One of my favourite places to be was Ron's coffee shop. It was a local cafe, an individual one similar to mine and Eva's bookshop meaning that it was oftentimes rather empty, save for the locals.
The street on which mine and Ron's shops resided was full of local independents like ours - there was Toby's Record Shop, the Stevenson's family bakery and Phil's newsagents on the corner, to name a few of the stores I frequented on an almost daily basis.
And it was not uncommon for all of us store holders to bump into each other in Ron's cafe. It was a favourite for anyone who had visited and Ron never forgot a face - he would ask customers he had met merely once about their life story, kids, husbands, wives, school. And people shared because Ron was that kind of person. And, if someone seemed down or having a hard time then Ron was quick to offer them an extra slab of cake or one of his coffee experiments by way of cheering them up.
It was Ron's overwhelming friendliness that had attracted me to buying my little store on River Street.
I sat at my favourite table in Ron's cafe, a chai latte between my hands and a slice of coffee cake in front of me. I had brought a book, as I always did, but I had yet to open it, my mind preoccupied with other things.
Eva things, to be exact.
And Loki. Always Loki.
"You going to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to guess?" Ron asked, easing himself into the seat opposite me. I gave him a smile that I knew I couldn't keep my exhaustion out of and shook my head, letting out a long breath.
"I'm fine, Ron," I promised. "Just tired from all the shop admin." Ron reached his wrinkled hand across the table and grabbed one of mine.
"I know when you're not fine, Y/N," he confided. "It's in your eyes."
"Then my eyes are lying because I'm fine," I insisted.
"Is Loki giving you grief?" He inquired. I looked at him for a moment, hesitating before answering.
"Not in the way you would think," I paused. "Or hope," I added with a laugh. Ron's eyes crinkled with the smile I had grown to know so well over the years.
"You love him?"
"Love is a strong word." I countered.
"And yet..." Ron trailed off, looking at me expectantly.
"And yet," I conceded. Ron nodded sagely.
"I suspected as much," he looked at me hard for another few minutes before shaking his head again. "But that's not what's bothering you," he decided.
"What gave it away?" I laughed.
"Because that's never been the most important thing to you, has it?" Ron blinked a couple of times, clearly expecting me to cut in but I remained in silence, not wanting to admit anything that may make what was on my mind clear. "What's going on with Eva?"
Tears sprung to my eyes at his gentle tone and I turned my gaze to the table to try and hide my expression from the kind old man.
"Are you telepathic or something?" I laughed tearfully, bringing one hand up to cover my mouth. My eyes fell shut and I prayed to every God I knew - Thor and Loki excluded, they didn't need to know what was going on - for my tears to remain unshed.
"I've seen a lot, Y/N, I'm old. I know when you're hurting," Ron confided, his tone was gentle and supporting and I wanted to hug him.
"I don't know how you do it, Ron," I finally said.
"Do what?" Ron's brow was creased in confusion.
"Get everyone to tell you their secrets," Ron laughed openly at that.
His laughter was all the encouragement I needed to tell him what was going on. I confided about Loki's first day, the books we'd shared, the notes we'd exchanged, the argument we had had. The argument itself seemed trivial in heindsight, yet at the time it had appeared to be the worst thing in the world. I got on to talking to Loki only yesterday and finding the hidden note in Eva's room.
"What did he say in the note?" Ron asked, seemingly entranced by the tale.
"I don't know - I haven't read it yet," I admitted. "I've been too scared - once I read it, that makes all of this real. I'll have to talk to Eva, then to Loki and... I'm kind of content living in peace and obliviousness," I told him. Ron shook his head disapprovingly, though the smile on his face was somewhat affectionate.
"You deserve better than content, Y/N. Whatever has been said in Loki's note is clearly important - to him and, probably, to you. And even, at a stretch, to Eva."
"How on Earth would it be important to Eva?" I asked incredulously.
"Because it seems to me that she's scared of loosing you."
///
"Eva?" I paused in the doorway to her room. I lent against the frame in my pyjamas.
"Yeah?" Eva asked, sat on her bed and pulling on some socks - how she wore socks to bed I would never understand.
"I have to talk to you," Eva looked up, concern etched onto her features.
"Is something wrong?" I paused, debating whether or not to go through with it. I nodded hesitantly.
"Yeah - there is, actually," I held up the piece of paper clutched in my hand. "Why did you have this?" Eva glanced up.
"What's that?"
"A note that Loki wrote to me," Eva froze at those words. "He put it in a book he was returning ages ago - and you took it,"
"Did you go into my room?" She asked instead.
"That's not the point right now." I argued, desperate to keep on track.
"No - did you go through my stuff?" Eva insisted, standing from her bed so she was face to face with me, a wounded expression on her face.
"Loki told me that he left me a note - I knew you had to have taken it. I didn't go through anything. I picked it up from your desk," I huffed in frustration. "Why did you take it?"
"Because he's not good for you!" She finally busted out. I stared at her.
"I'm not a kid, Eva," I hissed.
"I'm not saying that you are-"
"Then let me make my own fucking decisions!" I shouted.
"Not if it's going to get you hurt!" She insisted.
"I'm a grown fucking woman, Eva."
"And yet you don't seem to know better than to become the whore of an arsehole who tried to take over the world!" She screamed. I stared at her and took a couple of steps back.
"Fuck you," I spat, turning away.
"Where are you going?" She asked, following me out into the hallway, watching me grab my coat from the rack, taking my keys from the side table by the door.
"Away from you!" I screamed, slamming the door on my way out.
I rushed down the stairs into the empty shop, ensuring I locked it on my way out. I paused as I got outside and rested my back against the door, taking deep breaths as I slid down the wood coming to the realisation that I had nowhere to go.
///
It was a long shot to come here, I knew as much. I had never been before and, chances were, no one who I knew would answer the door.
But it was the one place I could think of.
I pressed the intercom button and waited for a response, shivering in the cool summer's evening. The intercom crackled to life.
"Hello?"
"Hi - my name's Y/N Y/L/N? I'm a... friend of Loki's?" I offered unsurely.
"A friend?" He inquired after a long pause.
"Well, he um, he works for me?" I suggested.
"Oh - the bookshop girl. Thor told us about you. Let me buzz you in," two seconds later the gates to the Avenger's compound opened.
I walked up the long drive and the door was open already, a figure standing in the light.
"Y/N?" It was Loki - dressed more casually than I had ever seen him before. "I didn't realise Stark was being serious," he admitted.
"Sorry," I whispered, dropping my gaze to the floor.
"Are you - are you okay?" He asked. When I looked up at him the concern in his eyes was clear.
"I - I didn't know where else to go," it was then that the first sob of the evening ripped out of my throat. Loki didn't hesitate before closing the gap between us and hugging me as tight as he could manage.