The Scent of Coffee - Chapter 3

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A longer chapter this time!

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Chapter 3 - Fern and Wood

With Nancy’s directions, they soon reached a charming maroon house with a neatly-kept garden. A few clusters of yellow, pink, and white flowers swayed in the gentle wind, their fragrance mingling with the scent of freshly watered soil. A low wooden fence framed the yard. They opened the creaking gate and followed the stone path that divided the garden.

Finnley had a lot going on in his mind, but he stepped forward nonetheless. Rory was slightly behind him, his hands fidgeting as his nerves reached their peak. Finnley knocked firmly on the wooden door: Knock! Knock! Knock!

Rory scratched the back of his neck, his yellow eyes searching for a distraction in the colorful flowers to ease his racing thoughts. “I don’t know…” he mumbled, almost to himself. “This feels a little… intrusive.”

Finnley chuckled softly. “I have never seen you this stressed out about such a small thing!” He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I’m sure he’ll get back on his feet the moment he sees you,” he said, his tone warm and encouraging.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing another unfamiliar face. A short and slim female armadillo, seemingly younger than both Nancy and Lloyd. She shook her head to get her messy blonde hair off her eyes. Her tired eyes studied Finnley, then shifted to Rory. The process took an uncomfortable amount of time. Both of them looked at her with unease.

"Hey!” Finnley broke the silence with a friendly smile. “We are here to pay Lloyd a visit,” he explained.

“Yeah,” she said with a soothing tone in her voice and raised brows that displayed a lack of surprise. “I figured,” she continued as her expression softened into a playful smirk. Her thin snout twitched and she lazily turned her face around before her body followed that same motion. She stepped inside and made way for them. She locked her eyes with Rory. "He is in his room. Second door on the right." She gestured with her thumb towards a short hallway at the back of the house, where two doors lined each side wall, only Lloyd’s door was closed. At the end of the hallway, a solitary round window cast a comforting beam of light across the floor.

Finnley and Rory exchanged a glance before looking toward the hallway.

"I'm Mya by the way," she suddenly introduced herself, as if it were an afterthought.

"Uh… I'm-" the salmon stammered, but she cut him off, raising her palm.

"Oh, I know. Don’t worry," Mya said, rolling her eyes up. “Your names don’t ever leave his brain. Just go." Her tone carried a hint of annoyance, but a glint of excitement could be found in her eyes and faint smile.

They slowly made their way through the hallway, the rug beneath their feet muffling the sound of their steps on the old wooden floor. Much like the café, Lloyd’s home was brimming with greenery—plants adorned tables and cascaded from wall-mounted pots. A lush fern hung from the ceiling above Lloyd’s door, spilling gracefully over the door frame

“If you ever want him to fall even more for you, you should buy him some flowers,” Finnley smirked and nudged his shoulder. He looked up and chuckled, “Or… fern, maybe?”

Rory smiled. “Looking gives me the urge for a cup of coffee,” he said, jokingly.

“Yep. That’d be great! And something sweet to go with it,” he raised his finger. They both smiled and nodded.

Once they reached his door, Finnley knocked softly.

"Yes, sis?" Lloyd mumbled from inside. "Come in."

The door opened and Finnley quickly steps inside. He huffed loudly and rolled his eyes upward, “Hey, bro,” he said in a high-pitched voice, doing a terrible job of imitating Mya. “Your weird friends are here!”

He flicked his head dramatically, sending his antennae flinging over his head before they bounced back into place. With an exaggerated sigh, he rested his weight on one leg and slumped his shoulder. He gave Lloyd a half-lidded gaze followed by a final loud huff.

Lloyd sat in bed, holding something in his hands. He stared at Finnley with his eyes wide open, his expression otherwise blank.

From behind the door, Rory whispered sharply, “What the hell was that!?”.

The comment broke the silence, making both Lloyd and Finnley snort before breaking into laughter. Rory hesitated, taking a step back, but soon joined in, unable to hold in his laugh too.

Lloyd snapped out of it suddenly, his hands disappearing under the sheets with one swift motion. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by either of the two, but they chose to ignore it.

“What are you guys doing here!?” Lloyd asked, with a tone of surprise.

Finnley placed his hands on his hips, feigning offense. "We came to visit our friend, what else?”

"Thank you, guys!" Lloyd relaxed and a sweet smile spread across his face. "It’s not that bad. You shouldn’t have worried about me.”

"Oh, but we do! What’s that café without you behind the counter, huh?" Finnley said. He smirked and continued, "We just wanted to check on our buddy. Right, Rory?"

Rory nodded, a smile of his own on his face, finding relief in seeing Lloyd well enough."We thought you would be bored on your own,” he added.

Lloyd lingered his gaze on Rory, his smile even warmer than before. He scooted over, patting the space beside him on the bed. "Please, sit! You guys must be tired," he invited, correctly assessing their condition by the look of their worn expressions.

