we fell in love in october

the coffee shop on mayfield street

               its a chilly autumn evening, the leaves are falling and the sun is setting as i walk down main street. most people are leaving from work, just like me, except they're heading home. usually that's where i go too, but every friday, i go to the small café on the corner of mayfield street. it's 2 stories high and the building dates from the early 1920s, it's undoubtedly my favourite place in town. i started coming here late in my junior year of high school to study for my finals, but ended up falling in love with the cozy atmosphere and delicious drinks. also not to mention the girl that comes to read a book there at 7:15 pm every single friday. i started to notice her coming in a couple weeks ago, i was here with some friends planning out a day trip in the town up north when i saw her walk in. she had her blonde hair high up in a bun and brown glasses were sitting at the tip of her small nose. as soon as she got inside, she headed straight for the door that lead to the second floor. i had never been up there and never really had the will to go either, but she interested me, so i decided that i was gonna go explore a bit. after that day, i began always sitting on the second floor. the view of downtown was gorgeous and it was warmer up there. and now coincidentally (not really), we go there at around the same time every single friday. so here i am now, sitting by the bay window. i can hear someone coming, and soon i see her blonde head of hair pop up from downstairs. she looks around for a few moments and sits in the chair on the opposite side of the room, which doesn't really bother me. while i'm sipping on my coffee, i give her a few looks here and there, admiring the look of concentration she has towards the book she's reading. suddenly her head jerks up and our eyes meet, i nearly fall out of my chair. we only make eye contact for a few seconds but i instantly feel my cheeks getting hot. i quickly finish my drink and head downstairs. i don't wanna leave, but going back upstairs with nothing to do would be a bit strange. so after that, i opt with going back home. next friday came by pretty quickly, and i had established a mission: i want to make the mysterious girl fall in love with me. as silly as it sounds, it was just a little fantasy of mine. i've definitely been reading too many romance books, but can you blame me? who wouldn't want that to happen. i quickly make my way to the old building after work and hurriedly order my drink. this is the sixth friday in a row that i spend my evening at the cafe. after settling down i pull out the book i brought to read, i usually prefer sitting and looking through the window while i sip on my drink, but i feel like bringing something to occupy me would make me look a bit less suspicious. as soon as i open my book, she walks upstairs. her blonde hair is worn down and she has a black bag on her shoulder. no glasses today. with a coffee in one hand and a book in the other she makes her way to the table next to mine. she has never been this close to me before. i'm freaking out. there are so many thoughts going through my head, i can't think, or even move. i've been staring at page 137 of my book for the past ten minutes. i can feel her staring at me, and she can obviously see my hands trembling while i'm holding on to my book for dear life. "that must be an interesting page" i hear her say. oh my lord. her voice sounds like velvet, it's soft and sweet. i quickly turn the page and let out a chuckle. "ah yes, i've been lost in my thoughts, don't mind me" she snickers. i can feel my heart beat out of my chest. i don't usually have any trouble talking to strangers, but she's definitely a exception. "i'm wren by the way, i've been seeing you a lot around here so i figured i'd introduce myself" wren. of course a pretty girl would have a pretty name. cheesy huh. "nice to meet you! i'm elisabeth" i quickly say. i don't wanna say much because i know i'll end up embarrassing myself. i have a tendency to talk a lot, and i'm always scared that i'm being bothersome, so i tend to stay quiet when i meet new people in hopes that i wont scare them away. surprisingly, she continues the conversation. "what drink are you having?" my mind goes blank. i can't even remember what i had ordered earlier. she can probably see the wheels turning in my head because she gives me an amused look. i can feel my ears start to turn red. iced americano, that's what it is. i quickly tell her my drink and she lets out a gasp. "me too!" she almost yells, shaking her empty cup in my face. i let out a small laugh, she's much more social than she looks. i close my book to give her my full attention and she quickly does the same. our small talk rapidly turns into a full blown conversation, and suddenly it's closing time. just before we get to