A Coffee With Jake

A Coffee With Jake


Chapter 1

I was nervous to be in New York. There are so many people; a great amount of people I'm sure would kidnap me. I've noticed in the 4 days I've been in New York that time goes faster. I've sat and watched the clock for what seemed like an hour but was actually 25 minutes. I'm lonely here. I have nothing to do. Everyone has their own life to worry about and that's all they care about.

No one has taken a second glance at me in the subway, or in the bakery. I'm a nobody to everyone but myself. My anxiety gets the best of me half the time. I'll see someone staring at me then look away and I'll think they were trying to get in my pants... or kidnap me.

Since I was 12 I've had a harder life then I ever expected. In 6th grade I fell head over heels for a 7th grade boy. He had brown eyes and brown hair, tan skin and a bad reputation. He was a bad boy; always getting into trouble. I never really understood why I liked him as much as I did. He wasn't very attractive and wasn't charming what so ever. It was just his humor that attracted me.

Ever since then my life has changed. I protect my heart with bulletproof glass. I'm very careful with who I pick and choose. I just want to be loved. What's so hard about that? I think I'm a pretty girl... I hope I'm a pretty girl. I think part of my motive to come to New York was to find someone who will love me as much as I love them.

I tried moving on from my 6th grade love by trying to talk to new people. I found a cute guy online. He had the perfect face and the perfect eyes and perfect hair and a lovely smirk. I just wanted him.

I started chatting with him, he was so great to talk to. He made me laugh and I made him laugh but then he started ignoring me. It would take him half an hour to respond to me and it killed me inside. We only talked for a day but I felt like it was years.

I found out nothing about him except what music he likes and what he does every morning. Soon he started not responding at all. I get overly attached so easily. I knew he probably didn't want to talk to me because I was 2 years younger than him. He never told me but I knew from looking in his blog that he was 15 and lived in Pennsylvania.

I just really wanted to relate to him and spend time with him. I lived in Ohio so it would be hard...but I would do it for him.


Chapter 2 -


My apartment was quite. All I could hear was the hum of traffic 15 floors below and the tick of my old, chipped white clock that hung high on the wall. My cat Cobi brushed up against my leg, I smiled. His grey and white fur was soft and warm.

"Your still such a friendly cat for being 10." I pet his head and he purred. I went into my small kitchen walking straight to the window. The sky was a bright blue that was filled with puffy grayish clouds.

I turned to look in the fridge. It was passed down to me from my parents house so it wasn't in the best condition. One of the lightbulbs inside was cracked and one of the shelves was crooked. I kept leftovers on that shelf just incase they fell, it wouldn't be that much of a loss.

I grabbed a box of strawberries, grabbed 3 and put the box back. "Okay Cobi, I'm going out for the day!" I called out. I finished eating my last strawberry and grabbed my purse. It was my favorite purse. It was all brown and had little pieces of fabric hanging off the bottom. My mom even sewed red and blue beads onto the flap of the purse for my 15th birthday when I got the purse.


I swung open my apartment door and locked it behind me. Down the elevator and into the lobby I went. I winked at the doorman because he's been so nice helping me move in. His cheeks blushed and he opened the door for me.


Chapter 4 -

A slow pitter patter of rain fell from the sky as the air got cold and musty. I didn't have my umbrella with me so I ran into the nearest building. I almost dropped one of my shopping bags in a muddy puddle as I dodged a customer coming out of a restaurant.

I looked back to see if he cared that I almost fell over but he was running to his car parked in the street. Just like everyone else... he has his own life.

I grabbed the gold wet handle of my favorite coffee shop. As I swung open the door and ran in, the warm aroma of coffee beans filled the room. That was my favorite smell. I removed my red knit scarf from my neck and draped it over my arm.

I looked for a seat that wasn't taken. This coffee shop was almost always busy and every seat filled. There were only a select number of 2 person tables left. I found a seat next to the front window so I could watch the rain. I set my bags and scarf down on the slightly warm metal chair and got in line.

I practiced my order in my head ' I would like a medium banana chocolate smoothie please.' I fingered the tassels on my purse as I was next in line. I smelled a whiff of cologne from the costumer that walked in the door behind me. It smelled like spice with a hint of fresh air.

"Miss, can I help you?" questioned the older woman behind the counter. I got out of my daze and stepped up to the counter. "I would like a medium banana chocolate smoothie please." I looked at a stack of coupons sitting on the counter as the woman whose name tag said 'Tammy' pinned in my order.

"That will be $4.25, and can I have your name please?" I pulled the exact change out of my purse and handed it to her. My heart was beating hard trying to remember what else she had asked me. Then it popped into my head, "My name's Emily."

Tammy smiled at me then motioned for me to go back to my seat. The NYC (New York Coffee) always brought you your drink. It always fun seeing if they remember who you were or not.

