“Um, hi,” I finally spoke, realizing that one of us needed to.

“Hello,” she cooed. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I just popped over to see if I could borrow some sugar,” I told her.

“I just bet you did,” was her answer. “Wes isn’t home.”

“Oh, damn it.” I glared down at the black yuk in my hands, debating whether I could manage to choke it down and still get the caffeine boost to kick in if there were no sugar in the bitter substance. “I don’t suppose you could check to see if he has any kind of sweetener in there, could you?” I cringed again at the thought of having to drink the coffee black.

“Oh shit!” She laughed then. “You were being serious!”

I glanced up and noted her amusement. “Yes,” I carefully wiggled the cup of black liquid at her. “I need caffeine for life. My brain seems to be malfunctioning, and I thought I’d brew a pick me up, but there’s literally nothing I can use in the apartment to make this palatable.”

“Come on in,” the woman directed as she stood aside. “I’m Luna by the way.”

“Mina,” I informed her.

“Okay, Mina, I’m about to make your day. Whenever I stay at my brother’s place, I stock the fridge with a variety of flavored creamers.”

“Oh, thank you, Jesus!”

“Luna,” she corrected and we both laughed.

“I literally just made a deal with God on the way over here. Sorry he tried to steal your thunder by holding up his end of the bargain.”

“I like you,” she insisted as she opened the fridge and offered up her best gameshow wave at the merchandise behind door number one. “So, what did you tell God you would do if he helped you out with your cup of coffee?”

“Well, actually, I didn’t offer to do anything. It was more like me calling in an IOU.”

“Wow, you don’t play around.”

I shrugged. “I figured after the shitty few years that I’ve had, he owed me something, if he’s out there.”

“I hear you, girl!” She sighed and I could almost feel her expelling the weight of the world the way I sometimes felt.

I grabbed Fruity Pebble flavored coffee creamer, because I’m 20 years old and still a child, and turned to Luna as I added it to my coffee. “Did I hear you right when you said that you were Wes’s sister?”

“You did. It’s kind of a crappy secret since I’m the love child of his father and the maid, but Wes has never held it against me, even if everyone else in our world does.”

“Wow,” I muttered before taking a sip of the coffee that now tasted deliciously sweet. “I’m sorry people are assholes.” It made me wonder if that was why Wes and Tucker were such good friends. They apparently both had a sister who may or may not have been a half sibling.

It was her turn to shrug off my comment. “Fuck ‘em.”