The Inferno's Indulgence

Chapt 29

Celeste

"Order for Celeste? Latte with an order of strawberry pastries".

At the sound of the nice woman's voice, my eyebrows lift and my entire body perks up. My back straightens in the matter of just a split second, and my view changes. I throw a polite gaze towards the cute barista with beautiful brown hair, and offer a small smile as I pull myself from the wooden chair. Swinging my tote from my shoulder, I pull it down my arm to let it rest atop the chair as I spot Dacre arriving. I somehow figured I'd be late with the small bickering from this morning, but I ended up being first to come. He easily spots me and begins his way over towards the table for three, so I feel it is safe enough to let my belongings rest while I step away for a small second.

As I approach the gentle woman she gives me a smile that mirrors mine, and holds my food and drink out. I spot her blue nails, but opt for not saying anything as she looks soon to be busy. There are more than enough people occupying this place this morning. I take my order and whip around to go back to the small table I picked out for us when I first arrived, catching Nelia as she comes from the restroom, her hands still wet as she swings them up and down to remove the excess water.

I don't bother stopping for her, so I continue my journey. I sit my pastries and latte down before clasping my hand around my tote to remove it from the chair. "Good morning, Dacre" I smile as my small mission is accomplished.

He hasn't taken a seat yet, so this makes it easier for him to move around the table, and when he does, his large arms go around my entire body to pull me against his chest. I smile and sigh into the hug as I get a huge whiff of his scent. He always smells like vanilla. The soft scent is always so pleasant. I get sucked into a trance for a small moment before I realize that I am not imagining the touch around my body. I mimic him and lift my arms to wrap around him.

"Good morning, Celeste. How long have you been here? I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long" he murmurs, pulling away and looking towards the way Nelia is coming from.

I shrug as I pull away from his grasp and look down to eye my latte, temporarily gazing my view elsewhere. "I was here for maybe five minutes before Nelia came. We've both been here for about ten minutes together".

When I pull my eyes back up to my friends, I see Dacre lift an arm and hand. Nelia mirrors his action and the two give one another a high five before they pull away. Dacre takes his seat directly across from me, and Nelia sits to my right.

"You have always had anxiety with time. I knew you'd arrive first, which is why I ditched my morning call with Christian to be sure that I arrived early" she says. I briefly wonder if she will order something. I placed my order when she arrived, and she hasn't said a single thing about eating or drinking anything and I'm sure with it being early she hasn't eaten any other foods.

My mind gazes elsewhere. "Morning call?" I question.

Her dimples form as she smiles a smile so deep that it makes her blush. "Christian is a Marine. He just left a few days ago so we can either have scheduled calls, or call and hope the other isn't busy. It's been mornings for us, and we text when we can" she tells me.

Oh my. I blush a bit for her. He's such a soldier. Who would have known that shy Christian would pursue something like that?

"A marine? That's sexy" Dacre chimes in, tilting his head and showing his perfect teeth. I wanted to say it, but I know I shouldn't. I can only think it.

I reach over and take my latte cup. It still feels so warm. I pull it to my lips as Nelia looks at Dacre. "Thanks to Celeste. My man would still be without me if it weren't for her introducing the two of us".