Coffee Shop Clarity - 750

This is a story entry for the 750 Word Project 2024

Katy lay in bed feeling sweaty and dirty.

What the fuck was she even doing anymore?

She'd dropped out of college, returning home to live with her parents and to try and figure out what to do with her life.

And here she was wiping cum off her belly with a pair of her ex-boyfriends boxers while he played Xbox.

Old habits die hard, and the inert die even harder.

She saw from watching her parents float through their daily routines, silently grumbling about the same day over and over again, that she didn't want that life. But where could she go?

Well sometimes you don't get to make that choice for yourself.

Like the day Katy's car died in Grenville, and she found herself seeking refuge from the rain in the only coffee shop open at night- The Cry.

The barista was a tall gangly fellow named Joe, who had brown spiky hair and a set of uneven teeth.

Katy was taken with the confidence and warmth of his smile. That one lifted incisor he displayed without concern because he was just so damn happy to meet you.The conversation was friendly and quick, with Joe showing real concern for her safety. She ensured him her father was picking her up and kept him company while he cleaned up.

And for weeks, Katy would make The Cry a regular pitstop on her way home... from just about anything. She'd learned that Joe had moved a lot and was happy to have found a place in the apartment over the cafe. He was estranged from family and like her, a little lost. Where they differed though was the anxiety over that sense of disconnect. Katy was constantly worried about where she was going, while Joe seemed to put more stock in where he had been.

"There's nothing scarier than what you've already been through," He'd tell her while making her another hot cocoa.

That night she walked behind the counter to kiss him though, she could sense he had a little fear in his eyes afterwards.

Joe's face tightened as he swallowed air and took Katy's arms like delicate porcelain.

"Katy, I'm crazy flattered, but there's something you should know first--"

Sliding her hand up the front of his apron to trace her fingers across his chest, Katy gazed into Joe's eyes for recognition. It took a moment to click, for the two to understand things- before Joe began to nervously stammer. Katy stopped that with a kiss.

"It's okay if you're not ready or don't want to- maybe I'm moving too fast- but I'd like to go upstairs with you," Katy's face softened as wrapped her arms around him.

Joe clumsily took her body with his, slowly backpedaling towards the front door. Katy feared he was about to kick her out just as he reached over to lock the deadbolt.

In the dim light of Joe's studio apartment, Katy lay back on the mattress - her exposed breasts slid off her ribcage as she watched her pants slide off her feet. Nervous but eager, Joe unbuttoned his shirt and leaned over Katy for a kiss. Her hands slipped inside the fabric, pulling it off his back. She savoured his smooth skin as she caressed his skinny torso. Katy delicately caressed his scars from top surgery, as if to remind him she accepted him fully and wasn't afraid of being physical.

Joe's lips moved down Katy's neck, spending time on her breasts as he gathered them together in his hands. He smirked and continued across her stomach, then downward until he was rubbing his nose in the sheer fabric stretched across her mound. The smell was enticing, but the vision of Katy's neatly trimmed pubes under the gauzy mesh send Joe over the edge. He licked a wetspot in the front before teasing her with the light graze of his fingernails. Katy purred and wiggled in place.

Breathing in deep, Joe pushed the wet crotch aside and nibbled on Katy's labia, then slid his tongue along her ridge and into the sweet spot. Her moans encouraged him as he lapped away and fingered her, confident again - knowing that she understood his momentary limitations, but wanted to be together nonetheless. Joe watched Katy's body writhe at his touch while she forgot all her worries.

She may not be going places, but the benefit of going nowhere, was that you had all the time in the world to explore and figure things out.