Aubrey set up her laptop in a torn-leather booth with her back to the door. The soft sound of voices created a hum that gave the place a pleasant atmosphere. As her eyes skimmed the article—wondering where she should even start—the smell of coffee made her stomach growl.

Aubrey took the first sentence and stared at it for a long while. She deleted it. She rewrote it. She went back to what she had initially and then did so again. Slouching over in her chair, her chin sunk into the palm of her hand.

"Hello, welcome to Lee's Café, what can I get for you?" a male voice from above her asked. With her eyes still glued on the first sentence, Aubrey managed to mumble out,

"Tell Maria the usual."

"You a regular?" the boy asked. Aubrey pulled her hands off the keyboard and directed her gaze to him. Their eyes locked.

"Damn it, Carter, since when have you worked here?" she spoke, meaning to look disgusted but really looking like she was about to laugh. He grinned. She shook her head, but deep down her mind was screaming at her: You keep running into him. You keep running into him.

"My uncle runs the joint. Lee's Café... my name is Carter Quinn Lee... ever made the connection...?"

"No." Her words were blunt. It made him smirk. "Even if I did, I still wouldn't think the boy who never turns in homework would willingly take on the responsibility a job."

He laughed out loud at her. "Wow, what high opinions you have of me." He was trying to be sarcastic but it only made Aubrey smirk. "My uncle offered me a weekend job to give me something to do, and I took it." He shrugged. "Now, Maria isn't on the clock this morning, so what can I get for you, Madam?"

"Don't call me that."

"I'm afraid we're all out of 'don't call me thats' today. Is there anything else I can get you?"

Aubrey laughed and scrunched up her nose. "Maria!" she called and the little girl across the diner put down her crayon and bounced over to Aubrey's booth.

"Yeah, Brey?"

"This your cousin?"

"Yup, half-cousin." After she said that, Maria's face turned pink as she looked from Aubrey to Carter. A smile formed on her face as she withheld a laugh. Aubrey could see Carter bite his lip and glance down at the little girl. He was holding his breath. Aubrey was confused.

"Oh and-" Maria began but Carter cut her off with.

"Anyway, what is it I can get for you?" The smile was gone from his face and he almost seemed to be... blushing. Aubrey was more confused than ever.

"Black-Eye Roast coffee," Aubrey spoke, trying to end the stiff silence, "large, uh, please."

"Yes ma'am," Carter smiled, seeming relieved to be set free from standing there. Once he was out of ear shot, Maria slid into the seat across from Aubrey.

"Has he asked you yet?" she whispered with a huge smile.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Aubrey spoke, having an idea what Maria meant but not believing it to be true, "but... no. No, he has not."

"Aww, c'mon, Carter! Weaaak!"

"Maria!" Aubrey laughed. "Don't you have something to do?" Giggling, the girl slid out of the booth with a huge grin still plastered on her face and skipped back to her crayons.

Some time passed where Aubrey managed to come up with an introduction sentence she didn't cringe at. Carter came back with her coffee and set it down on the table. She thanked him.

Only, he didn't leave her after that. He sat down across from her. She didn't say a word. She continued typing. "That... doesn't look like Physics studying to me..." Carter said, but Aubrey didn't respond. "What... is it?" He was trying to talk to her. He was trying to initiate a conversation. Aubrey finished up typing her sentence and then looked up at him.

"A bit nosy, aren't we?" Only, her words were playful and not harsh.

"I'm just curious."

"It's a blog post," spoke Aubrey softly. Carter looked almost startled that she had told him the truth. Looking out the window, Aubrey waited. She expected him to tease or mock her for living in the 2000s but no suck mockery came.

"What do you write about?" he spoke. His words were soft. They didn't make her roll her eyes or laugh or anything. This wasn't like him, or, at least, not the him she knew.

Aubrey paused before replying. She never told anyone what she wrote about. In fact, the only other person who knew about her posts was her aunt. And sometimes, Aubrey wondered if Aunt Vicky could even still read.

Her bottom lip trembled a little for no reason as she thought. But in the end, there was a part of her that wanted him to know. She trusted him. Only, she wasn't sure why.

"The stars. I write about what I see in the mornings."

"You get up in the mornings to watch the stars?" He hesitated. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah," she smiled, "I know it's silly—"

"No, no, it's not." He cut her off. "Not at all. I think it's cool. How long have you been doing this?" The way he said his words with such softness made her pause and turn to look back at his eyes.

"Oh, I don't know. I started writing about it only a few years ago. I created the blog when our middle school issued us laptops. But I've watched them for... well, a long time. My mother... she used to watch them with me."

Carter paused. It had been eleven years ago but he still remembered it. They had been in the same 2nd grade science class, learning about clouds at the time. Aubrey had had chin-length hair and a rainbow lunch bag. She was outgoing for a second grader; he had liked that about her.

But then, one day she stopped coming to class. She was gone for a week, maybe two. He didn't know or understand why at the time. He just simply missed her. Then, she did come back, and he was excited to see her get off the bus. But she had never been the same after that.

Aubrey had gotten darker clothes and let her chin-length hair grow to shoulder length. She never stayed after school anymore. She never came to birthday parties anymore. She wasn't even as outgoing anymore. It was as if a part of her had been hollowed out.

From the whispers in the hall he had found out why but it took him years to understand. She never really went back to who she was in second grade, but her heart did heel somewhat.

"I- I'm sorry..." was all he could think to say.

"Don't be. I'm fine but... I should go." She grabbed her bag.

"No, no, please." His words were soft again and she froze. He grabbed her hand.

"Can I read them?" his voice was calm and steady. He stared into her eyes so deeply it almost made her uneasy.

"My posts?"

"Yeah, I want to read them."

"Oh, uh, sure." She didn't know why she was about to send them to him but she didn't seem to care as much anymore. "I'll text you the link."

"I- don't have your number," he spoke and couldn't hold back a smirk. Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"What's yours, idiot?" She handed him her pocket notebook open to a blank page and he carefully wrote down each number. He had better handwriting than she remembered.

"There." He handed it back to her. She took it with a smile. He confused her. She didn't understand. But... after all, she always did have a little trouble understanding things that were important.