"You should really quit, you know."

The deep voice startled me, almost making me drop the cigarette I just lit.

"I'll only be a minute, Tom," I promised, inhaling as much smoke as I could possibly fit into my lungs.

"It's alright, we're not exactly busy right now. And that's not why you should quit anyway," he replied.

I turned to face my boss, blowing the smoke away from him. I knew he used to smoke, and I didn't want to tempt him into starting again.

The forty-something year old was about a foot taller than me. His dark brown hair was slowly gathering more grey strands, as was his beard, but nobody ever mentioned it to him. As well as being over six foot tall, Tom was very muscular, and sported several tattoos, so he was quite intimidating.

I'd known him for four years, and I'd never known anybody to mess with him. I knew he was a big teddy bear really though, and he had done so much for me.

"I'll quit when I want to quit. It's pointless trying to do it before," I told him, taking another puff on my cigarette.

"I know, it's about timing. Everything is always about timing."

"Any more wise words?" I asked sarcastically.

"Not right now, I'll let you know later," he laughed. "I'm gonna go check on the cake."

"Okay," I smiled, and he walked away from me.

Tom owned a small coffee shop, where I had worked for the past four years. It was definitely not my dream job, but I liked it. The hours were good, the money was acceptable, and I met a lot of interesting people. Plus, Tom rented the apartment above the shop to me, for next to nothing.

I finished my cigarette quickly, then walked back into the coffee shop. I washed my hands, and put my burgundy apron back on.

"Ivy, can you load the dishwasher please?" Tom shouted to me.

I went into the kitchen and started to pile all the coffee cups and plates into the dishwasher, then went back into the dining area to clear the tables.

The shop was empty, which almost never happened. I used this to my advantage, and cleaned up as much as possible, so I wouldn't need to do as much at the end of the day.

I had a date tonight, and the sooner I could leave work, the more time I had to get ready. I was really indecisive when it came to dressing for dates, or special events, or anything else really.

"Do you want a drink?" Tom asked, seeing that I had almost finished cleaning.

"I'll have a caramel latte please," I replied, while wiping coffee and crumbs from a table.

By the time I had finished wiping all the tables down, Tom had my drink waiting on the counter. He pulled two stools up, and gestured for me to sit. I sat on one of the stools, and sipped on my latte. It was delicious, as always.

"Try the cake," he said, putting a plate in front of me.

"Thanks," I grinned. I always loved Tom's cakes.

"Rob's on his way," Tom informed me, brushing cake crumbs from his beard.

I grinned in response. Rob was Tom's son, and my best friend. He had been out of town for a week, visiting his mum.

"Good, I've missed him," I mumbled happily, with a mouthful of the best chocolate cake I'd ever tasted.

"Me too, but he's only been home an hour, and I already know it's gonna take me a week to clean up whatever mess he's made."

I laughed, and guessed that Tom was right. Rob was a rather untidy person at the best of times.

"That was delicious," I complimented, then took both of our plates into the kitchen. I returned to my seat just as Rob walked through the door.

Rob was just slightly taller than his father, and had the same muscly build. He had the same dark brown hair, minus the grey strands. To be honest, he just looked like a younger version of Tom, without the tattoos or the beard.

I stood up from my stool, and ran to hug him.

"Oh, fucking hell, dad. You could have told me she'd be here, I'd have waited til she finished work," he joked.

"Shut up, dumbass," I retorted, pushing him back forcefully. He barely budged, and laughed at my pathetic attempt to move him.

Tom appeared next to me, and hugged his son briefly.

"How's your mum doing?"

"She's good, dad. She's just started her new job, and her and Phil are looking for a new house."

Elaine, Rob's mum, had moved away years before I met him. She and her new husband were on good terms with Tom, and Rob visited them every few months.

Tom smiled, and went to the kitchen, leaving me and Rob alone.

"So, what're we doing tonight?" He asked.

"I've got a date," I replied.

"Who's the latest victim?"

I frowned at his choice in words. He always joked about how many dates I go on. I wasn't very lucky in love, mainly because love wasn't quite what I was searching for.

"Just someone I met online."

"Blow it off, let's get wasted," he suggested, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, and shook my head. I was about to inform him that I hadn't had sex for a couple of weeks, but a customer walked in.

The woman was maybe an inch shorter than me, her auburn hair was tied in a tight pony tail. Her emerald green eyes shone through glasses that had a thick black rim. My eyes shot involuntarily to her body. She was wearing grey sweatpants, and a black racer back vest that showed her black sports bra underneath. Her outfit showed off her curves.

"What can I get you?" Rob asked. I turned my eyes away from the customer to see that Rob was standing behind the til, staring at her too.

"Rob... Apron," I said, and he cursed under his breath, before running into the kitchen.

"What can I get you?" I asked the girl politely.

"Just a black coffee, please," she answered, and smiled.

She had a beautiful smile, and I looked at her for a little longer than would be considered normal, before I turned around to make her drink.

"Are you lost?" Tom's deep voice startled me again, and I spilled some coffee.

"Hey there, stranger," the girl laughed. "I'm just on my way home from the gym, and felt the need for some caffeine."

I cleaned up the spilled coffee, and poured another for the girl, then took it to the counter. I started to tell her the price, but I was interrupted by Tom.

"This one's on the house, Ivy," he said, before moving to the other side of the counter, and following the girl to a table.

Rob reappeared wearing an apron, and looked disappointed when he saw his father keeping the girl company.

"Who is she?" I asked, but Rob just shrugged his shoulders, then went back into the kitchen.

Tom and the girl chatted for almost an hour. We finally had more customers, so Rob and I were busy.

"What time's your date?" Rob asked me, when we had five minutes to talk.

"Seven," I replied, then looked at the clock. I still had thirty minutes until the shop closed, then I would have an hour and a half to get ready.

I glanced back at the table to see that Tom and the girl were standing up. They hugged quickly, and she left. Tom walked back over to us, smiling.

He went into the kitchen, and started to clean up.

I wiped the tables as the customers started to leave, hoping that I'd be able to leave as soon as the shop shut.

Tom locked the doors a little early, as everybody had left already.

"Go on," Tom said, "Go get ready for your date."

I looked at him questioningly, I hadn't told him about the date.

"I'm not deaf, you know," he laughed, "just make sure you get wasted with my son tomorrow night, or I'll have to put up with him moaning for two days."

I laughed, but Rob just frowned.

"Come on, we can have a drink while I get ready," I said to my best friend. He didn't even wait for me, he just left the shop to go upstairs.

"Tom... Who was that girl you were sitting with?" I asked.

"That's Larissa," he replied. "She's one of my friend's daughters."

I felt the need to ask him more about her, but I needed to get ready, so I said goodnight to Tom, and went to join Rob in my apartment.