once upon a coffee house >> jiley shortstory

all her sunshine is gone.

❝this place is in my heart,
it's part of who i am.
once upon a coffee house,
a lovely girl once said.❞

One year later, Riley and James are everyone's favourite couple.

They are sweet to each other and loving, and they fit together like two perfect puzzle pieces.

It is on a dark, cloudy evening in October when James chaps his piece in a way that doesn't allow him to fit to Riley's anymore.

They are at his place, watching a movie, their voices only quiet whispers to not disturb the characters that move on screen.

"You know," James says, his hand absentmindedly playing with Rileys hair, "There is an opening as a dance instructor at the studio"

She shifts a little to be able to look at him, both her eyebrows raised. "So?" She wants to know.

James shrugs. He doesn't want to answer, but her gaze is fixated on him now, and it's burning holes into his face. "Well, you can't stay at the coffee house forever"

Riley frees herself from his arms and hands to sit up straight. "And why is that?"

"Because it's a coffee house, Riley," James is trying to keep a calm voice. He doesn't want to fight, she knows that, but then he should've kept his mouth shut.

"What are you trying to tell me, James?" Riley's voice is venomous, and now she is standing in front of him.

"I'm trying to tell you that you can't be a waitress at a coffee house forever, Riley. You can do so much better, if you were just a little ambitious" He raises his hands, his face shows that he is at a loss of words.

So is Riley. She can feel her throat closing up when his words are proceeded by her brain, and there are tears burning in her eyes. "You know how much that place means to me!"

Her voice is full of accusations - she can't believe that her own boyfriend is this insensitive.

"Yes, I know, and we can still go there every day, if that's what you want, but it's no way to spend your life!"

"And since when is that your decision to make?"

Both of them have been screaming up to now, and the silence that follows is like a deep cut into Rileys heart.

She hurries out of the living room, puts on her shoes and grabs her jacket.

James is following close behind her, trying to persuade her to stay, but she can't even hear him.

When James tries to grab her wrist, Riley almost punches him in the face.

Her glare is so deadly that he immediately lets go. "Please, Riley, let's talk about this," he tries one last time, but she is already gone.

***

Riley spends three days at home, crying over her failed relationship and her asshole boyfriend, all the while ignoring all his attempts to apologise, before finally realising that she has to keep moving, keep living.

It's hard on her. When she goes back to work, she is pale and tired, and all her sunshine is gone.

She can see people worrying, but no one knows what to do about it. How do you cheer up a person only known for being happy and friendly?

Two whole weeks go by, and Riley feels like she is moving, but not moving on.

Waking up is getting harder, and not even the coffee house can mend the wound in her heart.

She had put all her faith in her relationship with James, and their sudden fail was too surprising to be handled well.

Riley tries to be strong, but waking up is getting harder.

***

It's a rainy Friday evening when he comes back. Open mic night.

When he enters the coffee house she is busy cleaning dishes; she doesn't see him, because if she had, she would've asked someone to throw him out.

He waits in a corner, quietly observing her; she is living, but what more can he say of the pale ghost that once was his Riley?

James waits until the woman on stage has finished her song. Then, he takes her place.

"Hello," he says, and his voice is careful and quickly losing courage.

At first, she thinks she is hallucinating - then, her eyes find the stage, and there he is.

He is tall, but skinnier than she remembers him, and he has black hair and dark eyes, circled by shadows that make him look tired. He can't stand still, stepping from one foot to the other constantly.

"I'm James," he introduces himself, and it's awkward, shy. The whole coffee house is staring at him, and he seems to be quite aware of that.

"I screwed up; I hurt my girlfriends feelings, and I've come to apologise"

Riley crosses her arms in front of her chest. She can feel tears burning in her eyes, but she is trying hard to blink them away.

"Riley," James says, and he doesn't look brave, or strong, or confident, like he used to. He just looks... scared, "I wrote you a poem"

He clears his throat, and then he starts talking.

❝Once upon a coffee house,
A home for everyone
Once upon a coffee house,
I think I'm falling in love

There is sunshine in her smile
And warmth in all her laughter
There is something beautiful
In everything about her

I lost sight of all that's little
My hands slowly lost their grip
And I couldn't see the beauty
In all the things she did

This place is in my heart,
It's part of who i am.
Once upon a coffee house,
A lovely girl once said.

My home is here,
she told me,
But I wouldn't understand
Be ambitious, I tried to tell her
And that is why she left

You are in my heart,
You're part of who I am,
Please my love, forgive me
A stupid boy once said.❞

Riley smiles. She likes that he apologised, and she also likes that he is nervous about it.

He is tall, but skinnier than she remembers him, and he has black hair and dark eyes, circled by shadows that make him look tired.

James smiles.

It's a rainy Friday evening when he comes back. Riley likes his smile.