The noise of idling buses and taxi horns made it impossible to hold a conversation.

We loaded her green bag into the trunk of my car and slammed it shut.

“We need caffeine before we go anywhere near a wedding venue,” Chloe said.

“Take me to the closest place that sells iced espresso.”

Ten minutes later we sat at a small metal table inside a corner coffee shop.

I bought two iced coffees that cost seven dollars each.

The ice rattled against the clear plastic cups as I set them down on the sticky table.