The Spaces Between Us

Chapter 1

Twenty-five days.

Twenty-five days was all it took before I was back on my bullshit.

I brought the coffee mug to my lips and sipped the familiar brown liquid.

God, I missed you.

Satisfied, I finished scrambling the eggs in the non-stick pan.

"You are so busted!"

I jerked in surprise at Jen's voice, spilling coffee onto my fingers.

Shit balls! What a waste.

I winced at the burning sting on my index and middle fingers. "Thanks," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I wiped them with the napkin beside me.

"What happened to giving up coffee?" Jen walked into the kitchen, arms crossed over her floral blouse, eyeing me, clearly amused.

"Eggs?" I said instead, ignoring her question as I made her a plate.

The truth was simple: I had zero self-control when it came to coffee. I didn't even know why I kept trying to quit. I relied on it too much to keep me alert. I barely slept as it was, always stuck between school and one of my part-time jobs.

She sighed and took the plate, but not before I plopped two slices of buttered toast onto it.

"I get it. You need it. But when will you get some sleep? Seriously. Look at your eyes."

"When we're back on our feet again, Jen." I started making her tea, grabbing her white mug with the cats wearing bikinis. I set it in front of her with a smile.

"Nia." Her worried eyes met mine.
"I'll take a nap after work, I promise." And I meant it. My exams were just around the corner. I needed to recharge before diving into study mode. "Don't you have a parent–teacher meeting today?" I asked, taking another sip of the delicious coffee I'd made - my second cup, and it was only 6:30 a.m. Jen and I always woke up at six.

Jen had been a middle-school teacher for about five years now, and she was a damn good one. Not only was she gorgeous - with her shoulder-length blonde hair and petite figure - she was articulate, hardworking, and charismatic too. It was impossible not to like her. Her students adored her, and the school board respected her.

We shared the same steely grey eyes. Our dad had been married to her mum first. She passed away from cervical cancer when Jen was only nine. A few years later, Dad met my mum, and they had me - leaving a wide age gap between us. But it didn't matter. Jen was more of a mother to me than my own mom ever was. We hadn't seen my mother in years. When she left, Dad threw himself into work. As a ship engineer, he spent months out on the open sea repairing engines. But no matter how far he sailed, he always came back. Always.

I was beyond grateful for him and my sister. That's why I felt obligated to help our family as much as possible, taking on every odd job I could. I didn't care how tired I got. I needed to save up and help Jen pay off the house. That was my goal for the year. The bank wouldn't grant us a loan but agreed to monthly installment payments. Seven more months, and this house would officially be ours.

I downed the rest of my coffee and shoved my textbooks, phone, wallet, and house keys into my backpack.

"I've got a meeting with the Richardsons today," Jen said. "I have to plan next week's class schedule, finalize the tutoring program, and I need to get some grading done. Oh, and I might need help with Excel. Do you mind?"
I shook my head. "Whatever you need."
"You're my hero, Nia."
"See you later." She blew me a kiss as I made my exit.

I pulled on my flannel shirt, slung my backpack over one shoulder, and held it in place with my hands in my pockets. Then I hopped on my bike and cycled down into town, heading to the library for my morning shift.