The building felt different with him in it.
Smaller, somehow. The air thicker, harder to breathe. Ivy was hyper aware of his presence as she moved around the coffee bar, starting the espresso machine with hands that wouldn't stop shaking. She could feel him watching her—that same intense focus he'd shown on the roof, now directed entirely at her. It made her clumsy. She nearly dropped the portafilter, fumbled with the coffee grounds, had to start over twice.
Behind her, she heard the soft sound of water dripping onto her clean floor. Heard his breathing, steady and deep. Heard the slight creak of floorboards as he shifted his weight.
"How do you take it?" she asked, not turning around. She wasn't sure she could look at him right now without doing something stupid.
"Black."
Of course h
