As he walked toward his favorite coffee shop, he realized it was much colder out than he’d thought. He dug his hat from his bag and pulled it down over his ears, frowning at having to ruin his hair just to stay warm. He walked faster and hoped he could minimize the damage. When he rounded the corner onto Main Street, he smiled at Deja’s back. He jogged a few steps and tapped on her right shoulder. She jumped and turned to him with bunched, angry eyebrows that relaxed once she saw him. And then she smiled.

It was pathetic how happy it made him to see her entire mood change for him.

“It’s cold,” she whined.

“I know. Sorry, I didn’t think it’d be this bad when I suggested meeting up.”

“This is why I stay home,” she said with a laugh.

God, what he wouldn’t have given to be at the stage in their relationship where they could spend the weekend just hanging out in one of their warm apartments. If they had been, he’d have invited her over and not let her leave his bed until she had to teach her first class on Monday, but they weren’t. More importantly, when he’d suggested they spend the weekend together, Deja had immediately started to list all the grading she had to get through before exam week, so, he’d pivoted quickly, and suggested a work date.

He pulled the front door to the small and trendy Il Café, completely out of place in Centreville, but a nice alternative to the Starbucks where all the undergraduates congregated, especially before midterms and finals. This café was a little pricier, much more pretentious, and mostly populated by faculty and a few grad students. It was the perfect place for them to work if they had to be out, although Alejandro was a little worried they might run into someone they knew, which might freak Deja out.

“Why is this place so packed?” she asked as soon as they stepped inside and in line to order.

They started peeling off their layers.

“It’s always packed on Saturday.” He pulled his hat from his head.

Deja opened her mouth and then smiled up at him. “Your hair,” she said, lifting onto her toes and reaching for him.

Alejandro instinctively bent down and closed his eyes as she plunged her fingers into his hair to smooth it back into place. Feeling her touch him, even in such a benign way, felt intimate, especially after a week when they’d barely seen one another off campus, and on campus, Deja was always very careful not to touch him. He suddenly didn’t care what his hair looked like, only that she kept touching him.

She eventually finished fixing his hair, and her fingers trailed over the outer shell of his ear, a featherlight touch.