LARA
You were still sleeping when I left, I didn’t want to wake you, I know how scarcely sleep has been finding you lately. I watch you carefully as you walk to a table in the back and set down your things. You open your laptop and stare at it blankly, I can see the emptiness on your face and my chest tightens. I decide that you need coffee and I grab a pad and pen from the counter and make my way over to you. I briefly wonder where your friends are. “Alice?” I say tentatively. You look startled for a moment and then you look up at me, your eyes registering who has spoken your name before you turn away from me again.

“Lara.” You say quietly.

“Do you want a coffee?” I ask tentatively.

“Non-fat, Decaf, Latte.” I immediately recognize Dana’s coffee order, but I don’t say anything as I walk back toward the front of the Planet to make the drink…

“Here it is….One Non-fat, Decaf, Latte, with no sugar.” I set the cup in front of Dana and take a seat across from her. “I swear I don’t even know why you get the coffee. Take away the sugar and the caffeine and what’s the point?” I tease her as I glance toward the door, we are waiting for Dana’s friends to arrive. I know what they look like from the charade at the country club, but I have yet to officially meet them.

Dana shrugs at me and smiles. “Habit, I guess.” I raise my eyebrows at her and she continues. “It is sort of ridiculous isn’t it? Alice used to say the same thing. When I first met her I didn’t drink coffee. I usually stay away from caffeine and of course I always drink nonfat milk, since I’ve been on a diet since I was seven.” She pauses and smiles fondly at her memory before she continues. “But, anyway, Al told me that I couldn’t continue to hang out at a coffee house without ordering coffee. So I told her why I didn’t drink coffee and Marina came over and set the cup in front of me and said ‘here you go, try this, Non-fat, Decaf Latte, very simple.’ It wasn’t too bad, and honestly, it was the only thing that I knew how to order.” Dana blushes at this and I think again how adorable she is. “Not very sophisticated when it comes to the coffee.” She lets her head fall slightly and fiddles nervously with her cup.