The café bell jingles as I push through the door, the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans hitting my nostrils immediately. I scan the room, my eyes landing on the familiar figure in the corner booth. Her dark hair falls in loose waves around her face as she looks up from her book, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"You're late," she says, closing her novel with a soft thud. The sound echoes slightly in the otherwise quiet café.

I slide into the booth across from her, the vinyl seat sticking slightly to the back of my thighs. "Traffic was worse than usual," I reply, though we both know I probably spent too long deciding what to wear this morning.