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If she had to pick a favorite time of year, fall was one of them. The crisp autumn air reminded her of home, and she basked in all the season brought with it: cooler temperatures, warmer drinks, apple cider, pumpkins, soups, and sweaters. She loved it all and couldn’t wait to share it with him.
“Let’s go to the orchard this weekend,” she hummed as she drummed her pen against her desk. “Maya’s no longer visiting, so it’s just the two of us.”
Diego looked up from a stack of paperwork on his desk, his fingers running through his thick black hair. “The orchard, is that some new bar, Kitten?” He grabbed his coffee mug and took a swig before continuing. “I could use a few drinks after this hell of a week in court.”
Mia laughed as she replied, rolling her chair towards his desk, “No silly, the apple orchard. I found one not far from here!” She got up and circled his desk, bending over to use his computer. “I can never get your damn computer to load properly,” she cursed, fumbling with the mouse.
His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his lap, and she giggled, “You really are a helpless kitten.” He grabbed the mouse from her hand and pulled up the browser for her, and she blushed.
“Oh, right. Why do you have a different computer than everyone else anyway? As I was saying,” she continued, typing on the keyboard, “Java Orchard, it’s only an hour's drive from here!” She felt her lover scoff at the farm's name, and she smirked. “They even sell coffee beans they grow themselves.” She pointed to the website she’d pulled up of a little orchard outside the city; it boasted a variety of over a dozen apples and pears, pumpkins, baked goods, and, yes, there at the bottom of the page, over 20 different coffee beans .
He kissed her cheek. “How long did it take you to find this place?” He poked as he tightened his grip on the younger woman.
“About 2 hours,” she confessed sheepishly. “There’s a few that are closer,” she admitted, “But this one had something I thought you’d enjoy too.”
“I could just eat you up right now,” he teased, burrowing his face in her neck. “Ever thoughtful you are.”
A sudden rap on his door sent the two upright. “For fuck’s sake, Armando, not on billable hours,” Robert Hammond drawled. “The entire office may know you two are screwing, but no one wants to see that.”
Embarrassed, Mia tumbled off her senior, adjusting her blouse and skirt as she looked away towards a back window. Unbothered, Diego grabbed his coffee mug and casually took a sip. “Don’t lie, Bobby, you’re just jealous no one wants to have fun with you during billables,” he retorted, kicking his feet up on his desk.
“Fuck you,” the old defense attorney spat.
“Maybe in your dreams, Hammond.” Diego leaned back in his chair, “Oi, make sure you shut the door, would you? Wouldn’t want people peeping into my office during billable hours seeing something they wouldn’t want to see,” he mocked. The heavy oak door slammed shut in response, and Armando laughed deeply. “That old man needs to retire already so he can stop riding my ass.”
Mia turned from the window towards the senior attorney. “Maybe we should take a break,” she suggested, “Visit your favorite coffee shop down the street? The weather looks lovely, and I could use a pick me up if we’re going to be here for another few hours,” she yawned as she stretched her arms over her head.
“A coffee date sounds perfect,” Diego hummed. “I’ll get my coat.”
There was a slight bite in the air as she stepped outside, a brisk autumn wind catching her off guard. Mia pulled her coat tighter around herself as she waited outside the office building. Diego had been stopped by the owner of their firm, Marvin Grossberg, on their way out about the status of his current court case, and her partner had hurried her out the door before their boss had noticed they were planning on leaving together.
“So much for it being lovely out, eh Mia?” Diego asked as he managed to make his way outside.
“It’s not that bad ,” she replied, offering an arm to him. “It could be worse. Maya told me there’s already been snow in Kurain.” He took her arm, and they began walking down the street.
“No shit,” he laughed, burying his hands in his coat pockets. “So, why’d you want to go to a farm this weekend, Kitten? As you said, the little lady isn’t coming anymore - we could go someplace nicer - more expensive, maybe?”
Mia rested her head on his shoulder as she responded. “Oh, it’s just the perfect time for apple picking!” she quipped. “And I wanted to do it with you,” she looked up at him and smiled. “It’s one of my favorite things about fall.”
He raised an eyebrow, “One of?”
“One of many,” she teased as they reached the entrance to the coffee shop.
He didn’t know how to tell her. He couldn’t possibly tell her. How could he tell the love of his life that he absolutely loathed fall ? He noticed the placard sign in the window of the cafe: PUMPKIN SPICE IS HERE! and his heart sank. It had already begun. They entered the small shop to a gaggle of women in light fall jackets and scarves, holding coffee cups in their hands with large hand-scripted PSL blazoned across the side. He grunted in protest. “I fucking hate it,” he muttered under his breath.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Fey questioned as they lined up behind a young teenage couple. “I thought you loved this place.” She furrowed her brow in confusion. “Did I pick the wrong one?”
