Scoutin' You

Once Upon a Time...

When Y/N was hired at Roast Me coffee and book shop in Shoreditch during her second year at university, she never thought that she'd still be working there after graduation. Though that's where she wound up spending most of her time. Whether it was the four days a week that she would be working behind the counter serving customers, or when she wasn't working but wanted to go read a book and relax somewhere other than her home. It had become her safe haven away from the hustle and bustle of her life in London.

Walking through the front door of Roast Me, the smell of freshly ground coffee filled your senses, the lighting dimmer than it was outside and the air warm. The far walls of the shop were covered in books. Floor to ceiling bookshelves sat with different genres, different authors and different worlds that so many customers found enticing enough to get lost in them. Y/N was no different to those customers, for she had often found herself sitting on one of the comfier chairs with a mug of steaming coffee after having picked herself a random book from the shelf to read-only putting it down when her boss, Nancy, ushered to get back to work. Should you have asked her how many books she had read in her 24 years on the earth, she wouldn't be able to give you an answer.

The steam that constantly left the coffee makers caused her hair to frizz at the middle and meant that for work she would always have it away from her face. Her hair didn't fend well in humid conditions (to the point where she would look like Monica from Friends when she went to Barbados) and so, the only days where she didn't want her hair tied into a ponytail or bun on top of her head were the ones where she wasn't working but going to have herself a relaxing afternoon. Nancy hadn't put a uniform in place for the shop, for they had aprons with the logo on that everyone had to wear. So, Y/N's normal outfit for work would be skinny black jeans with a comfy tee, and always Vans adorning her feet.

"So, that's one pot of tea with four packets of sugar and two apple slices." Y/N lifted the tray which held the teapot and cake and moved it toward the front of the counter where one of her favourite customers stood. "Would you like me to carry it to the table for you?"

The older lady who stood in front of the counter smiled at her, showing off her teeth and letting the wrinkles upon her skin grow deeper around her eyes. Y/N was always intrigued when older people came by the shop, forever finding herself wanting to learn about them and their stories. She found it so incredibly fascinating to sit and listen to the experiences that people have had and how they have shaped them as a person. Over the years she had learnt so much about Rosemary and her husband that she had adopted them as her honorary grandparents.

"Please, dear. Did you make the apple cake today?" She handed the £7.89 she owed for the cake and tea and watched intently as the younger girl placed it in the till and shut the drawer with a content sigh.

"I did, Rosemary. Made it fresh just for you, my love."

She was always baking. Whether that be cookies, cakes, cupcakes or brownies, there was rarely a time where she wasn't covered in flour or icing sugar. Though her favourite thing to bake-which was also one of the coffee shop's most popular item-was her apple cake with a caramelised crust served with a small pot of cream to pour over the top.

"Ooh, you're an angel. I know for a fact that if you made it then it'll taste amazing, as per."

"You're too sweet, Rosemary. Come on, let's get you to your table before your tea gets too cold." Y/N followed the older woman to the table in which she had sat at with her husband when she had first entered the premises only 10 minutes prior. "Morning, Todrick."

Rosemary's husband smiled toward her with his hand reaching out to grab hers, bringing it to his lips to kiss lightly. For some reason she had been drawn to the older couple the first time she had met them, continuously asking them questions about their days, which slowly turned into finding out about their lives and she soon felt as though she knew them perfectly. It was almost as though they were her grandparents with how much she loved them, and how much they adored her.