Coffee Shop Encounters

♨Mystery Boy♨

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I was starting to get use to the sound of the leaking faucet in the back of Spill The Beans. At first, you couldn't really hear it, but on days when work was slow, the sound was all that echoed through the shop.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Okay, maybe not.

I massaged my temples as I leaned over with my elbows on the cashier desk.

The rain pounded against the walls of the already worn out coffee shop. This place had been my childhood and I intended on making it stay running for as long as possible.

And before you can start assuming,

No, this was not a family generation thing passed on to the next and that I'd die to keep it alive. It's just a small cozy shop that I always visited when I was younger. My dad had introduced it to me once I was around 12 years old, when he'd come to get some relaxing vibes after a writer's block.

I think even the owner, the wise Earl Alfredo, was a little freaked out about how much I cared for this place. But being serious, what else do you expect? I wasn't just going to go away and never turn back. This place held all the positivity in my childhood, and there is no way I'm going to let it go so easily.

I looked up only to catch the familiar brown eyes and happy aura of my best friend.

"Heyooo it's Ricoo," She yelled as she entered. Her bright summer dress contrasted against the navy blue walls of the shop, making her stand out even more as she bobbed in, her naturally dark curls bouncing along.

It was often that she wore clothes like these. She always wore bright summer clothing even if it was raining. It was crazy, really but everyone has their own way to express themselves, and color was hers.You could spot her in a crowd so easily it was almost impossible to lose her sometimes. I guess, it's a good thing.

If it wasn't any more obvious, Alyssa was my closest friend in this run down town. It was just the two of us that managed to stick together in the same neighbourhood for our whole lives, as new people filled in and the rest left.

"Really Alyssa, Hannah Montana, really?" I give her a questioning look. She must've watched a re-run last night, the old-fashioned habit she never dropped.

"Yeah Ze, get with the throwback thursday vibe!" I roll my eyes as she skips around, extremely hyper.

"Today's Friday, Alyssa." She immediately stops to glare.

"Just go with it, Zoella." I shake my head as she puts the same kind of emphasis on my name just like I had done with hers.

She chuckles as she walks towards me, not before noticing the empty coffee shop.

"Yeah, it's completely empty." I said before she could even question it. This town was weird to the point that the weekends were empty, and weekday mornings were busy.

"And you want-" I realize my question,

"The usual" We both end up saying together. I head over to brew the coffee.

"Obviously, the coffee made as black as your heart", she retorted with a wink, as if that would lessen the harsh impact of her words. I put an empty plastic cup on the counter, and turn around to face her.

"Ouch Alyssa That wound me real deep. Right here," I said while pointing to the left side of my chest.

She gives another signature glare, which I was supposed to be taken aback from, until she looked down at my hand.

It happened so suddenly that I wanted to drop to the floor laughing.

Alyssa slapped her palm against her forehand so hard that I had to grip the counter so I wouldn't fall over from laughing too hard. She rubbed her forehead while I laughed my ass off, my watery eyes blurring.

"That's what you get for being a retard!" I choke out laughing harder.

"Shutup Ze, I only face palmed because your heart is on the right side not left. Dumbass."

"It was a joke, Alyssa, a j-o-k-e, and you still face palmed a wee bit too hard huh?"

I turn back around, and fill up the cup. The color of the coffee hitting me with realization.

"Now that I think of it, it's black more like your heart, no?" I responded with an amused look

From the both of us, it was pretty clear that Alyssa wasn't the innocent once. Despite the kindness, the cheery smiles and the colourful clothes, she was the one with all the evil intentions and dark thoughts.

"Remember the time when you-" I continue only for her to start rushing towards me with her hands in front of her, to shut my mouth.

She was about to reply when the bell chimed again and this time, it really hurt my ears. It was as if there was a change in the atmosphere of the shop. The mood suddenly went from playful to dark within a matter of seconds

"One." Aly murmurs, as we're frozen in place. I focused my gaze away from Aly and go towards the ready-coffee.

"Two." She continued, and it felt like those suspense-filled movies.

"Alyssa, what the hell are you doing?" She doesn't respond, and suddenly I want to run back to the counter to see who had entered.

The door swung shut as if someone had just left, allowing a gust of wind to push through.

"Three." I grabbed the brewed coffee impatiently, and headed back to the counter.

Shivers crept down my neck as I looked around the shop searching for anyone new.

Why was it suddenly so cold in here and why isn't Aly responding?

"Hey, uh Aly did you see who entered just now?" I asked, suddenly curious as to who it was.

When I turned back towards her I noticed she had a glazed over look in her eye.

"Earth to Alyssa! HELLO!" I called as I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes and sway the coffee under the nose.

"Huh, yeah what?" She said as she shook her head a couple of times.

"Did you see who entered just now?" I began in a slow voice.

"Oh, you missed him? He just turned around and left. Three seconds. Go out, see him!" She tugs at my sleeve, and I look at her weirdly, before rushing to my feet as she starts rambling.

"Lord, did you see that face? And the way his shirt clung to his chest, oh god," She began.

I laughed slightly at her expression as she was probably replaying the events in her head. She rambled on, faintly in the background as I make the run across the door, already short of breath.

With sweaty hands, I pull hard on the push door, before I immediately understand my stupidity.

"Ze, what the hell, he's gonna be gone!" I blink hard again before I push the door and greet the cold.

The rain came down in sheets as I peered out into the streets beside the shop looking for anyone out of the ordinary.

In the midst of the fog I saw a tall figure walking further away. I sighed, and went back in, humid and disturbed, only to notice Aly was still in dream land consumed by the thoughts of the mystery boy.

"And then he shook his hair and suddenly walked out without even looking up. I didn't even get to see his face!" Aly whined as I narrowed my eyes.

"That took you a good twenty seconds Ze, it was quite obvious he was going to be at a distance by now."

Alyssa took a sip of her coffee and rested on one of the chairs, as I continued cleaning up the place.

According to Aly's math skills, it took her less than twenty seconds to start fangirling and a whole twenty for me to miss him.

The mystery boy.