"I swear you only come in early to check up on me," Lauren said to Jaime with a laugh.
"I would never," Jaime replied, pretending to be offended, and Joey laughed, his nose scrunching up as Lauren met his eyes.
He was leaning on the counter talking to Lauren. His first class that day had been cancelled, so he was hanging out with her for the morning. He'd managed to move past the incident last night. If she just wanted to be his friend, then he could accept that. Her friendship was more than he felt he deserved from her anyway.
"Lauren, can you take this coffee to Mr Davidson's table?" Jaime asked.
Lauren took the mug and went over to table in the corner. She made to come back to the counter but the old gentleman was insistent on engaging her in conversation, and Lauren was apparently used to this because she took a seat opposite him.
Joey smiled fondly at her, only to have Jaime step in front of him, blocking Lauren from his sight.
"So," she began, and Joey gave her a betrayed look as he realised she'd sent Lauren off just so that she could talk to him. "What's going on with you and Lauren?"
"I promise, there's nothing-"
"Exactly. Why not?"
Joey sighed deeply. He should have known. "Because she doesn't want there to be anything."
Jaime raised an eyebrow at him. "That's not true."
"Then why has she backed off all three times I've tried to kiss her?" he asked exasperatedly, letting his head slump onto the counter.
When he raised his head again, Jaime was looking at him sympathetically, but before she could try and explain anything to him, Lauren returned.
"Is he ever going to talk about anything other than his cat?" she complained.
Jaime disappeared into the back, laughing. A moment later she shouted out "Lauren, can you get some more beans from the stock room?"
"Jesus, you'd think she ran this place," Lauren said, rolling her eyes at Joey.
He sat at the counter, sipping from his coffee and letting his eyes wander around at the people in the shop, until Jaime reappeared.
"Lauren needs your help."
"She does?" he asked, already walking around behind the counter.
"Yeah," Jaime said, gesturing over her shoulder into the back.
He walked along the short corridor and spotted Lauren standing in a small pantry.
"Jaime said you needed my help?" he asked.
She turned to him, surprised at the sound of his voice, and then grinned.
"Well, I didn't, but seeing as you're here you can get a bag of beans down for me."
He looked up to see the beans on the top shelf, out of Lauren's reach, and laughed.
"How do you normally manage?" he asked, reaching up easily.
She blushed, but laughed as she said "I usually end up climbing the shelves."
"That's adorable," he said, reaching out to pat her head.
"Shut up!" she giggled, swatting his hand away.
They both turned around when they heard the door click closed and the key turn in the lock. Joey replaced the beans on the shelf and went to the door, turning the handle but to no avail.
