Coffee Shop

• 18 •

Brian turned just his head at first, looking at me through just the corner of his eye. I played with my top, pulling it lower than it was meant to go. I felt underdressed. Here he stood in a nice shirt and slacks, and I'd just changed into a tank and joggers, just to get out of the clothes I'd had on the night before.

In my defense, I wasn't told I'd be coming to see someone's grave.

"Brian?" I said his name again as I took another step towards him, afraid he wouldn't look at me unless I did. But that fear slipped away as he shifted his foot to turn his body sideways. I saw the tears in his eyes before I saw the smile. My heart dropped. "Brian..."

"Come here," he said weakly and looked down at the small tombstone. He extended his hand for me to take, and when I did, he gripped it tight, afraid I'd let go. "There's someone I want you to meet."

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me anymore, but when I stood beside him and looked down at his feet, I read the name that brought tears to his eyes:

Katerina Ashley Miller. Loving daughter, sister, wife.

I gripped his hand just as tight.

"Kay... meet Kay." His thumb rubbed my hand. "This is the girl who walked into the shop a few months ago. I told you about her. Remember?"

I didn't know what to say, but it was obvious. He'd come here, visit her tombstone, and talk about me. Me. He couldn't tell me about her, but he told her about me. It reminded me of what Mr. Paul had said when I told him I'd heard him talk to his wife.

"Just because she's gone doesn't mean I can't talk to her."

Brian turned his head to look at me, gripping my hand even tighter. I felt the burn in my palm. "Kay... meet Katerina, my wife."

Without thinking, I knelt before her stone and pulled the extra grass away from her name. My fingertips brushed away the dirt that slipped into the cracks. Brian came down beside me and did the same. I heard him sniff as he quietly cried. "She's good to me, Kay... " he whispered. "Really good. Brings out all of those things you wished you saw in me."

I looked at the side of his face as tears slid down his cheeks. Without speaking, I wiped one side, then turned his head so I could wipe the other. The golden color of his eyes was brighter than ever.

Brian smiled at me, leaned into my hand, then looked down at the stone again. "You were always talking about fate, Kay, and I always thought it was a load of shit. You fought tooth and nail to get me to believe in it and I... I just feel like this—" He brought my hand up to his lips to kiss it. "—this is you. You're showing me how destiny works."

Tears rimmed my eyes as he looked at me but talked to her.

"Fate brought her into the city, into your shop. Fate had her apply, and had her call back. You, you led her to me Kay, you made her see the man I could be, the man I'm trying to be. You allowed me to fulfill your dreams, so you could complete mine."

The music from Kyle's car still played behind us, and I listened to the last few words until the song finished. By then, tears slid down my cheeks just like Brian's. He took the turn to wipe mine clean. I tried to smile, but I'm almost sure I failed, and it turned into a frown.

"I'm a broken man, Kay," he whispered, his eyes only on me, his voice only for me to hear. "Can you accept that?"

I choked on my cry as I tried not to laugh. "You say that like I'm not broken."

"No." He shook his head and stroked my cheeks. "You've got some cracks, some lines, but nothing I can't fix with some love and glue. Me?" He placed my hand over his chest, where his scars would be. "Even doctors couldn't fix me, Kay. No one could. But you? You make me feel like recovery is real, that a healing process can happen for me."