I almost interrupted them when I saw the ghost of a smile on Elias’s lips at whatever Tsehay was telling him. It looked intimate. From out of nowhere, a flare of jealousy burned in my gut. I wanted to be the one sharing a secret with Elias, the only person to put that smile on his face. I wondered if there was something between the two of them. And the flare turned into a full-fledged fire.

Was I chaperoning a date?

A tap on my shoulder pulled me out of the hot mess going on in my head.

“The bunna’s here.” Elias’s smile was cautious, like he could tell something was bothering me.

I tried to smile back as I turned to look at our server, who was busy setting up, and tried to focus on the many things she was doing to get our drinks ready.

Coffee ceremony in Ethiopia was not in any way figurative. It was a communal and drawn out event, performed with great care. It was all done at tableside, and it had all the trappings of a ritual.

After observing for a moment, I sank into the warmth of Elias’s body as he leaned in closer to explain, “She’s going to roast the raw beans for us.”

I was very proud of myself for not shivering when his breath fluttered against my ear. His closeness making me forget my moment of jealousy.

Once I’d gotten it together and was mostly sure a moan wouldn’t come out of my mouth, I pointed at the clay pot that looked like a giant version of one of those oil and vinegar bottles. In the most controlled voice I could manage I asked Elias, “What’s this called? My mom has a few of them at home, but I forgot the name.

Again he looked delighted at my awareness of all things Ethiopian. “It’s a gebena. She’ll set it on the coals to brew and we will have bunna in a few minutes.”

The roasting beans already smelled delicious and I inhaled deeply. “This is great. It was on my list of things to do.”

He dipped his head and pointed to the corn kernels our server was pouring out. “It comes with popcorn.”

I nodded in appreciation. “As if the coffee wasn’t already perfect on its own, you guys had to make it next-level by adding a delicious snack.”

He let out one of those startled laughs that happened when I was being particularly farenji-like. “You are very easy to please when it comes to coffee.”

I moaned when I got another strong whiff of the roasting beans. “This place is going to ruin me. Coffee will never be the same again.”