Love Among the Coffee Beans

Ring-idy ding ding. I wonder how many times I’ve rung Riku’s doorbell…

That sounds dirty.

I’m gonna ring your doorbell, Riku—

Anyways!

The door swings open and reveals to me a shirtless Riku. He chuckles and gives me a hug. “Hey, Shay.”

“Hello,” I say and hug him harder than I usually do. Not sure why. I think I missed him. I tilt my head up and place a little kiss on his lips, sending the electric twist through my bones. That’s what love is. It’s electromagnetic.

Riku’s smile gets wider. “How are you?” he asks genuinely, pressing his forehead to mine.

“I’m fantastic,” I say, grinning back. Because I am fantastic. I’m floating. “How are you?”

“Great, now that you’re here,” he says, half teasingly.

I hit him lightly on the chest with my hand, still smiling. “Hey, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Riku raises his eyebrows. “Really? What is it?”

I retrieve a particularly spiky fruit from behind me and hold it up like Vanna White.”Ta dah. I haven’t seen any pineapples around here recently so… here.”

“Aw, thank you Shay,” Riku says happily as he takes the pineapple in his hands. He looks down at it, then looks back up at me. “Do you want to help me name it?”

I laugh. It kinda sounds like a giggle, though. Did I just giggle? God, I hope not. “Um, sure.”

Riku scratches the back of his head, almost embarrassed. “It, ah… It has to have the name Fred in it though.”

“Okie doke… Hey, where’s Ginny?”

“Oh. Uh… Her room, I guess. You wanna see her?” he asks, leading me into his apartment with one arm around me and the other cradling his new pineapple.

We stop at the door to her room where we see Riku’s Virginity snoozing on the bed. “Aw… Hey. How ‘bout Ginifred?” I suggest.

Riku laughs a breathy, quiet laugh as to not wake Ginny. “I like it. Ginifred it is.”

I give him a thumbs up and gently close the door, then turn to him. “I missed you.”

Riku reaches up to gently stroke my cheek with his calloused thumb. “I’ve missed you too.”

Here’s the floating feeling again. It comes back, fluttering and flickering and light.

He leans down slowly, cradling my face in both hands now, and kisses me very gently, his eyelids shutting as his lips meet mine.

Up, up and away.

I drape my arms around his neck and y’know, kinda turn to putty.

His hands slide from my face to my neck, and somehow, from my neck to my waist, where he snakes them all the way around and pulls me much closer.

And now I’m barely getting any breath to clear my jumbled head. My heart beats like it’s just awakened, ready to fly. And there’s this roiling ball of energy in the pit of my stomach. And then my thoughts sort of flit to a place where I maybe, possibly, might be screaming his name in a fit of pleasure?

Nope.

That didn’t happen—oh, Jesus.

It did.

I thought it.

Right.

Well.

Think.

About.

Something.

Else.

Hands.

Back.

Against.

Wall.

Scraping.

Knuckles.

He.

Tastes.

Like.

Cereal?

Cocoa Pebbles, to be exact.

And his hands are in places that they’ve never been and I don’t think he’s doing much thinking right now.

It’s all human nature.

Which makes it less special if you think about it.

“Riku,” I breathe, desperate.

Riku’s eyes flutter open and he looks at me, breathing heavy. “Shayla?” he asks, almost sounding scared.

“Can… Can we go now?”

I feel like the biggest jerk on the planet right now.

Riku’s face flushes. He takes in a deep breath and steps away from me. “Yeah. …Sorry.”
He turns away, his face bright red, and he grabs a backpack of sorts from the counter and opens the door, gesturing for me to walk out. All the while he was looking at the ground.

I keep my head down as I walk through the door, feel him step out behind me, hear the door click. “Riku,” I say and turn towards him. I look up at him, straight up into those pretty blue-green eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Riku’s face is still a little pink. He smiles his crooked smile and says, “It’s fine, Shay. I understand.”

“I just… um… I—” I try to explain, but I’m at a loss of words. So instead I just throw my arms around his middle and hold him tight. “I love you.”

I love that you understand, or at least try to and you tell me it’s alright.

One of the many reasons why you’re the one.

Riku wraps his arms around me and I feel small, so small. “I love you too, Shayla.”