As I say back in my seat I rummaged through my shopping bag and found a pair of silver dangly earrings I bought. I pulled them out of the plastic container they were in and sloped them into my ears. I played with one as I traced a coffee stain on the table with my other hand.


Chapter 5 -

I sipped my smoothie and scrolled through my old text messages on my iPhone. The smoothie made my taste buds burst with flavor, the banana and the chocolate mixed together just perfectly. I put my phone back in my purse and tuned into the conversation the man who was in line behind me was having with Tammy.

The man had light brown hair and I could tell the tips were a dark green. That was so familiar to me somehow. "Can I have your name?" laughed Tammy. "It's Jake."

I furrowed my brow as I was suddenly intrigued as to how I knew this 'Jake'. Had I seen him here before? Does he live in my apartment complex? I couldn't find how I knew him.

I rested my chin on my hand and sipped my smoothie out of the other. The rain outside settled down as I watched a single rain drop make a path all the way down the large front window. Window paint that used to say 'New Pumpkin Latte' dripped down the window and washed away on the ground.

As I looked back up, Jake was moving across the room to sit at the table across from me. He glanced at me then smirked. Right then and there I knew who he was and how I knew him.

I had wanted him for a long time since I talked to him online in 7th grade. I hadn't forgotten those ocean grey eyes or the way you talked so easily to people, like Tammy at the front counter. It was all so clear now as to how I knew you.

Now the only thing I worried about was if you remembered me. I wanted so badly to lean across my table and tap your shoulder... but I knew you probably wouldn't bother to turn around.

I looked back out the window, thoughts rushing through my mind about you. Memories of us talking only that one time because I was never brave enough to message you again. "Shit." I said as I slammed my smoothie cup onto the table. Most everyone had headphones in or glanced over then back to what they were doing. I noticed that Jake jumped a little then quickly jerked his head to look at me.

We met eyes for just a quick moment. The memories flooded my mind. I cried so many times looking at your picture and listened to every possible song you liked. Thunder crashed outside and another sheet of rain poured down.

Tears welled in my eyes. I knew you. I wanted you. I needed you but you ignored me. Finally my thoughts consumed me and I couldn't hold it in any longer, "Jake?" He slowly turned around with an awkward smile on his face.

"Yes?" he said questionably. "Hi, um... it's Emily." He held my glance but creased his brow. "We talked once, I really liked your blog." I said with a tweak of embarrassment in my voice.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I know you." Jake turned back around and sipped his coffee.

"Oh, ok... sorry to bother you then." His words broke me. I grabbed onto my smoothie tightly making the lid pop off the top. I was done anyway so I got up and threw it out. As I walked past Jake again he glanced up and I could smell his spicy cologne.

He looked at his phone then back up at me a few quick times. I got back to my seat and I could tell he was thinking about something. He sat straight up and wasn't moving.

He quickly turned around this time and I pretended to watch the passerby's out the condensed window. "Emily? You have a blog right?" Jake said, after reading off my tumblr name on his phone.

I turned my head and smiled, "Yea?"

A smirk sprung across his face. "I kind of remember you talking with me for a little while. Didn't you tell me you liked my blog?"

I smiled even bigger and pinched my leg under the table just to make sure I wasn't dreaming "I'm surprised you remembered my URL. We talked for a little bit but..."

"But what?" Jake said.

"Oh nothing." I responded, looking down at my combat boots.
"I see you dyed your hair dark green like you wanted." I whispered shyly. He laughed and shook his head 'yes'.

"Did I tell you about that?" Jake chuckled. I shook my head 'yes'. The smile on my face quickly faded and I looked back down at my combat boots. He didn't remember what we talked about. Of course... why would he? I was probably one of the many girls that's ever messages him. I'm just a nobody. Leave it to me to still remember a conversation I had when I was 13. Jake obviously didn't care about it.

A whiff of a cinnamon latte flew through the air and an old woman walked in the front door. This was my only chance to talk to Jake again, what was I doing people watching?

Jake had turned back around. "Jake?"
He turned around rolling his eyes but put on a smile when he turned fully toward me. "Yes?"

I started doubting my idea but I knew if I ever wanted to see him again I would have to speak up. I pushed my finished smoothie to the side and leaned forward. "We should talk again sometime." I added a smirk at the end.

Jake looked down and smiled but looked back up. I followed his finger as he pointed outside of the rain covered window. A tall blonde woman, much prettier than I was came walking up to the door to the coffee shop. "Oh, sorry." I quickly got up, pushed past the woman coming in the door and three my smoothie cup into the trash can outside as hard as I could.

"Why do I have to screw up all the time?" I whispered to myself in anger. I turned around toward NYC one last time. Jake was looking out the window at me as his girlfriend talked and constantly sipped her drink. The rain was soaking me but I didn't care. I couldn't tell through the rain soaked window if he sighed or laughed... I hope he sighed.