There they all lay on a grassy field of red flowers. Eve's soft brown hair is splayed out on the ground, and she's pouting.
"How do we get out of here?" Reagan asks.
"How the hell did we get here," Embry responds.
They can not get rid of the thoughts swirling around their head. Here it is quiet, at least.
"I don't know. But uh, I kind of lied to you before and I feel pretty guilty." Embry mentions.
"And you're mentioning this now, because?" Eve questions, exasperated. They have more important matters to figure out.
"I said I felt guilty, chill. My friends never begged me to go to the coffee shop, I begged them to come there. And they agreed. And they never came," Embry tells them.
"Aw, Embry I'm sorry." Reagan grimaces, not sure how to reply.
"It's not your fault." Embry responds.
"That's really sweet and all, but also where are we? I just want to get back to the coffee shop." Eve says.
Embry shrugs as Reagan almost rolls their eyes but stops, and the result is Reagan almost looking cross eyed.
Eve laughs.
"Reagan, what do you remember from when we met?" Eve asks.
"I was crying because I was mad at my parents and I had just met Embry an-" they get cut off by Eve,
"That sounds about right. How old are you?" Eve questions.
"Eighteen."
"You were around fifteen when I met you. I was 19, and I still am, and Embry is what, twelve?"
Eve jokes.
Reagan snorts.
"Fuck off, I'm sixteen, actually I think my birthday is in two days if time still exists. I can't believe I just said that," Embry retaliates.
Slowly, the group gets groggy. Their eyelids start to close as they roll over to their sides. This leaves them unaware of the tall figure with the gray hair. And it leaves them unaware of the overlap, it seems as though everything is happening at once. They are in a bar, and they are in a coffee shop and they are in a field and they are in a hospital. They are everywhere and nowhere at once.
The worlds swirling together, their words swirling together.
"You can't leave the party yet."
"You might want to check this out, there's some weird shit going on out there."
They all leave their words behind them in a past that is far away and yet still near them, but they don't realize how. Not yet.
YOU ARE READING
The Coffee Shop On Dreary Lane
Science FictionA story of romance and friendship as well as something akin to time travel and three unlikely friends. Embry, a bitter and lonely teen. Reagan, a bookish and reserved nonbinary person whose parents won't accept them. And finally Eve Fletcher, rich...
