lose you to love me

Liam had actually been reaching for the coffee before the young woman grabbed it, about to return the drink he’d also erroneously gotten, when she spoke to him. “Oh, yeah, that’s mine, thank you,” he said, with a little smile. “I think I got yours…I know it’s definitely not mine, I’m really not sure what matcha is.” He gave a little chuckle. “I don’t know if you would have liked my coffee, it’s just French roast with skim milk and some cinnamon syrup for flavor.”

.

It hadn’t been her fault, but Valeria still felt awkward as she realized that the other man had seen her almost make off with his drink. “Yeah, sorry, that’s definitely not yours then. Far too green to be coffee,” she agreed, handing the French roast to the man. “I don’t know if you would’ve liked mine then, it’s oat milk and matcha. A completely different flavor profile, so I’m glad we saved each other the disappointment.”

The why felt irrelevant now - the person she’s been hiding from long gone while she was still here, stuck and increasingly embarrassed. It wasn’t an emotion they felt often, but Valeria was cool in a way Phoebe could only hope to emulate and this was certainly not helping their case. “Depends on who you’d think about calling… Because if it’s Grayson, I’d really rather just fall now and gamble on gravity…” Her oldest brother did not need to know about this - she already gave him plenty to worry about without adding this on top of it. 

.

“I don’t know, the fire department. Though I know they usually tend to get cats out of trees. Not... people...” Valeria trailed off, shaking her head. “I promise, I won’t tell Greyson. As long as you don’t get injured, I’m pretty sure I’d have to tell him if that was the case.” Stepping back and moving to the other side of the tree, the brunette tossed her ponytail over her shoulder as she devised the game plan. “Okay, hold onto the branch without leaves, it seems sturdy. And there’s a part of the tree bark to your left where you foot should fit comfortably...” she instructed, wondering if it was even going to work. “Is there a reason you’re in a tree in the first place?”

“You’re asking me why they chose it? We can’t question the things people fall in love with Val. Apparently the garden here almost surpasses the grandeur at House of Seven Gables,” Aless began, though he didn’t know how true that could have been. “I’ve actually never been, maybe that’s my next adventure.” He said with a smile. He then couldn’t help but roll his eyes as Valeria explained she was catching up with an old friend, he folded his arms together and gently nudged her. “Oh, I’m sure you were extremely thorough.” It was amazing how despite how much they dug at each other there were some similarities between the two, it just so happened that Val had snagged the more adventurous night versus Aless curling up in bed with Stella purring against his abdomen. He supposed more chill nights like that were warranted. “None of my concern and yet you told me so much more than I would have ever asked to know.” Aless teased. “How is it that you let me trick you into doing that every single time?” 

Just then he heard her dig about her home and he beamed with delight. “Oh that’s what I haven’t gotten to tell you yet, I finally got out of that sublet.” He fished through his pockets until he felt the clang his new apartment keys and flashed them in the woman’s face. “Third floor apartment, close enough to be in walking distance to certain parts of the city. My roommate is pretty chill and my laundry unit isn’t in some weird decrepit basement, which admittedly I’ll miss because how else will I summon you at 3:33 in the morning?” He pouted. Then just like clockwork Valeria was spouting out her entire schedule and Aless couldn’t help but laugh. “Well technically Chloe would 100% let me work out with you guys, but you’re lucky, it’s my rest day.” He had received a notification on his phone noting that his follow request had been accepted, to egg her on a little bit more he held up his hand. “Ah-ah, just a second here, this friendship goes both ways, where’s my follow?” 

.

“This hotel is kinda lackluster when it comes to romantic backdrops, but you’re right, who am I to question what the lovers want?” the woman agreed with a shrug, running a hand through her slightly tousled hair. “Once my mother is better, I’m going to move to DC or back to New York. Get a job in the field I want, and never see you again.” The attestation was accompanied by Valeria squaring her shoulders and looking Aless directly in the eye, not even considering the less favorable outcome of her mother’s illness - one that would keep her in Salem even longer. “It doesn’t hurt to have connections who can help me when I’m ready to make the moves. I’m sure even you could agree with that.”

