How to Be Clean

Lost.

Getting up for work the very next day after said tragedy was the last thing Noah wanted to do.

But work was work.

She had learnt from the past that a good employee would know clearly not to bring forth personal matters into the workplace, and a good employee she would be.

After all, work was pretty much all she had now.

She crawled out of her warm sheets and into the shower, drenching herself in the comfort of the steaming hot water cascading down her skin, feeling slightly better. Nevertheless, she still felt the stinging numbness settling in her body despite the heat. This was going to be a long day.

Pulling on her uniform, which consisted of a basic black shirt and jeans, Noah draped a simple cardigan over herself and grabbed her bag before heading out of the apartment.
-

Work was at a small Tea Café located at the very end of the busy street in the city of Bloomsbury.

Café Amour. Direct translation : Café Love.

How ironic. Working at the café of love when both your love and social lives are a disaster.

" Maybe I should have thought of it this way before applying for a job here, " Noah chuckled grimly.

But Noah did love the café. Having been especially fond of tea since a young age, Noah quickly developed a keen sense of interest and taste in the exotic drink. It was fascinating to her, how simple leaves could produce such a wonderful blend of flavours that captivated your tastebuds.

It was the sole reason why she had halted so abruptly to a stop in the middle of the busy pavement when she first moved to the city, causing the lady walking behind her to stumble and trip, muttering a few unpleasant words while Noah promptly stood there unaware of the scene she had just caused.  

Fascinated by the few dozen metallic tins of seemingly different blends of tea arranged neatly in rows across the transparent windows of the small café, Noah could not help but enter the store.

Stepping into the café, it was as if she was immediately transported into a miniature world of Paris. Well, at least what she envisioned Paris to look like, from the images and photographs she had seen on the web and in travel guides.

The dimly-lit café was covered in chestnut brown and gold wallpaper, with red and white accents all over. Mahogany tables and elegant chairs served as seats and from what she could see, more tins of tea stacked up at the small counter, this time with mini pastries as well as cakes besides the obvious star item of the café.

It wasn't crowded, with only a few teenagers perched behind the cosy interior, perhaps the main reason why Noah was startled when a voice suddenly conjured up behind her.

" Well hello there my dear, can I help you with anything? Would you like to try our new blend of white hibiscus tea? "  Noah swivelled around and came face to face with a woman who looked to be about maybe fifty or sixty of age ; forty-six she gradually came to find out.

Oh how wrong was she.

Caught by surprise for a second and not wanting to reject the kindred-smiling lady, Noah nodded her head. It was tea after all, she wasn't exactly in a rush of any kind, and it was chilly outside. A nice cup of tea would warm her up.

After paying the lady and declining to try their new " Hibiscus Rose Roll " ; that would have been too much hibiscus for the day, Noah sat down in the window seat at the corner of the quaint little café, admiring the lavish rows of tea that was perched right above her.

" You like tea? " Noah looked up to find herself staring blankly at the same lady again as she placed a cup on her table, before regaining her movement and nodding yet again, this time with a small smile on her face.

It was then when Noah asked the lady awkwardly if the café was interested in hiring, and there when she found out her name.

" Flora. Pleased to meet you, you're hired. "

-

Rushing into the café, which was thankfully not packed at the moment, Noah took off her cardigan and left her bag in the small space underneath the cashier before taking a short breather. Man was she late.

" Well hello there sleepy-head, you were supposed to be here just about an hour ago, you're lucky business was slow this morning. Slept late again? " Flora chimed merrily as she walked into the counter, her usual chirpiness present.

In the thirteen months that Noah had gotten to know Flora, she found out that she was never one to blame Noah for her occasional tardiness, which she was highly grateful of.

She had also gotten inevitably close to the older woman, treating her as if she were her own mother, and to Flora, the daughter she never had.

" Yeah, sorry I woke up later than usual, I was just trying to...complete my book, " Noah found herself stumbling on her words.

Lifting an eyebrow, Flora decided that something wasn't quite right, but decided not to probe. Noah would tell her if she wanted to, and that was something she respected.

Opting for a small smile instead, Flora patted Noah gently on the shoulder before retreating into the small room behind the counter to prepare the new batch of cakes that were freshly out of the oven.

Sighing, Noah put on the white apron before settling down at the counter, staring out into the streets which were currently empty. Her gaze unknowingly rested on the first metallic tin on the top shelve at the window, the blend of burgundy rose tea leaves.

Theo's favourite.

Thoughts of Theo promptly filled her mind as she struggled to not let it take over her body. She remembered how he used to tell her that he would someday bring her up to the mountains and valleys and bring back exotic teas. Noah remembered how she used to smile when he mentioned that he would bring her on trips to collect tea leaves from around the world. She remembered how he used to go on and on about the adventures they would have with each other.

Where had that gone to?

What was she going to do without him?

Where was she going to go?

She smiled grimly. Was this how it felt like to be completely and utterly lost? Noah wrapped her head in her arms as she leaned gently against the counter-top.

Again, this was definitely going to be a long day.

-

Hey guys, thank you so much for reading my story! Do feel free to share your thoughts and comment if you'd like! Until the next chapter, have a lovely day my darlings!