She's With Me

Butterflies

The following few days passed by very quickly for Evie. Before she knew it, Tuesday had arrived and she was standing out in the parking lot of this small coffee shop that Josh had sent her the address of days ago. Everything up until now felt like a blur. Days had run into one another and at work she'd gone into autopilot just daydreaming of what Tuesday would be like. Still, there was that nagging itch in the back of her mind that continued to give her anxiety. Had she really agreed to just meet him like this? Meet some stranger off the internet? It felt so out of character for herself. Evie always always stayed on the cautious side when it came to dating. It probably didn't help that she watched so much true crime that kept her constantly anxious.

Yet, here she was. In the parking lot. She checks her phone once more to re-read the text from Josh just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her palms were very sweaty now.

"I'll be in the upstairs area of the cafe. Order some coffee, take your time!"

He was really here. She couldn't turn back now. Evie tucks the phone back into her bag and exhales a sharp breath. "I got this." She reassures herself under her breath and though every part of her was screaming not to do so, she starts to walk towards the cafe's entrance. A big glass door was waiting for her at the front of the building which she confidently tugged open. It was called Mellow's, the name of it was hanging from one of those old time-y wooden signs attached to the roof that swung in the breeze. She had heard of the place opening up a few years ago in passing while browsing social media. Coffee shops sprung up all over Nashville but she remembered that there was something a little different about this one. They made coffee like usual but also had a selection of brews made with ground mushrooms.

Stepping inside, she's greeted with the heavy scent of coffee that is likened to her local Starbucks. Instead of the relaxed modern cafe theme she was used too though, the place was more akin to a plant shop with mushroom themed decor. There were plants hanging from everywhere with vines crawling down the unoccupied walls. Art pieces of all mediums filled up the rest, paintings, masks, and a few woven blankets. Though each piece had something pertaining to mushrooms hiding in it. Each table had a small mushroom shaped light in the middle that glowed ever so faintly, flickering almost. It was beautiful. Almost like the way she wanted her bedroom to look. Her eyes scanned to the upstairs area which was just above the counter, the entrance to it being a wooden staircase that started behind the condiment counter.

"Hi!" A cheerful voice brought Evie back to the world where she realized she was just standing in the middle of the store jaw agape with an open space in front of the counter and her. A male employee was standing there, waiting for her to move forward. His face was both welcoming but he looked a little concerned too. Evie feels her face warm up. "I-I'm sorry, I haven't um— been here before. It's very pretty." She explained, taking a few steps forward to the counter. The guy chuckled, "It's okay. Thank you, though. We try to keep it pleasantly green here if we can help it. You said it was your first time, right?"

"Yes, I'm um... meeting a friend." Evie replied bashfully. Friend was a... good way to put it. "Well I'd be happy to walk you through some of the flavors if you'd since it's your first time. We do serve regular coffee as well as some select teas but we do have a special ground here that includes mushrooms as well that some of our newcomers tend to enjoy," the guy explained, "It's kind of our specialty."

Evie glances up to the menu and reads it over briefly. Did she feel adventurous today? That was a dumb, rhetorical question. Obviously she was already being adventurous by stepping out of her regular comfort zone but the bigger question was... did she feel extra adventurous? Evie wrinkles her nose a bit, "I think... I might just stick with a regular coffee today if that's alright. Just a dark roast with some cream."