When I walked into Coffee or Bust, I noticed the place was moderately busy. There were a few empty tables, though. Ishmael came over to me from one of the tables by the window.
“Hey,” he said, face carefully devoid of all expression. Probably a defense mechanism. I knew all about those.
“Hi.” Clearing my throat, I adjusted the backpack on my shoulder. I was nervous. “You want some coffee or tea, decaf?” I had enough cash on me to splurge for two small drinks. “I’m gonna get a small black tea, probably orange.” Realizing I was rambling, I turned and walked over to the register and hoped he would follow. He did.
“Peppermint tea for me, please,” he said.
“Sure thing.” I placed our orders and paid the cashier. The wait wasn’t long, thankfully, and I grabbed our teas when my name was called
