Coffee Shop: Him

Casey wants me to meet her at Java Hut after work. Straight from work, actually. I agree; not because I want to, but because I don't have a choice. We don't go out for coffee because I don't like coffee. We don't go out straight from work because I want to shower and change after work. I consider ending my day early to get this over with and decide it's not a good idea. She wants to talk to me for a reason. In public. I have the next three hours to think about what she's thinking about and why she wants to do this. Does she know?

That's it. That has to be it. She must know. But how? I've been careful. Eliza's been careful. It would crush her. She's a sweet little thing, my Casey. She can't know. I can't let her know. Where did I go wrong?

I let the time pass slowly, keeping my mind as empty as possible. There's no way Casey could figure this out. I thought everything through. Foolproof.

But she's no fool.

I find Casey just after six, already sitting at a table near the back of the store. Somewhere private, but not private enough where if we get loud we wouldn't be noticed. She's organizing the empty Splenda packets next to her. Horizontal, then vertical, then horizontal, then vertical. Then she makes them all aligned vertically. The tops of the packets are making a sort of fortress around her design. The four walls. I feel the symbolism and know she's got me figured out. I'm surrounded. She knows. I order a coffee. I pour in some cream. I don't particularly enjoy coffee, but if I'm sitting in a coffee shop, I have to keep up the appearance. I'm here for coffee and small talk. Nothing deep. No one knows about Eliza.

I make my way over to the table Casey's sitting at and take a seat across from her. I take a sip of my coffee before looking up at her.
"I thought you don't drink coffee?"
She knows I don't like coffee. I'm trying to piece together how she found out about Eliza, and it doesn't make sense. Nothing adds up. There's no way she could have known. I don't know if she's trying to guilt trip me into talking, or if she just wants to make me uncomfortable, but she keeps asking about my coffee. Either way, it's working. She knows I'm nervous.

"Do you know why I asked you to come here?"

Did she look at the credit card statements? She probably saw how often I'd been getting gas in Melrose. There are other reasons to be in Melrose though, right? I can't get caught with a rookie mistake like that, right?

"No Casey. I don't know why you asked me to come here."
"You have to have an idea."
"Then why would you ask me that?"

I can't believe she figured me out. I don't know if three months is a long time or a short time to get away with this, but what happens now? Was it my laundry? I know Eliza has never left anything behind, but I've left a few things over there. Maybe she was looking for that striped button-up she got me. She was doing the laundry and couldn't find it anywhere, so she did some investigating. This is so ridiculous. She wants to talk to me, but she isn't saying anything. I'm sitting here sipping on coffee I don't even like because Casey is afraid to talk to me at home. She tells me that she wants us to be honest. I can't believe it.

I know better than to admit anything, so I play dumb. Or play cute. I tell her I can be honest. I tell her coffee isn't as bad as I've always made it out to be. Maybe she'll forget why she brought up honesty.

She does.

Maybe.

She tells me we should stop seeing each other.

I don't know what to say. Is she going to ask about Eliza? Is that why? She thinks I'm happy. I'm starting to think that maybe she doesn't know. Maybe that does make me happy, a little.

"Casey. Is that why you asked me to come here?"
She says no. She didn't ask me to come here so she could leave me. She asked me to come here to talk to me? She wanted honesty. No. No, she started packing my stuff. She asked me to come to a coffee shop because home was already in the process of not being home anymore. If I see my clothes in piles, or suitcases, or whatever she did with them, I'd already know. She's leaving me. I want to ask her about Eliza. I stumble over the words.
"Is it because of someone, that... did you find..."
"No. It isn't because of someone, Justin. It's just me."
Just her. She didn't find out about Eliza. It isn't because of someone else. It's her. It's not me. It's her.

"I'll get my stuff."
"Please take everything now."
"I'll get my stuff and I'll go."

I head out and once I'm sure Casey can no longer see me, I call up Eliza.

"Hey Eliza? Yeah. I'm gonna be coming by a little earlier tonight. I'll see you soon."