Mel existed in a way that relied entirely on the needs of others. Her life had been dedicated entirely to being Becca's best friend. The one who was there for her sister when everyone else wouldn't be. And she loved doing it, really, she did. She loved her sister more than anyone. That wouldn't change.

But things were different now. It wasn't that she wasn't needed anymore. Becca still talked to her every day, and they were still close. She suspected they always would be, obviously- they were like twins But Becca lived independently now. She didn't need her like she had for years previously.

In the wake of this... Mel found herself having a lot of extra time after her shifts. She didn't... really know what to do with herself. What does a normal almost-thirty-something do with their time when they're not taking care of a high-need sibling? Dear God, she was almost thirty and had no idea what to do with her life.

She sometimes worked a double on weekends just to have something she knew would always be there for her. Now she was starting to understand what it meant when others advised her not to have the job be her entire life - which applied to both medicine and taking care of her sister in equal measure.

She took to taking walks. Which turned into café runs. She liked to try a new dessert each day and write down little entries about the taste and rate it out of five, or sometimes six if it was really good. It was at this café, however, that she met you for the first time.

You were a barista. You made her drink exactly the way she liked, and she appreciated that. You did it the same way every time, and the taste didn't change. She'd written a secret entry in the very back of her little notepad about your pretty eyes and smile that made her feel like her brain was melting.

Mel was almost thirty, but between their parents, her sister, and med school, she'd never had time to date anyone. So... she was a little out of the loop on how to flirt. But she did her best.

She came in on one particular warm afternoon, sweating a little. It was almost 90 degrees in Pittsburgh. "Hey," she called out.