Armando watched as another woman walked by, this time a cold beverage in hand but still the dreaded PS inscribed on the plastic cup. “No, Kitten, it’s not the shop,” he mumbled.
“Two venti pumpkin cream cold brews, please!” The girl in front of them ordered, and he winced. “Oh, can you add extra pumpkin cold foam and pumpkin spice to one of them, please?”
Mia watched as her lover continued to react to the girl’s order. She’d been around him long enough to know how the man preferred his coffee (dark roasts, black, no sugar), but she’d never seen him physically react to another person’s coffee order like this. “Diego Armando, do you hate pumpkin spice ?” She mocked, leaning against him as she continued. “I’ve never seen you get so heated over someone else’s order,” she purred.
“Next, please!” The blonde barista smiled. “Oh, hello, Mr. Armando! Your usual, I presume?”
“Please, Gloria,” he pleaded with the girl. “Make sure it’s hotter than hell.”
She smiled. “Anything for our best customer,” she turned to a mousy boy behind her making drinks as she continued, “This is Mr. Armando’s order, Dunkin; it has to be perfect.” The boy nodded in response as she typed into the register. “Anything else for today? Ms. Fey, would you like your usual herbal tea with honey?”
Mia lifted a finger to her chin as she looked at the menu. “Actually, Gloria, I’m interested in your seasonal menu today. Can you tell me a little more about it?” She asked, a playfulness in her voice Diego knew all too well.
The barista’s hazel eyes widened as she spoke, “Of course! Right now, we have a lovely hot spiced cider drink we make here in-house with our own mulling spices. Then we use those same mulling spices and local apples for our apple macchiato!”
“Sounds delightful,” the medium chimed.
“Oh yes! Then, of course, we have the return of our pumpkin spice line of drinks; they range from lattes to iced coffees with our house-made pumpkin cold foam.”
Mia watched from the corner of her eye as her senior got increasingly uncomfortable listening to the young barista explain the menu to her. “These all sound incredible, Gloria; why don’t you give me a tall pumpkin spice latte.”
Dumbfounded, Diego watched the barista punch in the order. “That’ll be $9.50, please!” He pulled out his wallet and handed over a card to the girl, unsure what had happened.
“ Pumpkin spice, Mia?” he practically hissed as the barista returned his card. “You never drink coffee unless it’s one of my blends, and even then, you desecrate it with milk and sugar.”
The junior attorney shrugged. “Gloria just made it sound so good; I just had to try it!” A mischievous grin crossed her lips as she walked towards the bar end. “You always want me to try new coffee drinks.”
“Yes, but not garbage coffee.”
“Garbage, in your opinion,” Mia poked his chest. “They’re clearly quite popular if almost everyone here is ordering them.” She gestured to the bar full of drinks waiting to be picked up; almost every cup was labeled with PSL.
“I have a Venti Colombian dark roast, extra hot, and a tall pumpkin spice latte for Mr. Armando!” Dunkin called, holding the two cups in his hands. Diego cringed hearing his name associated with the latter drink, and Mia stifled a giggle.
“Thank you, Dunkin,” she stated as she took the cups from the barista. “Have a great rest of your shift!”
“Thank you, Ms. Fey! Enjoy your drink!” The boy smiled and waved as the two left the shop.
“So,” Mia started as she handed her lover his drink, and they began their walk back to the office, “Java Orchard on Saturday?” She asked.
Diego took a long drawl of his coffee before answering. “Well, I can’t deny the allure of new coffee beans,” he teased. “What do you plan on doing with the apples we pick?”
She sipped from her cup as she responded. “We could bake with them.” Diego laughed. “What’s so funny?”
“Just remembering the last time you tried to bake, Kitten,” he chuckled. “If I remember correctly, you nearly burned down my kitchen.” He kissed the top of her head as she puffed up in defense.
“That was one time!” She cried. “It’s not fair to lay the blame on me when you’re the one that distracted me in the first place.” Her cheeks flushed as she took another sip from her drink. “ Five minutes, my ass .”
“I don’t remember you protesting at the time, Ms. Fey,” Diego teased as he pulled her into his arms. “If I recall correctly, you were quite the willing participant.” He leaned down and kissed her deeply, tasting the sweetness of her latte on her lips. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he muttered.
“Wow, you really don’t like pumpkin spice, do you, Tiger?” She teased as she finished her drink. “Well, I’ll just have to get rid of this foul taste before I come over to your place tonight, now won’t I?”
“For the love of God, yes,” he pleaded, chugging his own drink down. “I was thinking Argentinian? Or maybe the Brazilian steakhouse by the courthouse?”