"No way! We are so sweaty right now!" Rory said nervously, his voice rising a little. "It’ll ruin your bed,” he added, his hands feeling the damp cloth of his shorts.

Lloyd smiled warmly. "Nonsense. You really don't have to worry about it," he assured him, his voice gentle, but a slight emphasis on really slipped out without intention.

"Well, if you insist!" Finnley said with a shrug. The lobster took a seat at the foot of the bed, leaving plenty of space for Rory. "I am especially sore today. My feet are killing me," He groaned dramatically while stretching his legs out.

Rory hesitated for a moment before powering through his nerves. He sat down as well close to Finnley, carefully using his hands to curl his tail to keep it from brushing against Lloyd.

Lloyd sipped from a cup of water as the two made themselves comfortable. Rory and Finnley glanced around the tidy and cozy room. A slim wardrobe stood close to the bed, looking like it couldn’t hold more than a few pieces of clothing. On the opposite wall, there was a sturdy bookshelf overflowing with books on plants, coffee, and diverse novels. Finally, there was a desk next to the bookshelf. A potted fern perched on one corner, spilling gracefully over the edge of the desk’s corner.

Next to the plant, Rory noticed small wooden blocks and what seemed to be scattered unfinished sculptures. They varied in shape and detail, clearly still being worked on or used for practice. He leaned forward and his gaze lingered, drawing a flicker of embarrassment from Lloyd.

"Did you make those?" Rory asked curiously.

The armadillo scratched the back of his head. "Heh, yeah. I've been learning to carve small sculptures in my free time,” he explained, fidgeting with something hidden beneath the sheets. He chuckled and glanced at Rory with a kind smile. “I still have much to learn, but I really enjoy making them," he added, his tongue darting out briefly in excitement.

"Would you mind if I took a closer look?" Rory asked.

Lloyd’s cheeks flushed as he stammered, "O-Of course! They’re unfinished, though!" he explained, tucking his head deeper between his shoulders.

Rory slowly stood up and walked over, his eyes widening in admiration. "This is so impressive," he said as his eyes swept over each piece, one by one. His gaze was suddenly captured by the sight of a sculpture of a small building that he recognized instantly. “This! This is so cute!” He said with a smile on his face and an enthusiastic tone in his voice, delicately holding the sculpture in his hands. “It’s your café, isn’t it?”

Finnley widened his eyes and leaned in for a closer look, his mouth hanging open slightly in amused surprise.

Lloyd’s cheeks turned pink as sweat began to bead on his forehead. His hands suddenly pushed whatever he was holding deeper under the sheets, catching Finnley’s attention.

“It is, yeah!” Lloyd said with a few nods, his voice faltering slightly. “I’m so happy you recognized it.”

Rory chuckled softly, tilting his head and studying the sculpture closely. “The little window, the sign, the chimney…” he murmured, admiring the details. Without thinking, he continued, almost whispering “but there’s something missing…”

The armadillo’s brows shot up with a touch of concern.

“It needs a little Lloyd to go along with it,” he added with a gentle laugh, unaware of how his words landed.

Lloyd’s breath hitched and his shoulders tensed up. Realization suddenly hit Rory like a train. He froze, glancing at Lloyd and Finnley. Lloyd’s cheeks deepened in pinkish hue as he was taken by surprise.

Finnley was also taken aback, but his expression broke into a teasing smirk as he stared at the salmon, his gaze like daggers. Lloyd looked away, letting out a nervous chuckle.

Rory looked back at the sculpture, hiding his radiating embarrassment from the both of them. He turned his attention back to the pieces on the desk.

He quickly found a set of two sculptured armadillos on the desk, trading them for the café. "Are these your parents?" Rory asked, stumbling on his words, trying to take attention away from his comment.

“Hm!?” Lloyd mumbled, snapping out of his embarrassment. “Oh, y-yeah! I have been trying to sculpt them to give them as a gift,” Lloyd said, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Do they live with you and your sisters?" Finnley asked, with the intention of allowing Rory to catch his breath.

“Yep!” Lloyd nodded. “We have all been living together since we were born. We are all very close,” he said, his expression turning back into his usual warm smile.

They talked for a long while, losing track of time. The earlier awkwardness melted into a relaxed conversation, filled with little stories. Finnley’s eyes glanced at the alarm clock on the desk. "Oh! We gotta head back to work, Rory. I’d rather not work in the dark,” he said.

Rory looked at the clock and sighed, “Yeah, we really gotta get going.”

"Aw… so soon?" Lloyd lamented. "Thank you guys for visiting me!"

"Of course! We better see you back at the café soon!" Finnley added with a grin, standing up and stretching his arms.

Rory stood up as well, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

“Do you wanna stay and sleep with him, sleepy fishie?” Finnley jested.

Rory gave Finnley a gentle slap on the back. “Tsc! Shut up, let’s get moving,” he said. “See you, Lloyd. Rest well,” he said, his voice soft with genuine care.