Maybe it was the sign. Music was playing in his head. He was rocking his hips and shoulders as he strolled in. Feeling like he was in one of those old  Apple ipod commercials. Hell yeah he thought.

When his eyes opened he expected to see the cafe filled with people....

The following morning he awoke to a flood of white light. That's how he knew he had slept in. In the  winter , you had to wake up in the dark if you wanted to wake up at a decent hour.

he didn't want to get out of bed. But the...

He had five days left. Then it was back to  Westcity . Back to the eternal nothing. The dark version of happily ever after. Alan didn't want to think about that right now though. He was in his old bedroom at his mom's. She was watching TV in the living...

She had two favorite times when Alan would be at the cafe. Right after lunch and right after closing.

There was something cozy about being at the cafe after the sign was turned around. From "yes we're open" to "closed".

The lights would dim down. Each car or truck that would drive...

That other girl went to  Westcity Community College the first year out of high school. The plan was to apply again during that first year and transfer to a university. The plan then quickly changed to transferring after two years. She could save more money that way.

Her  GPA was over...

He awoke later and later each morning. Soon he realized that he was waking up at 11. He needed to get out of here. HIs parents house. It stirred a laziness in him. Maybe moving back with his mom would be impossible. He began to understand why some of his...

Aaron was doing well on paper. New York City. Chef. Self Made.

But because he texted him everyday he knew that his personal life was different.

"He's doing fine." he said. He could've said that he was doing good. But he didn't. Why?

"That's good." Imogen smiled. Did she hear him wrong? Good?...

He turned the engine off and read the text before putting the phone in his pocket. It was his friend. They texted each other several times a day. But he didn't look at his phone when driving. He wouldn't respond to this text until later. There was nothing to say...

He needed a  beer .

His shift was only half done. This was the worst part. Stuck in the middle. At least a liter of sweat lost in this hot kitchen. Hot and loud. The fan they had spinning to ventilate the kitchen made it feel like they were working nearby...

He needed a shot of  whiskey .

He had spent the last 70 minutes scouring the internet for information on this Stephen guy. He knew it was wrong. Just like it would be wrong to leave the office, go and grab a beer or bottle of wine from the store and...