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From her spot in Ash’s lap, Bri started bouncing up and down and clapping. A second later, the barista appeared around the other side of the coffee table, carrying a tray.

“Milk and strawberries for the cutest one of the group, no offense to your lovely friend there, Ash,” they said, an obvious tease in their tone.

Ash barely had time to react, his cheeks turning pink as he shook his head. He opened his mouth as though to respond, but Bri cut him off with a squeal in delight. She slid off Ash’s lap and clapped, then immediately reached forward to the plate the barista had set on the coffee table and picked up one of the quartered strawberries.

“Stah-beh! Tank ooo! Tank ooo!”

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” the barista cooed. They set down Bri’s milk, too, in a special small cardboard cup with a thick paper straw, and then Ash’s and Cass’s sandwiches and drinks. “Enjoy,” they said with a wink at Ash, then disappeared back to their spot at the counter.

Ash’s face was still flushed, his cheeks the most adorable shade of pink, and Cass had to fight the urge to stare. Thankfully, Bri kept them both plenty distracted for the next few minutes as she almost immediately started babbling while picking up each of her strawberries and setting them back down.

Cass narrowed his eyes as he watched her. “Is she . . . trying to count them?”

“That’s what it looks like, but I really have no idea,” Ash said. “She just started this a few weeks ago, maybe. She does it every time. She’ll only start eating after she picks up each one and, uh, ‘counts’ it. She hasn’t really shown any interest in numbers yet, which is fine, of course. But maybe that’s what she’s doing here.”

Ash scooted a bit closer to the edge of the couch before reaching over and picking up his coffee. Cass did the same. He took a long, slow sip, savoring the richness.

“Mmm, this is good,” he hummed.

“Told ya,” Ash said, settling back onto the couch with his coffee in hand while Bri finished “counting” her strawberries. “Now you’re gonna have to head back to Redding with your mediocre California coffee, and you’ll never forgive me for showing you how good real coffee can be.”

Cass snorted a laugh and shook his head. “Alright, alright. But my ‘mediocre California coffee’ isn’t that bad.”

“Eh, why settle for less than the best?” Ash was clearly teasing, but some weird flutter coursed through Cass’s chest.

“A friend told me the same thing once,” he said softly. With a small smile, he added, “Although, he wasn’t talking about coffee.”

Cass ventured a look up over the top of his coffee mug, and his breath caught as another flutter rippled through him. Ash was watching him with an unreadable expression, his teeth biting his lower lip. Cass’s heart faltered as, for only half a second, he imagined what it might feel like to taste Ash’s lip with his tongue. The urge was strong, a tug that almost seemed to pull him forward. He quickly forced his eyes back up to Ash’s.

Ash almost immediately blinked and cleared his throat. “So, are you looking forward to tomorrow?” he asked, shifting his gaze to watch Bri, who was now quietly stuffing her face with strawberries.

Cass inhaled a short breath to reset himself, unsure what had gotten into him. He scooted forward and set his coffee cup down on the table. “Yeah, I am. It’s going to be a pretty full day, especially since I have to basically head straight to the airport after the orientation is over, but I’m definitely looking forward to meeting everyone.”

He paused to pick up the plate with his sandwich. Ash did the same, and they both took a few bites before continuing their conversation. Cass told Ash more about his plans for the next day, which included a full seven hours on campus with his professors and cohort followed by catching a 6:00 p.m. flight back to Redding. The topic jumped to Cass’s mom and her health for only a few minutes before shifting to Ash and his last day of work at the pool for the summer. They transitioned easily into a familiar back-and-forth about swimming and swimming lessons and how Cass didn’t really get along with water when it was much deeper than shoulder height.

Bri cut in a few times, offering Cass a strawberry, which he happily accepted, and then insisting Ash get her toys out of her diaper bag so she could play.

By the time they finished eating and downed the final sips of their drinks, nearly an hour had passed, and all of that awkward tension between them was gone, replaced by something much more comfortable. Cass absolutely didn’t want the evening to end, but when Bri crawled up into Ash’s lap and closed her eyes, he knew their time together was almost over.

The barista came by and quietly cleared away their plates and trash, and Ash rubbed Bri’s back gently, his smile fading a little.

Or maybe Cass was just imagining that.

“Ready to go, baby girl?” Ash asked softly. Bri didn’t really answer except to make some muffled sound and snuggle into Ash’s arms a little deeper. Ash glanced back up at Cass, and even though he was still smiling, there was definitely a sadness to it. “I should get her home.”

“Yeah, for sure.” Cass stood and made his way around the other side of the coffee table to where Bri had been playing with a few toys. Then he took a moment to put all of her things back into the diaper bag while Ash carefully shifted Bri in his arms and pushed himself to his feet.

The toddler might have already fallen asleep, though Cass couldn’t be sure. She didn’t move as Cass zipped the diaper bag closed and picked it up or as Ash led the three of them outside, waving a quick goodbye to the barista, who was wiping down one of the now-empty tables.

Once outside, Ash took the diaper bag from Cass and slung it over one shoulder. Bri mumbled something but stayed slumped against her uncle, her eyes softly closed.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Cass said. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s nice to get to talk in person, you know?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Ash held Cass’s gaze for a moment that seemed both too long and not anywhere near long enough, and then he dropped his chin. “I should probably go. I’ll text you later?”

Cass nodded. “Sure, yeah. Sounds good.”

He knew he should leave then. Give Ash a little wave and turn and head down 43rd back toward his hotel, in the direction opposite Ash would be going. But he didn’t move. And Ash didn’t, either. Several more seconds passed, and Ash finally looked back up at Cass, a small, lopsided smile on his lips. It was adorable, and the rhythm of Cass’s heart stumbled before steadying again.