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MY HANDS PRESSED to my sides as

HANDS PRESSED to my sides

Ally
FIVE YEARS LATER

THE SMELL OF freshly brewed coffee and powdered sugar hit my nose as I entered the coffee shop my older brother, Lucas and his wife owned. The scent of coffee and sweet pastries was heavenly and I stepped in the long line of customers, eager for my caffeine fix.

“Ally? Is that you?” I heard my name being called and I turned toward the sound, spotting my sister in law, Kaelyn rushing over to me from behind the counter. Smiling wide, I moved into her widely held arms and felt her sigh of relief against my shoulder. I'd been driving all night long and was bone tired, but I was thrilled to finally be here.

I graduated from Art School yesterday and to say it felt damn good would be an understatement. It felt amazing. It felt even better to be near family again, even if I wasn't back home in Chicago like I wanted.

When my brother asked me to help out in the cafe over the next three months, I thought it would be fun to have a nice, relaxing winter down south.