Mia leaned into his arms. “Sounds like a date,” she hummed against his lips. “We should probably get back to the office.”
Diego smirked, “I’m sure ol’ Marvin won’t notice if we take the rest of the afternoon off,” he whispered seductively in her ear.
She felt her blush extend across her face and a pleasant tingle throughout her body. She knew that voice well. “Don’t you have paperwork to finish?” She asked breathlessly.
“Fuck paperwork,” he replied, his voice dark and husky.
Mia couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather for their trip to the apple orchard: a clear and sunny sky accompanied by a warm wind. She smiled as she opened the bedroom window, feeling the slight breeze on her skin. She drew open the curtains next, letting the rising sun into the bedroom.
“Kitten, it’s 6 am; what in God’s name are you doing up so early?” Diego groggily asked as he pulled the sheets up over his head.
She crossed back to the bed and sat, pulling the bedsheets down and playing with his hair as she spoke. “If I remember correctly, you promised we could go to the orchard today.”
“But not at the ass-crack of dawn, I didn’t.”
“Remember, it’s an hour outside the city…”
He groaned. “With traffic, it’ll be two.” He pulled a pillow over his face. “Fucking traffic.” He slowly lifted the satin-lined pillow off his face as he smelled a faint aroma waft into the room. “Mia, did you start my morning brew?”
She nodded. “I may have had to watch a tutorial on how to use your French press properly, but I think I managed to figure it out.”
“You’re too good to me,” he growled, pulling her into his arms. She tumbled back into bed in a fit of giggles as he showered her with kisses.
“Your coffee will get cold,” she managed to mumble between his barrage and her laughter. Diego pulled himself out of bed with the promise of a hot cup of coffee waiting for him, planting one more kiss on Mia’s lips.
“There are only two things in this world that can get me out of bed this early on the weekend: my Kitten and coffee,” he muttered against her cheek.
“I’m glad I’m the first one on that list,” she teased, tousling his hair. “I’ll get ready while you wake up some more.”
Diego sluggishly made his way to the kitchen as Mia disappeared into the bathroom. As promised, a fresh pot of coffee sat waiting on the marble countertop: a container of Blend 101 and two coffee mugs nearby. “Helped yourself to a cup already, did you?” He called as he noticed one mug half filled and slightly lightened. An unfamiliar fragrance caught him off guard as he reached for the pot. Hesitantly, he reached for Mia’s cup and sipped. “ Mia!” He bellowed.
“Yes, Diego?” She poked her head out of the bathroom, her hands in the middle of working her long hair into braids.
“Did you contaminate Blend 101 with pumpkin spice-flavored creamer ?”
She scowled, “Contaminate? I just picked up a creamer for myself that was on sale,” she teased. “You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to.” She returned to the bathroom as she continued. “It’s not like I’m forcing it on you.”
He let out a heavy sigh and poured himself a cup. “At least you didn’t do it to Blend 102,” he replied. “Flavor profile would have been even worse than it already is.” He deftly finished his mug as Mia came out of the bathroom, her hair now done in two braids on either side of her head.
She grabbed her mug and finished her coffee off. “Blend 102. That’s your favorite, isn’t it?” She asked, leaning over the kitchen island.
“That it is, Kitten.” He poured himself another cup, finishing off the pot. “It’s my best blend, crafted to perfection.” He rounded the kitchen island toward his partner. “Just like you.” From behind her, he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her bare shoulder.
“We should probably get dressed if we want to head out soon,” she said as she turned to face him. “I assume you’ll want to stop for coffee somewhere on the drive.”
“You know me so well,” he hummed.
“Seriously, that’s what you’re having me order?” Diego sat in the driver’s seat as they waited in the drive-thru at the coffee shop, staring intently at Mia. “Kitten, I will not order that.”
“But it’s not for you; it’s for me,” she purred, batting her eyelashes. He pulled up another car length. The conversation had been going on since they got in line; Diego was complaining once again about the signage for pumpkin spice coffee and lattes. Mia wasn’t planning on continuing this charade past this morning, but watching her lover get so worked up over a simple coffee drink was fun.
Another carlength. “Fucking hell, Mia,” he cursed under his breath.
“Welcome to Deja Brew. Can I take your order?” A perky voice came across the loudspeaker.
“Yes, can I get one Venti Colombian dark roast?” Diego ordered promptly, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.
“Of course, sir. Will that be all for you today?” The speaker of the establishment was old and badly needed to be replaced, whining as the girl finished speaking.
“Diego,” Mia pressed, arms crossed and brown eyes staring daggers.
