Chapter 7
Nathan slouched against the counter, the clock on his phone ticking the moments away in an echo of his glum resignation. The floors were mopped, the coffee brewed, including an extra vat of peppermint mocha, and the shelves restocked. Nothing to do but wait.
This was his final morning on this shift. His last chance to see Adrian and find out what had gone wrong between them. Call him stupid if you wanted, Nathan thought they had become—well, all hopeful fantasies aside—at least friends. And once he accepted that fact, the rest became laughably easy.
Friends could meet up outside of Nathan’s place of employment. Friends talked, laughed, and spent time together without depending on a damn plan. And maybe, in another few months when Nathan graduated and started a career worth