Of course Aless had to one up her, but then again what was the fun of this banter being one-sided? “So desperate for followers, aren’t you? You know you could just buy them, right? I don’t know how the process works but there’s the option,” she mentioned, rolling her eyes slightly and making a face as she found his Instagram page. “There,” she grumbled, her fingers hastily clicking the button to follow his photography page in turn. “Now can I go? Are you done?” she asked, already hastening to leave in the lobby. “You’re not invited to dinner with my family, by the way. No matter how much my mother enjoys hearing your stories.”

Opal was taking stock now, eyes roaming delicately– and none too obviously– down the length of the other woman– her clothes, her bag, her jewelry– as she took a sip of the mocha. She erred more toward the side of bitter and this was so sweet, it made her teeth want to shudder, but again: free. Finding nothing worth sinking her sticky fingers into, she switched off work mode and simply smiled at the brunette. “I don’t really have a go-to drink. Or a go-to place, to be honest. I used to move around a lot, but decided to set down roots here for a little bit. So now I just try new things to keep it all fresh. What about you? Is this your go-to spot?”

.

The other woman was beautiful, and had a certain charm about her that drew Valeria in. She didn’t strike her as being a local, there was a certain ethereal aura surrounding her that she would’ve noticed if she also frequented Witches Brew. “I come here a bit too often, honestly. Probably should cut back, but the drinks are so good. What brings you to Salem in particular?” Valeria inquired, tilting her head as she sipped her matcha latte. “And I don’t mind sharing this place if you decide you want to make it your go-to spot as well. What else are you into? I can give some recommendations, since I’ve been in Salem for a good bit.”

"Milo is the only one that matters. And well Jeremy makes for good conversation and gives me free margaritas, so he'll get an honorary mention." @miloboone @jeremylincoln

"Me. That's a cop out, I know. But you can't expect me to choose just one, right? We're all queens here, I'll fix my fellow queens' crowns for them too. Ladies, you're all killing it."

"Back in New York: working in politics, living with the love of my life, engagement ring shopping, my mom not being sick... but the past is in the past."

"Success brings me happiness, my dear. They go hand in hand."

"Men not talking."

“Isn’t that always the way these days? Spending more time on our phones than paying attention? I know it’s like that for me.” she could spend hours scrolling through instagram without realising. Whilst she tried to limit her screen time, and therefore lead by example for Chloe, she knew that she could slip into old habits easily. “I agree, it’s quickly become one of my favourite places.” she admitted, having stumbled upon it almost a few days into arriving in to the area with Chloe. “No, actually. I just moved here from California, what about you?”

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Valeria was well aware of the dependence that people had on their phones these days, with the capabilities that made life easier - but at a cost. “I always use the excuse that it’s for work, but then I end up doom scrolling for a while before catching myself. I’m Valeria, by the way,” she introduced casually, eyes lighting up when the brunette mentioned her home state. “I’m a fellow California transplant myself, where are you from? I’m from the San Diego area,” Valeria responded, shaking her head and giving the woman a light shrug. “Well, I moved here as a teenager with my mom from California and studied in Boston, went to Scotland for grad school, then relocated to New York for a few years to work and now I’m back here. What brings you here?”

“I went to pick up Luis and his friend’s mother was asking me how old I was when he was born. I said I was sixteen and she commented on ‘how well I’ve done for myself’. Turns out she thought I was his mother for twenty minutes straight,” Valeria recalled, swirling a fry in ketchup and delicately eating it while she recalled the events for Jeremy. “I mean, I did get invited to Pilates and brunch with all her rich mom friends and she didn’t rescind the invitation, so I guess that’s what I’m doing this weekend instead of hanging out with you. Unless you can make a better offer than spending hours with middle-aged housewives,” she joked, waving at one of the regular bartenders when she caught their eye. “We’re on a first name basis now, I don’t know if that means I spend way too much time at this place. It’s like living in Boston all over again, when you and your friends got the cooler apartment so we’d hang out there,” the woman reminisced on their time in the city a decade prior. 

“Do you miss it? Living in Boston, being in college, all of that?” Valeria asked curiously, sighing as she reminisced on the days spent at Boston University. “There are times I’m glad it’s over and I am where I am now, but other times I wish I could go back. All of my friends have since moved away from Boston as well, I connected with a few when I was living in New York but it just isn’t the same.”

