THE SHADOW
~MAYA'S POV~
"Top off?"
I did not wait for an answer. I was already tilting the carafe, watching the dark liquid swirl into the chipped ceramic mug.
The woman in the booth looked up. She had lipstick smudged on her front tooth. "You looked a million miles away, hon."
"Just a long shift." I forced a smile, but it felt fake.
The coffee smelled burnt, not just roasted but Scorched. It smelled like my life, stale, bitter, and wrong.
I fled behind the counter and tossed my rag into the sanitizer bucket. The water had turned grey. I looked down at my apron. Ketchup spot near the pocket, it looked like a crime scene.
"Table four is flagging you down," Sal said as he breezed past. "And stop staring out the window, Maya. The view hasn't changed in twenty years."
"Right," I mumb
