sunflower cafe

o n e

o n e

There's a little shop on a little street in a little town with little people with little lives. This small town was right outside of Birmingham, England. Ollie, the owner of a quaint coffee shop, lived life by a routine.

The crowd in Ollie's cafe, Sunflower Cafe, was surprisingly small for the rainy Monday morning. Generally, the mums in the town would be poking their noses into other mums' business, trying to get their daily dose of gossip, while sipping on a hot cup of coffee. All while the businessmen would be popping their heads in for a steaming cup of energy.

The quiet sound of soft murmurs and shuffling feet filled the small coffee shop. Ollie handed a mug of hot cocoa to a mum with short brown hair which was pulled up into a messy bun. She took the mug and turned toward a child with the same kind and gentle face as the woman. She handed the little girl mug and turned back to Ollie saying thank you as she walked away toward a group of chatting mums and playing children.

The stream of customers coming in was steady for mid-morning, most probably looking for a warm, cozy oasis from the frosty, frigid outside.

...

Ollie glanced up at the clock as she handed a man a to-go cup filled with a steaming latte. Only one more hour until close, she thought to herself. As the flow of customers died down, she grabbed a damp rag and began to wipe down the counters, making closing up the little cafe easier. A few more customers trickled in for about ten minutes and by the time they left only a few old geezers were left. After five minutes of Ollie cleaning tables and chairs, they got up and left a tip for Ollie, which left her alone in the small coffee shop on a small dark street during the cold winter night.

The bell hanging above the door chimed and a familiar voice filled the room saying, "May I have a green tea latte please?"

Ollie turned around and saw a tall, lean, and muscular figure standing in front of the door.

"I'm sorry we close in three minutes," Ollie replied, giggling a little.

She put the rag down and walked over to the coffee machine and began to make a green tea latte for the familiar face who just walked in.

"You have great timing by the way."

As she handed the person the green tea latte, a group of giggling teens waltzed into Ollie's store and walked right up to the till.

"I'll have an americano," the first teen said, practically demanding.

The second teen walked up and ordered in the same rude tone as the other, "I'll have a caramel latte."

"And I will have a peach tea, hot," the last teen said a little more nicely.

"O-Okay," Ollie stammered. "Will these be for here for to go?"

"Here," the second teen stated.

"Okay. That will take a few minutes." Ollie turned and began making the drinks, ignoring the fact that the cafe is set to close within the minute.

The familiar person that had come in earlier sat down at a table, patiently waiting for Ollie while cautiously drinking the green tea latte.

The three teens sat around a table with their steaming drink, and began talking quite loudly. Ollie cleaned off the coffee machine that had been clean moments before, wanting badly for the teens to leave.

Within the next quarter hour the teens were up and out the door, leaving Ollie with a smiling someone.

...

Ollie slowly walked over to the coffee machine, teasing Juniper who was sipping on her latte. She then turned toward the other girl and began walking over to the sofa with a caramel latte she made for herself while the teens were in the cafe.

"How have you been, Ol?" Juniper, asked as she took a larger sip from the scolding hot cup of green tea latte.

"Pretty good I guess. My brother hasn't called me in a while, so that's good. But I know that my feeling good will come and bite me in the butt sooner or later," Ollie sighed as she peered down into a cup filled with the creamy caramel latte.

She sat cross legged next to Juniper on the cushy loveseat that was pushed against a wall in the small cafe. Her head resting upon Juniper's broad shoulders.

"Oh yeah, I know that feeling. Just enjoy the good feelings when they come. Promise me that you won't let your worries get in the way," Juniper said as she gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Ollie's ear. 

"Okay, I promise," Ollie whispered, taking in the warmth from Juniper's hand against her head.

Juniper took her hand away and wrapped it around her once-steaming mug leaving Ollie feeling a little colder than before.

"Hey, Ol?" Juniper said as she looked up from her empty mug.

"Yes?" Ollie picked up her head from her previous position and looked into Juniper's face.

"Can you make me another" She asked with a sweet tone in her voice, holding out her mug.

"I just turned the coffee machine off. Could your timing be any worse?" Ollie replied, suppressing a small laugh.

"Aww, come on!" Juniper pleaded still talking with a sweet tone.

"Fine," Ollie sighed, giving in, walking over to the machine to flick it back on. "How have you been, Juniper."

"Fine, I guess. Morgan broke up with me, so that sort of sucks," Juniper replied nonchalantly, admiring how Ollie is at such ease while she works.

By the time the clock in the small town cafe chimed 9 pm, three and a half hours after close, Juniper had drank three green tea lattes and had eaten two of Ollie's "world famous," according to Juniper, raspberry lemon scones. After five more minutes of chatting Juniper got up and said her goodbyes, disappearing into the cold of the night.

Ollie stood up from the loveseat and finished closing and cleaning the tiny shop. Once she was satisfied with her work she trudged up the stairs into her quaint flat above her quaint store, passing out on her sofa, tired from the long day.

...

She was jolted awake by the sound of her pinging and buzzing phone. She sleepily pressed the answer icon thinking it was the snooze button on her alarm. Her brother's jarring and panicked voice came through the line, frightening Ollie in the wee hours of the night.

j u n i p e r ' s b o n u s

Juniper walked out of the cafe letting the door close behind her. She immediately began to shiver as soon as she was out of the warmth of the shop. She hurried home to her flat that was a few blocks away.

Juniper unlocked the door and pushed it open. The scene that lay before her was nothing out of the unusual. Her roommate, Dolly, was sticking her tongue down a new guys throat in the middle of their living room.

"Hey, Dolly," Juniper said rushing past them and slipping into her room, flopping herself on her bed.

The second her head hit the pillow she fell asleep with a smile on her.