“It could be.” Eva looked at the label. It was indeed her order. “Grazie millie, I w….would have been… quite upset if I’d gotten someone else’s order. It’s the oat milk latte, but sugar free and vanilla. I can’t really have a lot of sugar anymore.” Eva was a regular at witches brew and her order didn’t often get confused or forgotten with anyone else. Today would have been a one track way to extreme headaches all day. “You’re a lifesaver.”

.

Valeria knew that matcha powder was sweetened, but she preferred it to the sweetened lattes in general. She’d tried the sugar-free syrups but they just didn’t do it for her. “No worries, I’m glad I avoided the mix-up. Definitely wouldn’t have wanted you to have gotten someone else’s latte if you can’t have sugar, those things are loaded with them unless you ask for a modification,” she agreed, handing the other woman her drink. “Glad that’s all taken care of, now I just gotta wait for mine.”

“Oh, the candy sales are one of the things I look forward to the most.” Chloe concurred. Though she did have a soft spot for Halloween, loving the feeling of childhood creeping back into her soul as she dressed up as some silly version of a character, and got a little too hopped up on Sugar, making the following day fully bust. She had heard the stories of the Castillo family traditions, Val’s mother making the biggest celebration out of any holiday she deemed fit. “Honestly, that sounds wonderful. I’d certainly love to see one of these parties in action.” Chloe passed along her own order, though her eyebrows shot up when Val mentioned the woman on Tinder. “Okay, but she’s got money. You should just go to enjoy overpriced drinks in Boston if nothing else.” Chloe knew that Val had been avoiding dating for quite a while. Not that she could judge, she had been in a proper relationship for years. But the fact that she was doing well enough to entertain dating made her heart swell for her friend. “I’m happy for you! I hope it works out. I can always come stalk the date too if you need some muscle.”

.

Even when Valeria and her mother lived with her grandparents in a small apartment in California, they made as big of a deal as they could’ve of all of the holidays. In a way, it was to keep her father’s spirit alive. “What holidays are your favorite to celebrate? Or simply your favorite even if you don’t celebrate them?” the woman asked curiously, taking a bite of her avocado toast. 

She couldn’t help the blush creeping upon her cheeks as Chloe prompted her to talk about the woman from Tinder, Valeria pulling her phone out and scrolling through it, pulling up her date’s profile to show Chloe. “That’s her, she’s beautiful and intelligent. Maybe that’s why I like her,” she admitted with a shrug and a coy chuckle, turning to her friend yet again. “You wanna come hang out at the bar while being incognito and keeping an eye on things? Or just feel like getting out of Salem and into the city for a bit? If it’s the former, we don’t need me to go on a date - we can just plan a day and go. Maybe catch a game at Fenway or check out the New England Aquarium,” she suggested. Maybe it was something that they could do when everyone else was leaving Boston for Salem in the fall.

Whenever Phoebe is busy, Wesley takes it upon himself to explore on his own. Jetlagged from yet another flight back from his mum’s, caffeine seems to be in order. Now, he could go back to his apartment and actually figure out how the French press works or he could go down to Witches’ Brew and have them spike his cold brew with more espresso shots than he probably should have. He’s picking door number two, Alex. Groggy and still not all the way awake, it takes a woman getting his attention to realize that he’s grabbed the wrong drink. “Oatmilk,” his words are slow and muffled as he reads off what’s in his hand; Wesley can only hope he’s not mistaken for a drunk. “Oats make milk? Where are the teats? Where does it come out from?”

.

Unable to tell if Wesley was joking or seriously inquiring about oat milk being derived the same way as animal milk, Valeria simply shook her head and laughed as she handed him his drink. “It’s made from combining water and rolled oats. I tried making it once, but it just came out watery and not as great as the store-bought ones,” Valeria recounted, making a face as she recalled disposing of her failed DIY in the kitchen sink. “Speaking of weird projects, what are you and Phoebe doing today? I assume you’re meeting them given... well, this,” the woman inquired, motioning to the ingredients on Wesley’s drink that made it pretty clear he was going to be caffeinated for a good while. Something she did during her college days when she needed to power through something, whether it be an assignment or a night out on the town with friends.