collection of short stories

coffee shop soundtrack

should i write myself
out of the history books?
or mark a place in time
for every chance you took?
-all time low

~~~

for the fifth week in a row, the girl in the bird-egg blue coat shuffles into the coffee shop, followed by a billow of snow.

kieran looked up and smiled over the till as she clumsily made her way over to the counter at the back of the shop.

she removed one of her earphones and without looking up from her phone, she recited her order, one toffee nut latte

she talked rather too loud, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the small, peaceful coffee shop, them sending her discreet glares and gestures.

though she didn't mind.

or notice for that matter.

she was in her own little world of toffee nut lattes, blue coats and too-loud-music.

writing the familiar order (that was now imprinted in his memory) onto a piece of scrap paper, he handed it to teresa, a grumpy, sixteen-year-old employee who had at least twenty piercings on her face alone.

kieran then turned round to toffee nut latte girl (his new nickname for her) only to find that she had made her way to the corner of the shop and sat at her usual table.

he was puzzled why she chose that table every time she came; it was rickety and squeaky, the large café clock hung above it, making ticking sounds resound throughout the deafening quiet of the shop.

not to mention it was right next to the disabled public loos, meaning every time someone wanted to enter the loo, she had to tuck her chair in and squish her small frame even further into the ridge of the table, just so they could get past.

the door to the kitchen was on the other side of it as well, and every time the door opened, a gust of wind blew a lock of her pale blond hair into her face, dangerously close to dipping in her coffee

kieran had wanted to talk to her, after observing (not stalking as teresa calls it) her for over a month.

in the past, his confidence had always held him back, making him suffer every day from social anxiety.

Today, he thought, maybe today i would've overcome that fear.

if she hadn't've walked away.

feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen, he looked up to find teresa holding a cup to his face, pointing to toffee nut latte girl's table in the corner.

he took the cup, slowly weaving his way in and out of the tables, his attention solely on the girl with the bird-egg blue coat.

turns out, a little attention needs to be directed at one's surroundings when navigating around crowded coffee shops, because two steps from her table, the disabled bathroom door swung open, hitting kieran in the face, spilling the latte down his clean, crisp shirt.

a silence overcame the coffee shop, thicker than the mellow, peaceful atmosphere of before.

a silence that was eventually broken by a quiet snort, followed by short, soft giggles.

he looked up to find the girl with her face in her hands, shoulders shaking.

she was laughing at him.

kieran slowly felt his face turn red, his hands and knees beginning to shake violently.

toffee nut latte girl eventually looked up, her small, reserved smile, transforming into an expression of horror.