Playing Hearts

Prologue

The day started off like any other, boring, as usual. I walked through the café at the bottom of my building, there was always a line of idiots late to work, gossiping about the neighbours that stood only a few places away in line. I skipped the queue as I always did, walked straight past everyone, and stood at the counter aside the first in line.

"Morning son, the usual?" I nodded tiresomely and she gave an elegant swivel as she turned to prepare my morning kick up the arse.

"With 2 sugars please Sue!"

"You better calm it on the sugar, or nobody's going to give you some hon'," she joked, smirking back as she stirred the filled takeaway cup.

"My god Susan, you've cracked it! All this time, how didn't I see it?"

"Really dialed the sarcasm up today. What's got you stressing?" she leaned against the counter, slid the coffee towards me, and eagerly waited for a response. She was a gentle old lady, and over the years she had come to know me from it. The morning banter had often turned to quick therapy sessions, or moments of motivation. I'd stayed here for some 10 years, and in that time, I had come to see her as a mother figure. My mother wasn't anywhere near, and there's only so much comfort one can give over the phone. And as for the father figure...

"Susan. Must you bother the boy every day?" A tall African gentleman walked up, placing his arms around Susan from behind, and giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Oh Jerome." She whispered, her pale cheeks turning to pink as she blushed. She looked back over her shoulder, "Only if he insists on fattening himself." She turned around, noticing the bent collar peaking out from under Jerome's sweater. "Honey, you have a mirror, we're not old and blind yet." He chuckled as she adjusted the collar.

"I was late pumpkin, I had to rush so-"She playfully slapped away his hand as he reached for hers.

"Oh no. No man of mine is going to run his business looking like a hobo." Her tone was stern, yet playful. The look on his face told me he knew it all too well, and not a single thing about it bothered him. She finished adjusting the collar and patted down the area, before giving the sweater a quick tug downwards. "There."

Jerome placed his hand beneath her chin, and softly raised her gaze to face his, "Better?"

"Ohhhh don't look at me like that." She muttered grumpily through her teeth.
" Like what? Like this?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. There was a playfully romantic tension that filled the area, and even though service had slowed down as this all happened, none dared interrupt the sweetness. Jerome jerked her closer, almost tripping her into his arms, then kissed her on the forehead. "I love you pumpkin."

She looked down, trying to hide her smile. "And I'd loooove if we could get back to our customers," she said, ducking beneath his arm and grabbing an empty cup for the next fill. Jerome glanced towards her, she turned her head just a tad, and mouthed a few words back. Jerome smiled warmly, then snapped back to now, and turned face me.

He was a rather tall man, so, more than Susan, he needed to lean forward when he talked, lest he be towering. His hair was short and had begun to grey over the years, but he wore it well, carrying off a more distinguished and suave look, than most at his age. He was a rather lean man, by no means muscular, but also far from skinny.

"I see you're seeming a bit off today," he noticed, before turning around to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"You know, the usual. Work, women, woes." I sipped my coffee, clutching it between both hands. Jerome looked judgingly at me with his eyebrow raised as he poured his coffee from an absurdly high height. "By the time that fills the cup it'll be ice coffee," I joked, but the eyebrow remained raised. He placed the coffee jug down, walking over with the cup.

He took a rather lengthy sip, followed by a longer sigh of relief as he pulled the cup away, "That's the usual... but you're not acting like the usual, so what's on your mind?"

"I mean- it's just – it's uh-," I stuttered, fumbling to find my words. I wasn't the best at opening up sometimes, I try, I really do, but sometimes it's just ...scary.

"Spit it out boy, I'm 60 now, I could die any moment... the coffee probably isn't doing any good for my heart either." The old man knew me, how to break down my walls with a bit of humour.

"Alright old man. There's a girl at work and-"

"Ahh, so you Work with the Woman, and that results in your Woes. At least it's not one of those tinder girls like Jenny...god she was dull."

I leaned in, as if I were about to spill the most secretive of information, "You know, I don't think she was sane," I said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, big surprise there," he remarked while shaking his head. He sipped from his coffee again, "Now back to the work girl."

"Oh right. So, you know how I got lead on that project, yeah well," I sipped the coffee nervously, placing it down after, then tapping at the side, "I now have a Co-lead."