Coffee at Five

Coffee at Five

D. A. Ratliff

Ding!

No need to look. There was no question who the message was from, but Beth Jordan picked up her phone anyway.

Beth, answer me. Tell me you are not at the coffee shop. Don’t be stupid. It isn’t going to happen.

She blew out a low breath and swiped the screen clean. Lisi knew she wasn’t stupid.

Okay, maybe she was, but she had to know.

The coffee shop no longer glowed in the dark with the electric orange and brown décor of ten years ago. A quieter palette of amethyst, gray, and natural woods created a soothing ambiance but had zero effect on her nerves. She sank deeper into the leather armchair, her body comfortable, her soul anxious.

She had not expected to return for her tenth high school reunion. Nostalgia was not important to her, but Lisi had insisted she come. It would be fun. Her best friend had assured her since high school had been fun ten years ago, seeing everyone after all these years would be great. At least, according to Lisi.

Her thoughts drifted back to her high school days, and she didn’t realize that someone was speaking to her. She looked toward the voice and recognized the shop’s owner, Bill Danforth.

“Sorry, but aren’t you Jeff and Katy Jordan’s daughter?”

“Yes, Mr. Danforth, I am. I’m surprised you recognized me.”

“Beth, right?” She nodded in response, and he grinned. “You sure do look like your momma. She was the cutest girl in my high school class. Hated they moved right after you graduated.”

“My mother is still cute. They were sad to leave but love Denver, and Dad’s job was perfect for him.”

“That’s good to hear. You in for the reunion?”

“Against my better judgment, Lisi talked me into it.”

“Well, have fun and say hello to your parents for me.”

“I will.” As Danforth turned to walk away, she called after him. “Do you mind if I sit here awhile? A friend might be coming.” She shrugged, “Not sure yet.”

“You stay there as long as you want.”

She nodded her thanks and glanced at her phone—4:38 p.m. Twenty-two minutes until she would know.

Tamping down the urge to flee, she rationalized that sitting in a coffee shop in her hometown waiting for a man she hadn’t seen in ten years to walk through the door was only natural. Then again, she could be stupid.

She got a refill of coffee and settled again in the armchair, situated along the wall but with a clear view of the door. Memories of her senior year, the year the coffee shop opened, flooded her thoughts. The first class on the first day of school changed her life forever. Giles Sheppard walked into the classroom, and she was smitten.

He was an exchange student from London, England, living with Mayor Frazier and his family. He was not quite movie-star handsome, but everything about him, from his dark hair to green eyes to a casual but confident gait, was appealing.

Giles had glanced her way, and she had started to tremble. He sat on the other side of the classroom, and she could not concentrate. His presence was overwhelming.

To say that he was popular was an understatement. All the “cool” girls surrounded him constantly, but it was on a Friday, two weeks into the school year before they ran into each other in the lunchroom. She was trying to get Lisi’s attention and walked into him. He grabbed her tray before it fell and offered to carry it to a table for her. His next words stunned her. “Hold that seat for me. I’ll get my food.”

Beth chuckled, remembering how nervous she was when he returned. All eyes in the cafeteria followed him as he sat with her. A couple of cheerleaders started at her as if they’d like to kill her on the spot.

Giles asked her question after question about school, what subjects she was taking besides the English class they shared, and what she did on the weekends. She managed to answer his questions without stuttering until he asked her about the upcoming weekend.

“If you aren’t doing anything tomorrow afternoon, would you like to show me around town? Maybe we could have lunch at that new coffee shop? Mrs. Frazier said the food was good there.”

She had stammered yes, and they hurried from the cafeteria when the bell rang. She scribbled her phone number on a torn piece of notebook paper and shoved it at him as she ran for her class. The remainder of the day had been a blur. All she could think about was that the coolest guy in school had asked her for lunch and a town tour. She had to keep reminding herself to breathe.

Saturday morning, Giles called to say he would pick her up at noon. She was in her room trying to figure out what to wear when her mother knocked and walked in. “I just got off the phone with Margie Frazier. She wanted to assure us that Giles was a nice young man.”

Beth picked up her coffee mug and took a sip, thinking how her pulse had been racing as her mother gave her that look. The one where mothers know more than daughters are willing to tell. She had tried to act nonchalant but was pretty confident she didn’t pull it off.

“He is a nice guy and doesn’t know many people. He asked me if I could show him around.”

“He’s driving, I understand.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize.”

“Well, Margie says he’s a good driver. She said Pete has checked out his skills, and if you promise you will only be in town and not drive all over, that will be fine.”

