says, pushing him toward the door. “Wait outside while I get rid of the last customers and then we’ll lock up and go to lunch.”

“Shouldn’t someone stay behind?” I ask, having never heard of a coffee shop that closes at lunch.

“No,” Lottie says. “We have a morning crew of customers and an afternoon group. I prefer they don’t mix, so help me kick these people out and we’ll go to lunch with our lover men.”

Keanu and Cap nod at each other, enjoying their new title. I hear them calling each other lover man before they eventually descend into literally kicking each other in the ass.

“They’ll always be like little kids when they’re together,” Lottie whispers while we collect coffee mugs and walk them into the kitchen while hipster twats shuffle toward the door. “I used to think they were immature, but it’s only when they’re together. Keanu acts like a grown man when it’s just him. I’d say they’re bad influences on each other, but look how happy they are tormenting each other.”

Cap tries to slap the back of Keanu’s head, but the smaller man ducks and flicks his giant friend’s ear.

Grinning at their display, I can’t shake the calm I feel here in the Kitchenette. I suspect it’s as close as I’ll ever get to the hipster bookstore I had in mind in Ellsberg. That place would have most definitely failed, but the Kitchenette bustled with business all morning.

“What’s the crowd like in the afternoon?” I ask Lottie.

“We get more foodie types. Once we get back from lunch, the chef for the day reveals what they’ll serve. The foodies will blog about it and try to out-dork each other with their descriptions.”

Scowling slightly, I’m leery about meeting the kind of people who blog about their lunches. Of course, I found the morning twits quite compelling. Occasionally, they’d have mini-meltdowns over their inabilities to pick the perfect word for their society-shattering novel. Every time I asked what the books were about, they said essentially the same thing—an author struggling to find his voice in a world incapable of understanding his/her genius. Yes, they were quite amusing.

Cap and Keanu are speaking Korean when Lottie and I join them outside on the sidewalk. I zip up my jacket yet still shiver in the cold breeze. Stepping behind Cap, I use his colossal body to block the chilly autumn winds.

“Are we cool with bacon for lunch?” Cap asks while reaching behind his back to take my hand.

“As long as we eat inside, I don’t care where you take me.”

“Bacon, it is,” Keanu says, throwing an arm around Lottie’s shoulders. “Cap, walk ahead of us so you can block the wind.”

“Done,” Cap says, still holding my hand.

As much as I prefer not to be beaten down by the increasingly violent winds, I hate walking behind Cap. Wanting to be able to look up and see his sexy face, I hurry to his side and tighten my grip on his hand.

“Just in case I start to blow away.”

“I’ll never let you go,” he says, wearing a divine smile.

“I believe you won’t.”

Cap’s smile grows, and I think I might hurt my cheeks from grinning so widely. I just can’t help looking like a fool in love. Today feels like the first day of the rest of my life, and it’s been fucking perfection.