The mornings in The Olive Cafe were slow but not in the sense of watching paint dry. Almost like observing waves crash and spread across the sand repetitively. It wasn't dull but it was certainly a repeating process that required patience and maturity.
Ivy Everest was not inexperienced when it came to dealing with difficult customers or making a latte. Her tied-back, dark hair curved around her head in a polite manner, imitating feathers. She was the black swan- noticeable. A small dusting of freckles fallen onto her nose like the way snow would lay. The morning sun brightly shined through the dust-collecting windows, rays caressed Ivy's skin. The café was usually quiet in the mornings, with rushing, working customers who only had time to dip in and out for their daily coffee. But someone irregular appeared.
"Here's your coffee, have a nice day!" Ivy said, handing the man in a suit a scorching hot coffee which was blistering her fingers. Returning to swatting flies away from the cakes that laid on pedestals in their displays, she never noticed the man who approached the counter.
"Good morning," A unique deep voice croaked, like it was the first thing he had said since he woke up.
"Good morning, how can... I help you.. today?" Her voice trails off as she slowly tilted her head up to make eye contact with the tall guy that towered in front of her.
"I'll have a black coffee thanks," A crooked smile stretched across his face, attempting to appear friendly. His hay-like hair drooped onto his shoulders like a tangled mop, against his leather jacket. He wore a necklace with handmade wooden beads, each intricately designed. Ivy just wanted to take it apart and study every individual bead. She smelt the lingering stench of cigarettes laced into his clothes and cheap cologne that melted into his pasty skin. The bristles of his unshaven beard stuck out unevenly, dragging along his jaw. His careless appearance drew Ivy in, how could someone look so unkept but so alluring at the same time?
"Yes- of course," Ivy chirped in a cheery manner, her mood influenced by the sunny weather. He stood still and observed her from behind the shield of the counter- almost like a statue. The café was unusually quiet that day, no regulars. Not another being apart from the mysterious man and Ivy. Watching the coffee drip into the cup, she wondered if he'll become a regular. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't, with the way he was dressed- he was admittedly too cool for such a place.
"Here you go, that will be $2," She smiled, pushing her blistered fingers into the worn buttons of the till.
His hands were also blistered, calluses formed on the tips of his fingers. He hands her a $20 bill.
"Keep the change," He demanded, his voice firm yet gentle. Her shock in such a large tip to a tip at all stopped her ability to process anything at all. Watching him sit himself at a table as she shook her head in disbelief. She wasn't going to refuse it obviously, but his kindness certainly seeped into her brain.Another one of her co-workers walked into the cafe. She had auburn brown hair, tied into a high ponytail that had small plaits flowing from it. Her stride was confident and self-assured, her shoulders thrown back and eyes darting to every corner in the room. Piercings were stuck in every place on her face; eyebrow, lips, nose.
"Hey Ivy, you doing alright?" Eliza asked, chucking her bag onto the side.
Eliza had been Ivy's best friend since she moved to Seattle when she was 13. The pair of them were inseparable, not one was seen without the other. Their bond over music truly entwined them to be musical soulmates; Ivy couldn't see her teenage self being happy if she never had Eliza. Ivy would write and sing, Eliza would shred on her guitar. Making music together was the only activity they desired to do in their ghost town and the reaction to it was positive- so they never stopped.
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don't follow - layne staley
Fanfiction~ "hey I ain't ever coming home," Ivy Everest works part-time at a café while her music career begins to throw her into stardom. She meets Layne Staley, falling in love with his compelling mystery the second he enters the café.