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A cup of hot coffee rest on the table, his hands loosely clutching it for warmth. Through the window, he watches as the snow flurries like static on an old television. People hardly visible slowly trudge along the sidewalk; only the brightest of coats stand out. Ray takes a sip of his coffee. A bell chimes as the diner door opens, and he glances over his shoulder.
Emma is bundled up in a honey-coloured scarf and toque; her hair sticks out slightly, making her look like a sunset. She spots him then quickly walks over to his table. Emma kisses his cheek in greeting, her nose is cold against his skin, but he adores it. Ray watches her unzip her rust-coloured winter-jacket as she slips into the booth, sitting opposite to him.
“Sorry I’m late,” she laughs in a rush. “The busses were really delayed from the storm!”
“We could have rescheduled,” Ray sighs. He takes a sip from his mug to hide his grin.
“No way!” Emma exclaims. She pulls off her toque in a rush causing her hair to stick off in every direction. She laughs, catching her reflection in the window, before attempting to pat it down.
“Have you been waiting long,” she eventually asks.
“Not at all. This is only my first cup,” Ray tells her.
“Good!” Emma quickly grabs the menu Ray had placed on her side of the table and reads the options. “What’re you getting?” She asks.
“There’s a veggie omelet special today, so that with some toast,” Ray answers.
“So healthy! I’m going with the French toast!” Emma places the menu down in a flourish.
“Always the sweet tooth,” Ray lightly chuckles, looking at her. She smiles widely, and his heart pounds.
“One of us has to be!”
Then the server arrives to take their orders. Emma asks for a coffee and an orange juice in addition to her breakfast. Ray smiles. She always does that— juice and coffee, something cold and something hot. The server repeats their orders back to them and then leaves with a tired smile.
“We haven’t been here in so long!” Emma says as the server walks away.
“Not since the start of the semester,” Ray supplies.
“No way, it hasn’t been that long, has it?” Emma exclaims.
Ray simply nods and sips his coffee again. Before he can say anything thoughtful, the server is back with Emma’s drinks and offers him a top-up on his coffee. He watches Emma wait a full three seconds after the server has left before tearing the paper from her straw, sticks it in her juice, and drinks half of it in one go. Ray grabs the straw wrapper and crumples it into a ball, idly rolling it with his index finger.
Emma pulls her mug perfectly in front of her before grabbing the sugar, three packets, and pours them hastily into her coffee. This is always his favourite part, watching her prepare her coffee. In all honestly, Ray isn’t convinced Emma actually likes coffee. Her Starbucks order is always some sugar-filled beverage that resembles the flavoured syrup more than coffee. Ray continues to play with the crumbled straw wrapper as he watches her begin to pour too much creamer into the coffee. Emma is immersed in the task, her face concentrating on filling the mug to the perfect amount. Ray sees the way the cheap diner lights shine in Emma’s eyes as she looks up at him – and for a moment, he thinks he is brave enough to say it . But he hesitates too long, and the moment is gone. Embarrassed, Ray picks up the straw wrapper and flicks it at her.
Emma laughs fully. “Ray!” she exclaims in genuine surprise. “I should have known what you had planned.”
“Don’t let your guard down,” Ray jests smugly. Suddenly the wad of paper strikes his own face, and he stares at her aghast.
“What,” Emma says innocently. “Can’t let your guard down, right?”
Ray blinks three times before laughing openly for her, laughing in a way he only does around her. Emma smirks at him, then carefully stirs her coffee and takes a satisfying sip.
“How is it?” Ray asks, intending to tease her.
“Delicious,” Emma says pointedly.
Ray sips his own black coffee as if to prove a point before staring at her adorningly again.
“Everything alright?” Emma asks. Ray knows he is caught then.
“Yea, just thinking a lot…” he trails off.
“Ray, is this about home?” Emma tries.
“Huh? Oh, no, no. This is home now,” he says, vaguely gesturing with his mug. “I don’t even have a place to stay back there anymore. Just thinking about next semester is all, last one until graduation.”
“Isn’t it wild! We’re basically real adults!” Emma flows with the subject change, not wanting to upset Ray. He knows she means well in asking if he is okay, but he doubts he’ll ever fully be okay about it, about Mama.
“I don’t even want to think about that,” Ray grumbles.
“Don’t be so pessimistic. It’s just another chapter right, think of all the things we can do, the stories we can write!” Emma is smiling in that way he can’t resist. A smile that never fails to make his heart skip a beat.
This is it, Ray is sure of it. With all of the courage and pure intention he can muster, Ray inhales deeply through his nose, then opens his mouth the speak, “Emma, I–”
“Alright,” the voice of the server cuts. “I have the veggie omelette for you,” he places the dish in front of Ray. “And the berry French toast for you,” a plate is placed in front of Emma. “Let me know if you need anything else, enjoy.”
“Were you gonna say something?” Emma questions.
Ray’s heart pounds, but his confidence is gone again, “just that I’m starving,” he fakes a laugh.
Emma holds his eyes a moment. “Me too.”
Ray curses internally. He’s been trying to tell her for weeks, wanting to tell her, needing to. The scrape of her knife against the plate aggressively pulls his attention back to reality. Emma gives him an apologetic look before shovelling a large portion of food into her mouth. He watches her longer than is acceptable, then turns to his own food and digs in.
Sounds from the diner are all he can hear as they eat their food silently. Ray isn’t one to chat much while he eats, and Emma appears to be staving. The rate she is shoving food into her mouth is alarming. Still, she manages to be charming; he can’t help but adore her.
Movement from the window catches his eye. Ray looks out to the storm and watches as a woman in a bright red coat trudges along the sidewalk, towing an old toboggan behind her with a small child on board. As the snow hazes the image, it reminds him of watching old Christmas movies with Mama on their worn television. The grainy display distorting the picture but making it more magical for him. She made games out of it for him, a sort of I Spy variant. They did it with the television in her hospital room, too, before they turned it off for the last time. A gloom begins to overtake Ray as he slips into his own mind, unable to pull his eyes away from the film in front of him. He’s not a fan of the winter holidays.
Suddenly, a flick of something hits his face and pulls him back to the diner. Emma is staring at him, smiling in an unsure way. The wadded straw wrapper sits on the table in front of him.
“Don’t let your guard down,” she jokes, giggling at herself.
Ray laughs, and without thinking, says, “I love you.”
Emma’s laughter stops, and she gapes at him, “Ray.”
Ray stiffens, unsure for only a moment, then repeats it, “I love you.”
“I can’t believe you said it before me,” Emma states. “I love you, too.”
Ray feels his face heat up, and he shyly covers his mouth with the back of his hand. But he doesn’t stop looking into her eyes, her warm green eyes that are sparkling with emotion. Ray’s hand reaches across the table to grab hers, and she finally blushes.
On the other side of the screen, the romantic ending plays out for anyone who has the time to spare a glance. Two young adults sitting in a diner, long beyond its prime, carefully holding hands and saying nothing. Words of love hanging lightly in the air. The static of snow obscuring the view just enough to keep their moment private but offers enough to tell you they are in love.