Coffee & Cigarettes

☕ coffee ☕

✨Rosie

She watched him carefully over the edge of her book as he was wiping the counter with great focus on the surface of the wooden bar.

She didn't intend to, it just happened naturally. Rosie had visited the tiny café at least a hundred times after the first time she discovered it and with the place came Finn as if he was a part of it and its magic. She grew to love his lattes and the extra cream he was adding to them. He created tiny little figures and stunning coffee art and since she went to Whittaker Ave to get her coffee it never looked the same. One may say that coffee wasn't supposed to look nice and the most important thing about it was the taste rather than its looks but Rosie loved the little shapes or leaves Finn created for her. She felt like he did it solely for her which could've been a huge exaggeration but he made her feel special with his little gestures and more often than not they were the only reason for her to smile.

She went to the coffeeshop whenever she felt most alone or her countless attempts of finding a new apartment left her hopeless and anxious. After all Rupert allowed her to stay until the end of the month... The place became Rosies safe haven. She went there to read or write and the afternoons she spent sitting in the booth by the window went by peaceful.

It was like everything happened in this tiny coffeeshop at the corner of the street. Everything and nothing. She couldn't help but think while life was rushing out on the busy streets that inside time stood still sometimes or at least moved slower. Or maybe it was just her. Maybe Rosie moved slower than everyone else. But there was this boy. This strange boy that moved slow like her. At least his fingers did, that held the coffee cup while he bent down over it with a concentrated expression on his face.

On this particular day Rosie was struggling with the words. She sat in front of her little notebook and stared at the blank page until the lines grew hazy before her eyes. So instead of writing something she secretly watched Finn that bounced up and down the balls of his feet while patiently waiting for a guest to order their beverage. She actually felt embarrassed from spying on him so much but she couldn't help and when he turned his head in her direction she was quick to look away. This odd back and forth went on for weeks now. Weeks that felt like months. She felt like knowing him even though they never exchanged more words than the occasional how are yous and would you like some extra cinnamon on your cream, that makes two pounds fifty, thank you very much, have a nice day.

If Rosie had known that today would be the first day that they would go beyond the superficial civilities maybe she wouldn't have stared at him this intense. But she didn't and she stared at him, stared at her notebook. Stared out of the window until a slight cough made her jump.

"'Scuse me.", Finn smiled at her to which she stared into her glass expecting it to be empty already. He always came to her table when he noticed her cup was emptied, usually asking her if she wanted a refill. But it wasn't empty and he didn't make an attempt of asking her if he could bring her something. Instead, he was looking at her notebook with an interested expression.

"What are you working on? ...If you don't mind me asking...", he shot her a shy smile and gestured at her pen, that was lying lazily beside the closed book.

She was surprised that he asked but also she felt a wave of affection for him and the way he patiently waited for an answer. But instead of answering she responded with a question.

"How is the weather today?"

Finn furrowed his brows, looking at Rosie in confusion: "I don't know", he turned to the windows to have a better look at the grey mess that was outside. "Cloudy, I suppose?"