freedom taste like you

Chapter 25

The little bell above the coffee shop door jingled as I stepped inside, shaking off the late-afternoon chill. The warm scent of roasted coffee beans and pastries wrapped around me like a soft blanket. Timothy was already there, seated at a corner table, a steaming cup in front of him. He looked up as I approached, offering a small, tentative smile.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” I replied, sliding into the chair across from him.

He ordered a coffee for me as well, and the conversation started slow — about classes, professors, and the mountain of readings law required. Timothy seemed more relaxed than he had been the past few days, but I could tell he was holding something back.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “Amber… I want to apologize. For being distant these past few days. I’ve been weird, avoiding things… and I shouldn’t have. I’ll do better, I promise.”

I nodded slowly, relieved. “I appreciate that. I just… didn’t know what was going on, and I didn’t want to push.”

He smiled faintly. “I know. I’ll make it right. I don’t want you feeling alone.” I just smiled and nodded.

We continued talking, the conversation flowing easier now. But then his phone buzzed sharply on the table, but he ignored it. A few seconds later, it buzzed again, and he ignored it again. Then, suddenly, after a while, it rang. He glanced at it, hesitation in his eyes, and answered.

“I need to take this,” he said softly, standing and walking a few steps away, phone pressed to his ear.

Minutes passed. I watched him carefully, hoping it wouldn’t be anything serious. He returned after a while, hanging up, but instead of sitting down, he looked uneasy.

“Amber… I’m sorry,” he said, his tone hesitant. “I need to cut this short. Something urgent came up.”

I blinked, surprised. “Can… can I come with you?”

“No,” he said softly, shaking his head. “It’s fine. I’ll handle it. You should just head back to the dorm, okay?”

I hesitated, then shook my head. “I… I think I’ll stay here for a bit.”

He nodded, understanding but still anxious. “Alright. Just… be careful.” With that, he turned and left, his coat swishing behind him as he walked out the door.

I exhaled slowly, letting the tension leave my shoulders. The shop felt quieter now, and I tried to focus on my coffee, though my mind refused to settle. Timothy… I couldn’t stop replaying his face, the way he looked torn, guilty even. Was it really urgent? Did he want me there? Should I have gone anyway?

A few minutes later, a young man approached, glancing at the empty chair across from me.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked casually.

“No, it’s free,” I said, offering a small smile.

“Thanks. I’m Ben,” he said, sliding into the chair.

“Amber,” I replied.

Ben smiled, leaning back comfortably. “So… are you waiting for someone, or just enjoying the coffee?”

I hesitated, then shook my head. “Was with someone, but… he had to leave. An emergency.”

Ben nodded, not pressing further. “Got it. Well, at least I can keep you company for a bit,” he said softly, and I shrugged, smiling shyly.

We started talking. About campus, classes, and life in general. Ben had a way of making conversation feel easy, like the world had paused just for this small table in the corner. I laughed softly at something he said, and for the first time in the past few days, I felt the tension around Timothy’s sudden disappearance ease just a little.

But even as I smiled, a small knot of worry remained. My thoughts kept drifting to Timothy — Was he okay? Was it serious? I wished I could call or text him, but I reminded myself of what he’d said earlier: that he’d be fine.

Ben noticed my distraction after a while. “You okay?” he asked gently.

I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He nodded, but there was a softness in his eyes, like he understood. We talked more — about favorite books, what made us laugh, classes that were surprisingly difficult — and I slowly allowed myself to get distracted from the knot of worry inside me. Ben had this easy confidence, and it was comforting, the kind of calm that didn’t demand anything from me except to enjoy the moment.

When it was time to leave, Ben offered to walk me back to my dorm. We strolled slowly along the quiet campus paths, chatting casually about the day, laughing at little things, and somehow the tension that had built up around Timothy’s sudden departure loosened slightly.

Once inside my dorm, I settled down with a deep sigh. I had barely put my bag down when my phone vibrated. Timothy.

I picked up instantly. “Timothy?”

“Amber… hey. I’m really sorry for leaving so suddenly,” his voice came through, soft but strained. “Are you back at your dorm?”

“Yeah… just got in… It’s okay,” I said gently, trying to keep my worry at bay. “Are you… okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said quickly. “I was just checking to see if you got back yet.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice in the background — unmistakable, familiar. Lydia.

“Timothy!” she called, sharp and commanding.

His voice tightened. “Amber… I have to go. I’ll call you later, I promise.”

And just like that, the line went dead.

I sat back, staring at the phone, my chest tightening. I didn’t even know what to think anymore — frustration, worry, helplessness all tangled together. I had wanted to be there, to help, to make things feel okay, but he had shut it down. At least now I knew why.

I set the phone aside and took a shaky breath, trying to calm down. Just then, Juliet came in. She smiled and greeted me before heading to her bed, slumping on it tiredly.

“I’m so exhausted,” she said in a tired tone.

“Tell me about it,” I said back, more to myself than to her.

She sat up to look at me very well.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly after a while.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

She narrowed her eyes at me as if trying to figure out if I was really okay, but after a while she just shrugged and collapsed back on her bed, making me giggle a bit.

“That bad, huh?” I asked softly, shaking my head in sadness for her.

“You have no idea,” she said back, and just like that, she drifted off to sleep, leaving me with my thoughts circling in on Timothy and his sudden emergency, which probably had something to do with Lydia.