“I think we are just going to lunch, and then I thought I’d show him the library and the bookstore and where the theater is, nothing much.”

“Well, you now have your cell phone. You call if you need us.”

“I will.”

As her mother turned to leave, she pointed toward the closet. “It’s still warm out. You should wear your red sundress, but take a sweater.”

The red sundress. The first thing Giles said to her that day was, “What a lovely dress.” Her mother smiled slyly, and her father immediately launched into the differences between driving on the right and how Giles drove in his country. Her mother finally intervened, and they escaped.

A wave of aching flowed through her. That Saturday afternoon would have been one of those amazing diary entry kind of days if she’d kept a diary. During lunch, he had kept her in stitches with stories of his days at prep school and how horrible he was at cricket. They had walked to the library but were asked to leave because they giggled too much. At the bookstore, he bought her a collection of British romantic poems. The small, now dog-eared book was tucked in her purse.

That evening, her parents invited Giles to stay for pizza and game night. She was sure she had fallen in love with him that evening as he teased her younger brother while playing Monopoly and charmed her mom and dad.

After that weekend, they were inseparable. Beth had to admit that she relished that the “popular” girls at school were jealous, especially Kit Traynor.

No doubt Kit would be at the reunion tomorrow night. Beth slumped in her chair. Lisi told her that Kit had married a successful insurance agent, had two kids, and dabbled in interior design. She was only an unmarried corporate lawyer out of a million lawyers—nothing to see here.

Kit was a thorn in her side during their senior year. A cheerleader and, in her opinion, not a good one, Kit spent her time spreading rumors about everyone, but mostly about her.

As the weeks passed, her friendship with Giles had deepened. They spent most of their free time together, and weekends in the fall were a whirlwind of football games, movies, and hours in the coffee shop. The atmosphere of quiet music and coffee where they could study suited them. It was Sunday, the first chilly night of the year when Giles walked her to the car from the coffee shop and kissed her.

She had waited for him to open the car door, but instead, he turned her to face him and cradled her face in his hands. “You are so beautiful.” He whispered as he brushed his lips against hers, then deepened the kiss. The memory of his lips pressed against hers sent icy shivers through Beth even now. He had ended the kiss, and they drove home silently, her hand enclosed in his.

Monday morning, she trembled as she walked into school, anxious to see him. A group of people surrounded her locker, and for a brief moment, she thought Giles must be waiting for her—no such luck. Snickering, the group parted, and she saw a sheet of paper taped to her locker. A photo of her and Giles. Kissing. Someone had written on the photocopied image in red marker, “No wonder he likes her. She’s easy.”

Ripping down the photo, she noticed Kit standing to the side, a smirk on her face, dangling a red-tipped marker from her fingers. Disgusted, Beth continued to class, but Giles intercepted her in the hallway. “Don’t be upset. You and I know the truth. Those people are just jealous of me.” He grinned. “I’m the one who got to kiss you.”

There were other snide remarks and whispers in the hall as they passed, but nothing parted them until Christmas break. She loved Christmas, a memorable holiday this year, as it was the last year before college took her away. However, she only wanted to be with Giles this year, but he flew home on the last day of the fall semester.

Her mother tried to keep her busy with shopping, baking cookies, and making candy, but she was distracted. Not having Giles there and not hearing from him weighed heavily on her heart. They were making peppermint fudge when the doorbell rang. Her little brother ran to answer it and returned to the kitchen with a special delivery package addressed to her. It was from Giles.

Tucked inside, she found a note. “I miss you. London isn’t quite so cheery for the holidays as I remembered. I thought you might like a bit of my world to think of me until I return. Love, Giles.”

Love. He had written love. Her fingers shaking, she pulled away the bubble wrap to find a snow globe. The scene was London during the holidays. As she shook it for the snow to swirl, she had no doubt she was in love.

Giles returned the day before the spring semester began, and their relationship deepened. Beth realized her parents were becoming concerned and wasn’t surprised when her mother confronted her.

“Beth, I know you care about Giles, but school will be out in weeks, and you will go to college. Giles will return to England. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

She was trembling as she replied, hoping her mother didn’t notice. “I know that, Mom, but I do care about him. If this is real, then someday it will be what I want.”

“Just be realistic, honey. Your dad and I want you happy, but we also want you to keep your future in mind. If what you feel about Giles is real, then it will never leave.”

