Chance Collisions [DISCONTINUED]

4 // Haven't Met You Yet

Chapter 4

I thought I could brace the cold. Now as I shivered for what seemed to be the tenth time on a bench overlooking a barely occupied playground in a nearby park, I clearly overestimated my abilities to handle such subfreezing temperatures. Yet I made no intention of leaving. Because I was a crazy human being who had the bright idea that maybe being outside on a frigid early morning would stimulate my poor brain cells that have been stuck in writer's block for the past week.

I sighed, watching a breath go up in smoke. Despite my slowly numbing fingers, the spontaneous trip was not entirely a lost cause. I had somewhat managed to scrawl a few new possible routes to tinker with. And as most of the remaining children ditched the swings and slides for heated cars to warmer houses, I decided I was done with the whole "trying to be inspired by December weather all the while avoiding frostbite" for a day. Slinging the bag over a shoulder, I hugged the trench coat tightly before walked towards an all too familiar direction in attempts to find a place to defrost.

Window seats had their pros and cons. They gave you a big clear paneled view of the lives beyond the walled boundaries of Espresso My Heart, but it was hard not to get caught up in playing an invisible third party when another world laid untouched on the screen of a laptop. They're very good sources of natural sunlight as well as for unsuspecting eyes plastering their faces against the glass to steal not so very oblivious glances into the coffee shop. They also happen to be perfect gateways if a sudden zombie apocalypse arose by the barista bar due to their situated locations that provided easy access to the outside streets yet hopping through a soon to be shattered window might not be the safest escape route.

Although there have not been any predicted forecasts of the possibility of a pending death via an army of revived dead corpses, I decided not to take any chances and slid into a wooden booth in the back corner that faced the front of the cafe. It had been a little less than a month since my last visit, but as the atmosphere wrapped around me like a tight embrace, it felt like I never left.

Taking a quick scan of the place, I noticed the lack of Elliot's presence. It certainly hadn't crossed my mind when I arrived (nothing really did at the moment - my thoughts as well as myself were on the brink of freezing), but now that I was here and my memory brought up the barista (and more importantly, the barista's friend), it was the only thing I could think of.

It was a bit of a shame his friend was off duty. With an overwhelming focus on school and Fragile Oblivion as of late, it had completely slipped my mind that I should've came days earlier before November closed its chapter to make way for a new month. I hope Wesley didn't think I had lost interest in seeing him again since I had not reached out sooner because fate didn't do its job in crossing our paths again. Quite the opposite really. I also mentally took note of how crazy my thoughts were sounding about a boy I've barely had any encounters with yet wanted to be in his presence once more.

Still I found myself approaching the girl behind the counter with the purple streaked hair despite the fact that I just told myself to not look desperate. Her face didn't register as familiar to me as I got closer, so I assumed that she was a new one. Granted, most of the recent staff were. It wasn't unusual that the owner cycled through fresh faces seasonally. After coming frequently all four years of college, you would think I would've picked up some understanding of the meaning behind his madness but I haven't. Not that I was really complaining; it was easier to hide an addiction when no one stuck around for more than few months on end.

"Hi welcome to Espresso My Heart where we hope every caffeinated drink we make brings us closer to your heart." She recited with a deadpan look.

"Adeline, where's your enthusiasm?" Someone behind her chuckled, his back turned.

"Fuck off Scott." She rolled her eyes, earning another laugh from the boy currently trying to make some sort of iced beverage.