Chances

FIRST

THE CLATTERING OF mugs and cutlery is already a constant In Corinne Hudson's everyday life. Different costumers with different facial expressions, all approaching her to take their orders. Some of them would give her a word of thanks, some of them barely even giving her a second glance. Its life, and Corinne has grown used to it. After all, she has been working in this coffee shop ever since she started attending NYU. It's her own form of constant.

     By the counter, her friend Jonas is patiently waiting for every costumer's order. Enduring the long silence as they look up at the menu and ignore the chalkboard menu specials Corinne and Jonas spends hours and hours trying to perfect. They share a quick smile, and then Corinne goes back to mixing a half cup of soy milk with chai tea.

     Their coffee shop is no Starbucks, by any means. It's just a small, humble shop run by a nice family who helps out college students in need of funding. Its walls are lined with different cut-outs of comic books, all intricately placed in their spots, forming a huge collage filled with text bubbles and vibrant drawings.

     Corinne loves looking at these comic panels whenever there are no costumers. She and Jonas would read aloud to each and every panel they could lay their eyes on. It's her definition of peace and quiet. As lame as it may seem, she never gets bored during her long shifts in Constantine's. There's always something for her to do, and the place offers her comfort.

     The last of the costumers leaves through the front doors, the wind chimes ringing in their random yet melodious movement as they collide against each other. Corinne exhales and leans against the counter where the equipment are placed.

     "Well I guess that's the last of it." She shrugs, and a smile follows, directed towards her friend who's busy checking his phone.

     "Not quite. Look whose coming."

     As if on cue, the door opens and in comes the guy she knows far too well. His dark curls still looks the same from when she last saw him (which was three months ago), she suspects that he maintains the appearance of his hair. His dark skin has always been a familiar sight for Corinne, always catching a glimpse of it in social media, whenever he stops over, whenever she somehow finds her way to the Architecture Building of NYU.

     Clark Reed still looks as stunning as ever. With his tall stature and confident composure, he's definitely a head-turner. Corinne doesn't really keep up with gossip that much, but word in NYU is that he's finally getting an internship in one of the biggest architectural companies in New York, and that's one of the main reasons as to how the girls of NYU had gone crazier for him.

     A bitter laugh almost comes out of her mouth, but Corinne manages to stop it in time. She puts on one of her welcoming smiles, often used with costumers willing to buy whatever from the shop.

     "Welcome to Constantine's, what can we get for you?" She chirps, though it's a little exaggerated.

     He runs his hand through his hair, and Corinne stares at him – waiting patiently for his order. "No need for technicalities, Corinne, you know that."

     A smile tugs on the corners of her mouth, "oh, Clark. You know it's a requirement on my part, right?"

     "Still, you know better than to play your cheerful barista act on me. I know you too well."

     "That you do, Clark." Her smile fades into a smaller, yet even more genuine one. Corinne ignores the way her heart skips a beat when his eyes meet hers, and when he flashes her his set of pearly whites. She's supposed to be working, not mooning over the guy who rejected her back in high school.