Below the Sky

Chapter 28: Lila

 Me and Riana decided on a coffee shop as our first stop. The sign in the front window read, "The Happy Brew," and it seemed nice enough. We picked one on the main street. It was small, but didn't seem too busy, so it appeared to be a good fit.
We walked in, and chose a booth next to a window. We sat across from each other, and I stared out the window, admiring the town. I'd lived in Upstate New York for my entire life, but I'd only been to town a few times. Still, on the rare occasions I did visit, it was always special.
After a minute or so, when me and Riana had both decided on our drinks, a waiter came and we ordered. "Can I have an iced caramel macchiato?" I requested. The waiter, a young girl maybe a few years older than I smiled. She wrote down the order on a pad of paper.
"And you?" She asked, pointing her pen at Riana.
"Can I just have a black coffee, with almond milk?"
"Is that all?" The waitress asked. Me and Riana both said yes. The waitress walked away, her long blond ponytail swishing with her steps.
I focused my attention on Riana. "You like black coffee?" I asked.
Riana smiled shyly, "ya, I don't really like my coffee too sweet," she said. I nodded my head.
"I don't like it bitter like that," I said. Riana grinned, and took my hand.
I admired Riana, taking in her features. Even in her plain running shorts and t-shirt she was still very pretty. Her hair brown hair was tied back in a braid, and she didn't seem as sweaty or tired, which was good because we would need to at least walk home after this.
Riana reached for my hand, taking it in her gentle fingers. She began to caress my palm, rubbing her thumb all over my hand. I sighed, Riana's touch sending good feelings through me.
She pulled my hand to her lips, kissing it softly. Riana had a twinkle in her eye, a look that conveyed passion. She slowly released my hand, and began to massage my other one.
Just then I noticed our waitress coming back to our table, a tray of drinks balanced on her hip. I pulled my hand from Riana, and composed myself.
The waitress arrived at our table, and set the drinks down. "One caramel macchiato," she handed me my coffee, "and one black coffee with almond milk," she set a cup down in front of Riana.
"Thank you," me and Riana said simultaneously. The young waitress smiled, then turned and walked away.
I took my cup, and raised it to my lips. The drink was good, really good. It was iced, which helped to enhance the flavor slightly. The caramel drizzle on top added a layer of sweetness, but not too much to lose the bitter taste of coffee. I loved every sip.
Riana seemed to be enjoying her drink too. She sighed as she drank her hot coffee, a smile warming her face.
"Can I try yours?" I asked. Riana nodded her head yes, and pushed her cup to me. I lifted it, and took a sip.
It was hot, and also very bitter. I didn't hate Riana's coffee, but it wasn't quite as good as mine.
Riana asked me if she could try my drink. I said yes, and let her take it from my side of the table. Riana seemed to enjoy it, but we both agreed that we preferred the coffee that we had ordered over the other person's.
I noticed a young man out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting alone at a booth, reading a book and drinking a cup of coffee. He had dark brown hair, and dark skin. He looked to be in his early twenties, and some part of him intrigued me. It was like my subconscious was telling me he was special.
I ignored my instinct to run to the man, and talk to him though. Instead I chatted with Riana instead, flirting and drinking our coffees. It was fun, and the drinks were good, but after some time we were ready to go. We payed the check, and stood to leave.
"Ready?" Riana asked, offering me her hand. I said yes quietly, eyes still trained on the man. I didn't go to him though, and instead I took Riana's hand, and let her pull me out the door.
We ran out of the coffee shop, holding each other. The day was approaching its end, and I realized that we would have to move quicker if we wanted to make it home before the sun disappeared below the horizon.
Me and Riana decided that we could always come back to the small town, and we should head back home. Hand in hand we walked to the edge of town in silence. It was peaceful, wonderful, but I couldn't get that man from the coffee shop out of my head. He intrigued me, and though I didn't know the reason I was so drawn to him, I wanted to find out.
"We should start running," Riana suggested.
"Ya, okay," I said. I pulled her close, kissing her briefly before we ran home. Her lips were soft, and she tasted like the bitter coffee.
We broke apart, smiling. "Okay, let's go," I said. We let go of each other, and started to jog.
I stopped all of a sudden though. I thought that I'd heard a voice, and I turned in the direction it had supposedly came in.
"Hey!" I looked, and there was the man from before. He was running up to me and Riana, waving and shouting at us.
When he got close enough, I asked, "yes?"
The man stopped, slightly out of breath. He was maybe a meter or two away from me, and now at this distance I could tell that he was maybe older than I had once assumed. He was handsome though, wearing a gray turtleneck sweater—in the middle of summer—and plain khaki pants.
"I'm sorry, I noticed you and this girl back in the coffee shop and had a sudden need to talk to you," the young man said.
My heart fluttered, and I smiled slightly. This person, who I had never once talked to in my life, had felt the same need to speak to me too?
Suddenly I felt a tug on my sleeve. I glanced at Riana, and noticed an anxious expression on her face. "Lila, we should really be getting home," she whispered.
"I just want to talk to him for a second, then we'll jog home, okay?" Riana nodded yes, but she still seemed unassured.
"What's your name?" The man asked.
"Lila."
"I'm Elijah."
I liked his name from the start. The name was simple, but at the same time so complex and beautiful.
"Okay, I'll leave you now," Elijah said. He extended his hand to mine. I took it, smiling at him.
"It was nice to meet you Elijah," I told him.
"You too," he said, then he turned on me, walking away.
Me and Riana finally started running again, but the entire time, I was lost in my thoughts. I didn't even mind when Riana bugged me to rest every few minutes because of how tired she was. I simply couldn't stop thinking about the strange man Elijah. He had noticed me in a coffee shop, and had ran out, just to ask me my name. It was odd, even creepy. What attraction did I have that had prompted him to that?
I barely noticed when Riana and I finally made it home, or how the sun had long set when we stepped through the door of Luke's house.
We said hello to Luke's family, before heading upstairs to get ready for bed. It had been an interesting day, and certainly not a boring one.