Jake Melnick's Corner Tap Photos Novels & Stories

His voice was the same as it always was, calm. "There was a photo of you and Jake. The two of you with drinks. " His thumb pressed into the point of my shoulder, not painful, just present. "When was that taken?" I looked up at him. "You mean the couple's milkshake photo? From the café near campus?" "That one." "Jake's idea. " I paused. "I'd never had a milkshake before.But he said it was romantic. So I ordered one for two people with two straws and I thought that was a completely normal thing couples did."

Sarah had claimed the corner table at Brew & Mortar, her sanctuary for the past three years spreading blueprints across the scarred wooden surface while nursing her usual oat milk latte. The coffee shop sat halfway between her office and the construction site, making it the perfect refuge when she needed to think without the constant interruptions of her studio. She was annotating structural concerns on the cultural center plans when a shadow fell across her table. “Sarah?” She looked up to find Jake standing there, coffee in hand, surprise evident on his face. He wore charcoal slacks and a navy sweater that made his eyes look impossibly dark, a leather messenger bag slung across his chest.