Dane walked into the cafe, ending his day the way it should have started. The whole day had been backwards, all wrong from the word go, and so utterly exhausting.

He waited at the counter and stared blankly at the logo on the wall behind it, the name of the establishment designed to resemble a handwritten scrawl. Eager. Funny name for a cafe, Eager, not even a noun. He imagined it referred to the customers, the people who came in here, all of them eager for a caffeine fix; some also seeking companionship, others solitude. He wasn’t sure which would be better for him today.

He placed his order with the disinterested blonde waitress who eventually appeared – eagerness was not required of the staff, it would seem – and took a seat by the window, resting his forehead against the cool glass as he waited for his coffee. There was nothing of note to see outside, just people hurrying home in the evening fog. So very ordinary that he could almost pretend he was sitting in a cafe back home.

Almost.