Sterling

Sterling followed the two girls down the snowy sidewalk, wishing he could duck down a dark alley and disappear. This morning, he had just wanted to get out of there but instead, he'd been roped into getting coffee. At least it was coffee, not brunch like Alicia had originally wanted. Brunch would've taken forever, and he needed to get back to Olly's so he could get some proper sleep in case he needed him for tonight's shift. So, he at least owed Celeste something for that.

He shifted in his new coat. Alicia had loaned him one, a shearling-lined jean jacket some long-forgotten boyfriend of hers had left behind. It was a little big, even on him, but at least it was warm. His hands were freezing without gloves, though. He couldn't wait to wrap his hands around something warm... A hot cup of coffee was beginning to sound really good.

As they walked, Alicia and Celeste kept glancing back at him as if they were making sure he was still there.

If I made a run for it, he wondered, would they chase me down?

Well, maybe not Celeste, but he knew Alicia would.

"Are we there yet?" he asked.

"Almost," Alicia called back in sing-song.

Another half block, and they finally came to a stop in front of a cozy little diner. It wasn't the generic, efficient coffee shop he had been hoping for, but it didn't look so bad either. He had a soft spot for greasy-spoon diners.

Alicia grabbed the door and swung it wide, holding it open for him and Celeste, ushering them in. He stepped forward, but at the same time, so did Celeste. Their shoulders bumped, and Celeste bounced off, staggering back. Without thinking, Sterling reached out to steady her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

When she realized where his hand was, Celeste went bright pink.

"Sorry!" she cried and slipped out of his grip.

He wondered if she was still flustered from their kiss. Why? She had said herself that the kiss didn't mean anything...

But he gave her some space, stepping back from the door and waving her through. Cheeks still burning, Celeste muttered a small something—whether it was another apology or a thank you, he couldn't tell—and hurried through.

He blinked for a moment and then followed after. Alicia smirked at him as he passed.

Inside, it was like he had stepped through time. The diner looked like it had been ripped from the fifties and plopped down onto Winter Grove's main street in the modern day. There were rows of red-vinyl booths, a scattering of matching aluminum tables and chairs, and one wall dominated by a long, snowy-white counter that curved around a corner and stopped right next to the door. The place had been decorated for Christmas in the same retro theme—lots of silver garland, space-age aluminum decorations, and bright primary colours.

A bored-looking waitress in a peppermint-striped uniform noticed them from behind the counter. She came over and leaned across the counter. "Hey kids. Do you want to sit at a table or get something to go?"

"You still want just coffee?" Alicia asked Sterling with a sniff.

"Yes. Just coffee."

Alicia huffed. "Well, I still want brunch. So," she turned back to the waitress. "A table please, and one large coffee to go."

The waitress nodded. "Well, it's a bit of a wait for a table, but I'll get that coffee going for you."

Alicia clicked her tongue and scanned the busy diner. It was full of people their age. It appeared Alicia wasn't alone in seeking out greasy sustenance to fight off their post-exam-celebration hangover.

"Ugh," she grumbled before turning back to Sterling and Celeste. "I'm going to go and scope out the tables." She pointed menacingly at Sterling. "And don't think of trying to sneak out of here. I'll be right back."

"Once I get my coffee, I'm gone," he said with a casual shrug.

"I'll be watching," she said, narrowing her eyes. She headed into the maze of tables.

"Scope out tables?" Sterling asked Celeste as Alicia disappeared into the sea of people.

Celeste's cheeks were still rosy, from blushing or cold, he didn't know. She looked startled that he was speaking to her. "Oh! Uh... By scope out she means stare down people until they give up their table," she explained quickly, ending with a little laugh.

Sterling couldn't help but laugh, too. "That sounds like Alicia."

"Sounds like you know her pretty well," Celeste said, studying him. "She said you were a friend of her brother?"

"Yeah," Sterling said, fighting off the tenseness that suddenly gripped his shoulders. This wasn't a good subject for casual small talk. "We grew up together. Me, Willy, and Olly. And then Alicia was always hanging around, chasing her brother's shadow, so we were all close. She's like an annoying kid sister."

As he said it, he saw Alicia circle a table that had finished their meal and was just sipping at their coffee. As she stared at them, they all looked rather nervous. He chuckled before turning back to Celeste.

"Did you know Will?" he asked.

"No," Celeste said. "I met Alicia freshman year, so he was...." Her smile faltered as she struggled with how to phrase the obvious. "But he seemed like a good guy. At least from the stories Alicia tells about him."

"He was a good guy," Sterling agreed.

A tense silence stretched between them. Celeste shifted awkwardly, twiddling her fingers. She was still so nervous around him. He wasn't so bothered. A little silence never scared him.

"So, what brings you to Winter Grove?" Celeste asked suddenly.

"Uh," Sterling said. Another awkward topic. There was very little in his life that made for good small talk. Where do I even begin?

Thankfully, just then, his phone began to ring. As he pulled it out, he saw Olly's number on the screen. He muffled his sigh of relief. "Sorry, I've got to take this."

"I'll keep an eye out for your coffee," Celeste said, giving him a little smile.

"Thanks," Sterling said, smiling back. Celeste went a little pinker.

Looking for some privacy, he stepped through the diner doors and back outside. Immediately he regretted it as the chill of the winter day washed over him. His fingers were already stiff with cold when he swiped across the screen to answer the call.

Olly didn't even wait for him to speak. "Are you still alive?"

"Obviously," Sterling said. "Dead men don't answer phones."

"I suppose not," Olly said with a little laugh. "When are you coming back?"

"Well, Alicia tried to rope me into brunch—"

"That sounds like Alicia," Olly interjected with a laugh. "Guess you'll be there for a while."

"Not really. Her friend, Celeste, suggested coffee instead and I jumped on that. So once I've got my drink, I'll head back to your place. I want to rest up before tonight's shift."

"Oh, no hurry," Olly replied. "I won't need you on the job until later. Tonight's shift is going to be a little light for the first half."

"Huh?" Sterling said. "But last night was a madhouse, how—"

"It's the first night of the Christmas Tree Festival. I told you about that, didn't I?"

Sterling cringed. What was with small towns and all their damn festivals? "I may have repressed it."

"Don't worry, ya Scrooge, no one's going to make you go," Olly grumbled. He could practically hear him roll his eyes. "But while everyone is at the Festival is going on, the bar is quiet. But after... Well, I'll need you for after. So, you've got a bit more time. If you want to stay for brunch, feel free."

"I don't know," Sterling muttered. He clearly made Celeste nervous, and he didn't want to make it worse. He looked back through the window to where Celeste was standing, waiting for Alicia.

But then he noticed that Celeste wasn't alone.

There was someone new there, at her side. It took Sterling a second, but he quickly recognized him. It was the guy from last night—the one caught kissing the blonde in the bathroom hallway.

Celeste's ex.

And it looked like they were having an argument.

Sterling went rigid. Alicia had said that the guy had done the dumping, so why was he bothering her now? Celeste didn't look like she was enjoying their conversation. She was all crumpled in on herself while the guy was invading her personal space.

He clenched his jaw. He didn't like it.

"I gotta go," he said into the phone.

"Huh?" Olly started. "Wait, what—"

But Sterling had already hung up and headed back inside.

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