From You to Me || NozoEli AU

2- Café

Today is my first day back at work. I was given a few weeks off, and the Marble Café was filled with people also enjoying their last days of summer. It was only about a few days until I'd seen Arisa again, and her sister as well.

I had gotten better at brewing coffee and adding flavor. Somehow I had made my way up to being the employee of the month, making food and drinks for the kind customers who went to the shop. I was adding the grounded beans into the machine, occasionally creating latte art for those who paid extra for it.

Mariko-san was guiding me, pouring the creamy white milk into the cup gracefully, and then using a thin "stick" to make those patterns. Mariko-San was kind- she wasn't my friend, but kind just the same. She was twenty-eight years old with a two year old child named Miki. She was requested to be the manager of this new coffee shop, but instead she rejected, only wanting to live her dream job, taste-testing the coffee, making latte art, and just being an expert for this specific drink. She always said it wasn't just a drink, it was an underrated art that no one truly appreciated. She was inspiring- not a friend, because I always felt like she was my second mother, though I never shared much about myself. "My name is Tojo Nozomi, and I am fifteen-and-a-quarter years old," was all I ever told her about myself.

Mariko spoke to me excitedly about Miki. Miki was already singing the entire English alphabet, and she was only two years old. Her father came from America, and she herself was enriched in both Japanese and English. A smart and cute child- she was, I've seen a picture of her that Mariko had sent me. Then Mariko told me she wanted a second child so that Miki wouldn't be alone. Somehow I began to get jealous- a child with a caring mother who was warm and sweet, and me, who was almost left to die. Both parents abandoned me because I was an anchor to their cracking ship, and they threw the anchor to the island shore and sailed away, leaving it to rust in the sandy, hot climate. Luckily, I didn't rust, I was just painted over by the salty water and continued to live. And luckily, I met kind Mariko, who gave me advice and was always helping me out. Luckily, I met Arisa, who was younger than me but kind in many ways. Luckily, luckily, luckily. Perhaps it's not luck. Perhaps it's just fate.

"Nozomi?"

"Huh?" I snapped back from my thoughts, looking up. My heart skipped in my chest, and then it started to beat slower as I realized it was just her who called me.

"Did you see what I've made?" Mariko sets the cup down. It was a pure, leaf-like shape. She then proceeded to sip from it, and showed me the contents. "See, this is a good brew. It does not change the shape of the pattern."

As I looked, the leaf actually looked the same. I lifted an eyebrow. "How?"

"I'll tell you next time," Mariko smiles. "But you wanted to make the lotus, right? I'll show you how."

"Um...okay." I looked at the pattern again, and then I managed in a small whisper, "Mariko, can you show me how to do the leaf again? I didn't quite catch that."

"The leaf? Well, I'll need another brew." Suddenly, another employee called Mariko for help, and she answered with a yell, "Yes, coming!" Then she turned back to me. "Looks like I've got to go. Do your best!" She smiles and leaves, and then someone tapped my shoulder and gave me an order. "A simple dark coffee," she said, "no sugar nor milk or cream"- and I set to working.

I grabbed a clean cup and a small dish, and poured out the rest of the dark liquid left in the pot, setting it on the counter. A girl grabbed the cup, a tender but steady mutter of "thank you," and left. I caught a glimpse of her blonde hair- and immediately was reminded of Arisa. Then, I headed off to make a new potful.

My hands mechanically flew to grab the ingredients, the grounded beans, a filter, and the small dish. I headed to the brewer and washed the entire machine, then I set the coffee filter inside. I counted the right amount of scoops to put inside the filter, and poured water into the reservoir of the machine. I didn't pause once. My mind was trapped in a flurry of thoughts, but my hands were acting as if they were programmed to work that way. I flicked on the button, and it immediately started to function; the coffee started dripping into the pot. The aroma filled the area, smelling heavenly and delicious.