“Can I also get a tallpumpkinspicelatte,” he mumbled quickly. Mia rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry, sir, but can you repeat that slower?” the worker asked.
“A tall, pumpkin spice latte,” he repeated through gritted teeth, gripping the steering wheel. Mia stifled a laugh beside him.
“Oh! Of course!” She exclaimed. “So that’s one Venti Colombian dark roast and one tall pumpkin spice latte. Will that be all?”
“That’s it,” he grunted.
“That’ll be $11.75 at the first window, please,” the girl said.
Mia smiled. “See, was that so hard?” She inquired, her hand reaching for his thigh.
Diego drove forward. “The things I do for love,” he sighed, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles. “Whoever thought of putting fucking pumpkin spice in coffee has never truly enjoyed a good cup of coffee.”
The air was fragrant with the scent of fresh apples and pears as the couple walked through a maze of trees. Bushel in her arms, Mia examined each tree thoroughly as they passed, looking for the best apples within their branches. “Diego,” she called, “I can’t quite reach this bunch.” She stretched on her toes, reaching manicured fingers towards a clutch of ripe apples just out of reach. “Could you?”
He wrapped an arm around her waist, his other reaching over her extended arm. “Didn’t realize you wanted me here because you’d be so helpless, Kitten,” he chuckled, pulling the apples off the branches. “You want all of them?” He asked as he began to place them in the basket.
“Ah, we need to make sure they’re not bruised or damaged!” Mia exclaimed, pulling the fruit out. She took it in her hand, turning the apple over. “Being up that high, they shouldn’t be bruised, but they may still have worms or bugs,” she stated. “Just want to be sure.” She showed the fruit to him. “All clear. Now it's your turn; look at this next one you pull off,” she instructed.
Diego smiled, taking the apple off the branch and tossing it in his hand. “Worms, huh?” He turned the small fruit over and saw a small hole near the top. “Is this suspicious?” He pointed to the hole.
As if on queue, a tiny worm wriggled out of the hole. Mia laughed. “You tell me, Tiger.” She took the apple from her partner and tossed it to the ground at the roots of the tree. “Not good for us, but good for nature.” She tugged on his sweater, pulling him closer to her. “You know, green looks good on you,” she purred, kissing his cheek.
“Could say the same for you,” he hummed, returning her kiss. “Never thought I’d be a matching man,” he laughed. “Bobby would never let me live it down.”
Mia adjusted the bucket in her arms as she reached for another apple. “Bobby is your concern? Just wait till Maya catches wind. She’ll never let either of us survive the humiliation,” she laughed, and Diego joined her.
“Well, we’ll just have to make sure the little lady never catches wind of this, now will we?” he proposed.
“I don’t know about that,” she whispered. “There’s such a cute little photo spot out front, Tiger.”
“Well, fuck, you’ve got me there,” he smiled and kissed her forehead as they continued through the maze of trees. The afternoon continued on until the bushel became too heavy for Mia to carry, and Diego took it from her with a laugh. “What on earth are we going to do with all these damn apples?”
“I’ll think of something,” she giggled, playing with her braids. “We should bring them to the car so you can go look at those coffee beans, though. I know that’s what you’re really excited about.”
Diego chuckled. “You should know better by now, Kitten. Any time I spend with you, I’m excited. The new beans are just a bonus,” he winked.
Mia waited by the entrance to a small shop near the dirt parking lot; the fragrant aroma of coffee beans and baked goods greeted her every time the door opened. She watched as Diego lugged the basket into the trunk of his car and jogged back to her. She smiled as she opened the door for him. “After you,” she quipped.
“Ah,” he sighed. “Where to begin?” He pondered as his eyes scanned the walls of coffee beans. “There’s so many.”
“You’re like a kid in a candy shop,” Mia laughed. “I’m going to look at the bakery; you have fun.” She patted his back as she walked towards the back of the room.
The autumn sun was low in the sky as they left the farm shop, coffee cups and shopping bags in hand as they headed toward the gravel parking lot. “Thanks for today,” Mia sighed, “I had so much fun with you. I know it’s not like our typical dates, but it meant a lot to me that you’d indulge me.”
Diego laughed. “Anything for you,” he hummed as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “Tell me something though, Kitten.” He took a long sip from his coffee cup as he waited for her response.
Mia drank slowly from her own cup. “What is it?” She quipped as they reached the car.
“Do you actually like this pumpkin spice shit, or are you fucking with me?” His lips were curled in a large smile, and she tried to suppress a laugh.
“Oh, I absolutely hate it. It’s disgusting,” she admitted, a large grin on her face. “I just loved seeing how worked up you got every time I ordered one, Tiger.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Although, honestly, I can’t wait for peppermint mocha season,” she teased.