Chai Tea

The one where they meet

Shai Jamie sat silently at her table with a Styrofoam cup cradled between her hands. The Chai tent was practically empty if you didn't count the very obviously drunk teenager leaning against the makeshift log table top.

She could hear the music booming from all sides, some reggae, some jazz but mostly pop. Shai hated pop music with a passion. Maybe because it was so boring, or maybe because it represented the type of people she tried so adamantly to ignore; the Nike wearing, skinny jeaned little perfect wannabeas with golden hair and white smiles. Shai had never owned a pair of Nikes.

It was late, twelve twenty six to be exact but no one was sleeping. Who the fuck sleeps at a festival? She had been with a group of friends but they had ditched her to get high in some Ska tent a while back. She didn't mind being alone but it was cold that night and Shai wanted someone to cuddle up to. Shai didn't do relationships. Not that she didn't want to, but every man who had ever been interested had fake smiles and perfect faces; the epitome of dull in her opinion.

She looked up as another body entered the small tent. He was average height, wearing a checkered shirt and grey jeans. Shai was instantly attracted to this strange figure with sunburnt hair and tattoos crawling up his arms.

He ordered a drink from the dreadlocked worker who seemed transfixed by this strange man. Maybe she thought he was hot too. Shai kept watching even as he turned around, eyes scanning the tent, passing over her, scanning again and then landing back to meet Shai's still watchful ones. She smiled as he looked at her and he smiled back. Moments later he was situated on the cushion opposite her and Shai finally realized who this gorgeous man was: Ed Sheeran.

"I'm Ed." He smiled and held out his hand. Shai took it and was gripped in warmth instantly, "Shai, pleasure to meet you."

"Can I ask why you aren't raving like the thousands of others at this festival?" He questioned as he sipped his steaming Chai whilst lying comfortably back on the cushions.

"I don't rave, I fly."

His eyebrow quirked up above his Chai. Shai could see a hint of a smile behind his cup, "In what sense?"

"The sense that when I dance I don't bop like a bobble head. I fly, or at least it feels like I do."

He leant forward and propped his elbow on the wooden stump "sounds interesting, you must show me some time... So, let me rephrase my question. Why are you not flying at this moment?"

Shai sipped her own Chai and thought for a moment. Why was she not with her friends messing around and getting drunk? It was a kind of sixth sense. She didn't need to today. She was simply going to follow her intuition that moment and being drunk or high wouldn't help her. Or if it did she wouldn't remember what happened the next day.

"Because it's fucking freezing outside."

As they laughed together Shai couldn't help liking Ed more and more. He was so normal. "And you? Why is an international singing sensation hiding in a Chai tent when he could be shagging three willing girls at once."

"Threesomes are overrated. I was craving Chai. I think I got more than that though."

"Oh, cinnamon and Chai?" Shai mocked.

Ed winked and laughed some more. He liked this strange girl.