Hot coffee and cold eyes

It was a late evening; the air around me was soft from the late autumn rain gently falling down on the earth. The trees were dying for the winter as the wind pulled away there jewels. It was a chilly evening so I entered one of the many coffee shops in the main streets of this dimly lit city.  

The walls in the café were a soft brown that went well with the dark wood floors. Posters and old black and withe photographs were hanged and placed around the room. There were shelves and bookcases half full of old books and magazines. There were a few small tables with two chairs on either side of them scattered around the shop and three larger tables with couches surrounding them. The bar was simple and small with a few knickknacks placed next to the napkins, sugar containers and plastic spoons. Next to it was a glass case that was usually filled with baked goods but this time all that was inside were a few leftover gingerbread cookies.  The cahier and bar tender looked up at me waiting for me to order something from the list on the black board in front of the bar. 

I ordered something with chestnut syrup; I remember the smell of old books and coffee making me nostalgic so for whatever reason I wanted chestnuts. I would have paid more attention to what was happening if not for the only other costumer in the coffee shop with me. 

She was sitting at the very back of the room at one of the smaller tables, just behind the bar so I couldn't see her when I first came in. Perhaps it would have been better if I'd never seen her at all. The woman was tall with long legs. Her shoes were off and rested next to her small feet. Her legs were covered by black tights that here ripped and torn at several places. The girl's gentle figure was complimented by the dark brown velvet dress that had red wine stains on it. Her pale hands were bruised and worn. She held a paper cup of black coffee pushing it around the table nervously. Every now and then she'd raise the cup and take a small sip, then put it down again. The woman had dark brown hair; in the dim streets it would have even seemed black. The hair was loose and ended just around her waist.  Her face was well defined,with a sharp chin and a beautiful jaw line. Her lips had light purple lipstick smeared on them that was coming off more with every sip of coffee. Her cheeks had dried black runny mascara on them and her light blue eyes were red at the edges. Her earrings and pendant were laid down on the table in front of her along with a few hair pins. She was looking at them, lost in her memories. I was staring at her for quite a while when she finally looked back at me.

She... she was a frozen dagger ripping right through my heart and everything else that might make me feel.  The sounds in the street slowed and my awareness of the room became foggy, all I could focus on was her and her eyes. The woman knew I was staring at her, when she looked at me she was angry. She sat straight in her small chair like a queen and with all her royal pride she shot me down to my place. Her gaze was one of disgust, disgust of my curious expression, of the way I looked at her without hesitation, of me staring without permission. Her eyes were so clear in what they wanted from me,  to look away and forget her, so cold to any sympathy I might have had and so very beautiful. My own eyes where nothing compared to hers. My horrible look soaked in saddens and her glare was like the earth looking at the heavens. And the heavens were angry.

I wanted to hear her voice. I wanted to know her name. I wanted to hold her bruised hands in mine, but then the cahier called out to me saying my drink was ready. I looked away from the woman with hesitation; I didn't want to lose those eyes.  I wanted to sit down in front of her and listen to her talk, but the earth and the sky were only meant to look at each other from a far. After I paid for the drink and put on the lid I left, but with just one last glance at the sad, worn, beautiful woman with the cold blue eyes. She burnt her tongue drinking the coffee.