Coffee Scented Kisses

Chapter 2

I collapse onto my bed; the soft sheets feeling good on my dry skin. I close my eyes and concentrate on the bustle of noise outside, slowly drifting into the abyss of sleep. When I wake, all is quiet and it is very dark outside. I lean over and check the time on my phone, the light burns my eyes. 4:34am the number shines brightly on the screen but as I click the side of my phone it fades. I stand; too late to sleep, too early to have the will to move. So I lay in the silence for a bit, before reaching up and turning on my light.

The light shows off my dull room; everything in it is white or grey. A small desk, a few windows dotted about, some plain shelves, plain wall. I start to pack away my things and hang a few pictures and a large; empty cork board on the wall. My room still looks boring. It’s not a bad room though – at least I don’t have to share a toilet or take the risk of having some annoying, noisy roommate. I’m not sure I could deal with that.

It’s a little past 5am when I finish and decide to change my clothes from the old jeans and t-shirt I had come here in. Dress to impress I tell myself; and change into some long, woolly socks and a white lace dress, I then brush my hair as well as it will be brushed and do my makeup simply. Please let me make some friends is all I can think.

By 6am I am tired again. My eyes are heavy and coated in sleep, I drag myself out my door and through campus like a zombie, the small coffee shop being my only salvation.

It’s called ‘A whole latte love’ the pun makes me chuckle, despite how bad it is.

I push open the door and smile at the sound of the ding as I enter.  A few students with laptop sit around, typing furiously.

At the counter is a purple haired girl with 5 piercings on each ear and one going through the centre of her nose. 

I approach the desk slowly and smile awkwardly at her; she had a very pretty face but wore thick, black makeup. I also notice she had LOADS of tattoos on her arm. Living in Lillington a girl dressed like this was very strange to see.

‘Skinny Latte please’ I say, delving my hand into my bag and searching blindly around for my purse.

‘Small, medium or large?’ She asks me, smiling at me; her perfect white teeth showing. I glance at the clock above her head.

‘Make it a large’ I say.

‘Are you new on campus?’ She questions me, beginning to make my drink.

‘Yes, arrived yesterday. You?’ She looked about a year older than me and would have had to been here a while.

‘A week ago’ this surprises me. ‘I only got the job here because my sister’s boyfriend owns the joint’ she laughs. ‘What are you taking?’

‘Literature’ I smile.

‘No way! Me too!’ She hands me my coffee ‘I’ll see you there then’ I smile and leave.

Maybe making friends wouldn’t be too hard after all…