Beth closed her eyes, shutting out the daylight streaming through the coffee shop window. “…then it will never leave.” Her mother’s words echoed in her head. That was why she was here. Her feelings for Giles had never left, not all these years.

It was as if they knew not to escalate their relationship to something more intimate than a kiss. Neither of them knew what the future would bring, and she was thankful that Giles had been a gentleman and had not pushed her for anything more personal. His abrupt departure would have been more torturous than it was if they had been intimate.

Giles's father suffered a heart attack, and he had to return home two weeks before graduation. By then, they knew her family was relocating to Denver, and he had made plans to visit her that summer. With his father’s illness, those plans were tossed to the wind.

They last talked in the coffee shop right before the mayor took him to the airport. She looked across the room to the place where they sat that afternoon.

He had held her hand. “Beth, I’m sorry. With my father ill I have to stay in London. He is undergoing surgery and will need time to recover. I have to help my mother. Then we’ll both be at university. I don’t know when I will be back.”

Tears streamed down her face, then and now. She had tried to be brave, but her heart was breaking. “I understand. Just don’t forget me.”

“Never, I could never forget you.”

“You do realize with an ocean between us, we may never see each other again.”

“No, I don’t believe that. London is not that far from you.”

The mayor walked in at that point, and it was time for him to go. Giles kissed her and was almost out the door when he rushed back to her.

“If we lose touch, remember this… in ten years, if neither of us is happy with our lives, then we will come here on this date, at this time, and we will know if this was real. Ten years from today at five o’clock for coffee.”

He had kissed her again and was gone. She didn’t know where her mother had come from, but she only remembered her mother hugging her and telling her things would be fine in time.

She had corresponded with Giles for several months, but eventually, those texts and letters were fewer and fewer. She graduated from college and was accepted to law school. Now she was an attorney and…. She shuddered. She should be happy, but she wasn’t. She hadn’t been since that afternoon ten years ago.

Not that she had shied away from relationships during the past years. She had been in two serious relationships, both men wanting to marry her. She had accepted one proposal, but after a few months, she knew it wasn’t right. Lisi had jokingly remarked. “You're not still hung up on that exchange student, are you?” When she didn’t answer, Lisi shrieked. “Oh my goodness, you are still hung up on him.”

Beth realized she should have kept her mouth shut and not told Lisi about the vow to meet in ten years, but Lisi was her best friend. A mistake. Especially when their tenth-year reunion was announced.

She had dreaded coming to the reunion, but after Lisi had insisted, not begged, she relented. After she said yes, she realized the date coincided with her promise to Giles, and she told Lisi.

The phone dinged again. Beth turned it off. It was five minutes to five, and she would know soon enough how silly she was being—no need to hear it from Lisi.

Her heart thumped so hard in her chest that it was palpable. What was she doing? How foolish to think he would show up. Too silly, but she knew now that she loved Giles, had always loved him, and no one could take his place. Part of her hoped he wouldn’t show. Then maybe she could get past how she felt.

Three minutes to five.

Two minutes to five.

One minute to five.

She felt deflated when the clock hands clicked to five p.m. as emptiness replaced hope. What was she thinking? He wasn’t going to come. He was never going to come.

Trembling, she rose, grabbed her purse, and fled out the door. A horn blared in several long bursts, but she paid no attention and kept walking. She needed to get away from the coffee shop.

She was nearly at the corner when a voice called out to her. A deep voice with a British accent. She stopped, her heart unsure. It couldn’t be. Running footsteps echoed behind her, and strong arms surrounded her within seconds.

“The plane was late. I almost missed you. The driver blew the horn to try and stop you.” Giles turned her around. “You’re here. I didn’t think you’d be here.”

Beth couldn’t catch her breath. Her knees buckled, and she clung to him to keep from falling. She managed a few words. “You—you came. I…. I didn’t think…” Tears were spilling from her eyes, and she couldn’t continue.

“Yes, I came.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “The closer it got to this date, the more I realized I had left my heart here. No one ever meant the same to me. Even though I was certain you wouldn’t be here, I had to come. I had to know.”

She was smiling through her tears. “The same for me. No one was you. I love you, Giles.”

He kissed her, his lips lingering on hers as they parted. “I love you.”

Grabbing her hand, he nodded toward the coffee shop. “Time for coffee and talk about our lives together.”

Coffee at five was the perfect time.

~~~~~

This story was orginally published in 2018 as part of Writers Unite!'s Anthology Realm of Romance. The anthology was re-released in 2022 under the title, Dimensions of Love, and is available on Amazon.