part ways she yanks my arm towards her. she shoves her hand in her small bag and digs around for a second. she suddenly pulls out a black marker. she takes the cap off with her teeth and scribbles something on my wrist. just before i get to say something, she runs off while saying goodnight. good lord. i look down to my arm to see numbers and letters messily written on my skin. "555-5555 call me ;)" and there it is, that fuzzy feeling. even though it's a cold autumn night, i can sense a warm feeling go throughout my body. i can't help but jump around a little bit too. this almost doesn't feel real. i quickly make my way home, and as soon as i jump in bed i make a new contact. "wren <3" i nearly throw my phone at my wall due to excitement. what do i say? i've never really done this before. i simply decide to text "hello! this is elisabeth from the coffee shop" quite simple but what else is there to say. i instantly get a reply back. "hi liz! i'm glad you were able to read my handwriting" liz. she called me liz. my heart is pounding out of my chest now. the effect this woman has on me is unreal. we've talked for the first time today, but it feels as if we've been friends forever. there's this small tension between us when we talk, but i assume that it's because we're interested in each other. i hope so at least. i mean she gave me her number, so that has to say something. i've been doing so much thinking that i haven't replied to her yet. as soon as i go to reach for my phone again i receive another text. cup pong. i start laughing, it's my favourite game. i'm not very good, but i have my moments. "game on" i send back. she replies with a laughing emoji. for the next few hours, we just send each other games back and forth. near 2 am, she sends a text saying she has to sleep due to the fact that she works on saturday. fair enough. we say our goodnights and both head to sleep. i wake up the next morning with 2 texts from wren. a good morning and another one explaining that she'll be inactive during the day. i simply reply with an "ok!" and "have a good day" i make myself some coffee while daydreaming about the next time i'll see her. the next few weeks pass and we continue to text and meet up every friday. i don't even bother bringing a book anymore. we both get there at 7:15pm and chat until closing, which is at 10:00pm. before we get to part ways on this chilly night, she asks me if i have any plans tomorrow. thankfully i did not, so that's what i say. "do you wanna go on a date?" she asks.  it takes all of the strength in my body to stop myself from jumping around. i obviously agree and we quickly make plans. "ill text you the details" she says, and we both head home. the plan is to simply watch movies in her apartment. alone. i will be alone with her. in her apartment. reality hits me, holy shit. a wave of panic flows through my body. what do i wear? what if i talk too much? do i bring snacks? are we gonna kiss? are we gonna end up having sex? hundreds of questions are going through my mind as i try to fall asleep. it's not until 1 am that i'm able to rest. we agreed to meet at 2pm, so that we could spend all afternoon and evening watching movies. strangely enough we live quite near, it's  just a 2 minute walk from the cafe to her apartment complex. my heart is pounding and i'm very anxious. as usual. not even 10 seconds after i ring the doorbell the door swings open. a smiling wren is standing in the doorframe. "you made it!" she nearly yells. i let out a small chuckle and she walks me to the couch, where we will watch the movies. there's a bunch of snack laying on the table in front of us. thank god, because i didn't bring anything. we quickly pick a movie to watch and get comfy on the couch. a few minutes in, i can feel her arm moving behind my waist. her hand grabs my side and she gently pulls me towards her. i feel my cheeks getting hot. she obviously notices and grins. i'm so embarrassed that i cannot look away from the tv. further in, she lays her head on my shoulder. i can feel her breathing on me. if i move my head just a little bit to the left, i'm sure that there's barely 2 inches between our lips. i'm sitting as still as a statue. not because i'm uncomfortable, but because i'm nervous. my mind wanders off and i start to think about how her lips would feel on mine. how the warmth of her hand would feel like on my cheeks. those thoughts alone are enough to make my face turn bright red. she turns to me and asks "what are you thinking about" i accidentally look down at her lips, and she obviously notices. she lets out a small chuckle and uses her pointer finger to lift up my head. we make eye contact for a second and i swear, my heart drops. she tilts her head and goes in for a kiss. her lips are soft and warm, and i can feel her hand around my waist. and that's how it began, how i fell in love in october.