Lose Yourself

1. White Hot Chocolate

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that every attractive male who steps into the coffee shop on Sunshine Terrace must be keen on its resident barista."

The barista in question, a blonde haired, blue eyed girl with an Australian accent chuckled a little at this bold statement.

"Okay, first of all, you read far too much Jane Austen for your own good, and secondly, no."

"No?" Asked her brunette friend, turning from wiping down the countertop to look at her in disappointment.

"No," the blonde affirmed, rolling her eyes with a smile. "I don't have your confidence anyway, Lia. I can't chat up guys like you can."

"Don't see it as that then," Lia suggested, speaking as one who was a veteran in these affairs. "Just be friendly, say hi to everyone. That'll help you to overcome your shyness."

"If you say so," the blonde smiled at her friend.

Jordyn had been the barista at her local coffee shop ever since it had been her local coffee shop. She had arrived from Australia two years prior as an international student at the same university as Aaliyah (Lia for short.) During the time they'd known each other a warm friendship had sprung up between the two, helped on by the fact that they shared a shift at the coffee shop on Sunshine Terrace - the former as a barista, the latter as a waitress and cashier. They were strikingly different personalities - Lia was definitely the more confident of the two, and she never quite understood how someone so quiet and unsure of herself as Jord could have found the courage to pack up and move to the other side of the world to study. From Jordyn's point of view, Lia was eccentric, witty, and bordering on the wrong side of insanity, and she sometimes struggled to appreciate the quiet moments of life. However, the two loved each other dearly, for all their quirks, and Lia was the closest friend that Jordyn had in all of the United Kingdom.

"You know," said Jordyn, as she took up a cloth to give the coffee machine a much needed wipe down. "You still haven't introduced me to your boyfriend. When's that gonna happen?"

"I don't know, some time soon, I hope," she said. "He's always so busy that I barely get to see him either."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Asked the Australian. "If I was dating someone I'd want to be able to spend as much time with them as possible."

"I think that's the same with everyone, but sometimes it's not always realistic," sighed Lia, breaking off as another customer entered the shop.

"Hi Mrs Pierce, how are you today?" Lia smiled at the old lady, who was a regular.

"Same old, same old," the grey haired woman beamed at Lia, and Jordyn chuckled to herself. Old ladies loved Lia, they always did. "And there's your beautiful barista, how are you dear?"

"Good thanks," Jordyn smiled at her.

"Usual?" Asked Lia, already keying in Mrs Pierce's order. The lady nodded, before the two settled into a steady flow of conversation. Jord tuned them out, humming peacefully to herself as she began on the order - a skinny flat white in a mug. Jordyn always found it amusing how people's choice in coffee matched their characters perfectly. Mrs Pierce liked to live simply, she wore plain clothes and was very blunt in her view of the world. At the same time, however, she was open and honest, and kind hearted.

"I'm a little early today, I guess the afternoon rush hasn't begun yet?" Mrs Pierce was saying, as Jordyn passed her mug over the bench to her. She always enjoyed finishing it off before leaving, and never took a takeaway mug.

"Give it about ten minutes and it will start," Lia said.

Jordyn knew she was right. The mid to late afternoons were always the busiest. People from all walks of life loved the coffee shop on Sunshine Terrace, and people were always in and out. For Jordyn, it was a little stressful. It got so loud inside the building, and the bell at the front door seemed to chime almost constantly. Lia thrived on it, as the brunette bounced from one table to another delivering cups and plates, taking orders at the counter, and passing them on to Jordyn. Whenever the demand for hot drinks dwindled, Jordyn would have to step up and take orders to help her out, a job which she particularly disliked, but she did it to help her friend.