A Sip Of Love

7

Chapter 7:

The night of the open mic, the shop felt like a different world. The low hum of the usual morning bustle had been replaced by a soft buzz of energy, the air tinged with anticipation. It was cozy, intimate—like a little secret the coffee shop had been holding onto for years, only now coming to life.

Raya had been nervous at first, unsure if she really wanted to step out of her comfort zone. But when she walked in, the sight of Travis behind the counter, his face lighting up when he saw her, made everything feel a little easier.

“Glad you made it,” he’d said with a smile, handing her a drink and guiding her toward a small table near the back, where the lights were a little dimmer, the atmosphere warmer. “I saved you a spot.”

The open mic had turned out to be surprisingly fun. She’d sipped her coffee, listened to a couple of regulars play guitar and sing off-key, and even smiled at the silly poems shared by an older couple who had been coming to the shop for years. It wasn’t the kind of event that demanded too much from her, but it was the kind of night where she felt connected—connected to the shop, the people in it, and maybe even a little to herself.

But now, as the event wound down and the crowd began to thin, she found herself watching Travis a little more closely than she usually did.

He was at the counter, chatting with some of the other patrons, laughing easily with them. As usual, he had that effortless charm about him, making everyone feel welcome, making them feel like they were important. Raya had seen it before—he had that way of making people feel like they were the only ones in the room.

And yet, tonight, something about it made her stomach tighten.

She couldn’t put her finger on why exactly. It wasn’t jealousy, she told herself. Not exactly. But there was a subtle shift in her chest when she noticed one of the women in the shop—Rachel, a bubbly brunette who came in every other week—leaning a little too close to Travis as she laughed at something he’d said.

Rachel was looking up at him with those wide, playful eyes, her hand resting lightly on the counter just beside his, as though she were trying to get his attention in the most obvious way possible. Travis, to his credit, was his usual self—warm, polite, engaged—but there was something in the way Rachel was standing, the way she tilted her head, that made a knot form in the pit of Raya’s stomach.

Raya didn’t know why it bothered her. She was just a customer, and Travis had always been kind to everyone. He was friendly, but it wasn’t anything more, right?

Yet, there she was, suddenly feeling... possessive. She wasn’t sure of what, exactly. What right did she have to feel this way? They were friends, nothing more. She had no claim over him.

But still, her gaze lingered on them for a moment longer, her fingers tightening around her cup. The more she watched, the more the knot twisted in her chest, like an uncomfortable mix of protectiveness and something deeper that she wasn’t quite ready to admit.

Rachel let out a laugh, her hand brushing Travis’s arm in a way that sent a strange heat flooding through Raya. It wasn’t overt, but the familiarity of it—the way Rachel knew him, the way she touched him with that casual ease—it was enough to make Raya feel something she couldn’t explain.

Travis didn’t notice. Or at least, he didn’t seem to. His attention was still on Rachel, the conversation flowing naturally, but Raya couldn’t help but feel like an outsider. The line between friendliness and flirtation seemed to blur in that moment, and she didn’t like the way it made her feel.

She glanced down at her coffee, willing the thoughts to disappear. But they lingered, like a quiet hum beneath the surface of her mind.

Was she... jealous? The thought made her flush. She had no right to feel that way. After all, they weren’t anything more than friends. She had no claim over him. No reason to care about who he talked to or how he spoke to them.

But still, the tension in her chest wouldn’t fade.

“Everything okay?”

Raya looked up to see Travis standing beside her, his brow furrowed in concern. He had left the counter, probably noticing the faraway look on her face as she tried to hide the unease she felt.

“Yeah,” she said quickly, forcing a smile, though it felt a little strained. “I’m fine. Just... lost in thought.”

He nodded, but his eyes didn’t quite leave her face. “You sure?”

Raya nodded again, trying to shake off the odd feeling that had settled over her. She couldn’t let it bother her. “Yeah, really. It’s nothing.”

Travis didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he didn’t press. Instead, he slid into the chair across from her, the warmth in his smile returning. “You seemed to be enjoying the night before. You okay with the whole... open mic thing?”

Raya chuckled, grateful for the change in subject. “Honestly? It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I didn’t realize how much I needed to do something like this.”

“Glad you liked it,” he said, leaning back in his chair, his arms folding comfortably across his chest. “We’ll do it more often. You should come back next time.”

Raya smiled, but her mind was still circling back to Rachel and her flirty energy. She tried to focus on Travis, on the easy way they spoke to each other, but the discomfort she felt wouldn’t quite go away.

“I’ll definitely come back,” she said, her voice lighter than it felt. “And... thanks again for the book. I’ve already started reading it.”

“No problem,” Travis replied, his eyes warm. “I’m glad you liked it.”

But as he spoke, Raya couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside her had shifted, and it wasn’t just about the book or the event. It was something deeper, something she didn’t fully understand yet. A soft tug, an ache she couldn’t explain, not yet.

She took another sip of her coffee, trying to focus on the here and now. But in the back of her mind, the thought lingered: Was this more than just gratitude?

And as she watched Travis laugh at something Rachel said, she wasn’t sure how to answer that question.