Café Click

1

At six, all you could see was orange.

With tears in your eyes, you looked up to see your childhood home up in flames. Your mother and father stood next to you in the grass, looking up at your once beautiful home.

Suddenly you point up to one of the second-story windows. "Caleb!"

Your mother sobbed. "Oh, Caleb! He's stuck in there!"

Your father only hesitated for a second before racing into the burning hot home. You screamed after him, but your mother held you back. Just a second after, the room came crashing down, leaving the home to burn into ashes with nothing left.

At ten, all you could see was red, white, and blue.

It was the middle of the night. Your mother was driving her car with you in the backseat. She was severely drunk, and could barely see the road in front of her. Her phone started ringing somewhere on the passenger floor. She leaned down to get it, crossing the meridian of the road, right into a passing semi.

You were ejected from the vehicle, flying three yards away into the ditch nearby. The driver of the semi was still alive and called 911. Paramedics and police found you quickly after hearing your calls for help- you couldn't get up. You were paralyzed in fear, in severe pain from a head injury.

You were quickly rushed to the hospital and treated for a major concussion. You were told you were now prone to seizures. You couldn't drive a car in the future, or work in certain career fields, like law enforcement.

It was then that they told you- your mother had passed immediately. She was found in a grotesque way- her head was sliced right through the middle of the neck. The steering wheel had come off, spun, and pierced her stomach, pinning her to the driver's seat. You now had to live with your grandmother, an hour away in Los Angeles, California.

At eleven, all you could hear was a constant ringing.

You felt no emotion as your grandmother took her last breath in front of you. She had a heart attack a few days earlier, leaving her unresponsive. The doctors tried to console you, but it was no use- you knew it was the end. It was time to live in an orphanage. It was time to be alone.

You didn't have much time. You were only at your grandmother's home for an hour as you collected your belongings. You forced yourself to hold back tears as Child Protective Service drove you away from the home and to the orphanage you would live at.

You never tried to find another family. It was too late for you to find happiness. You gave up on your dream of becoming an actress or a musician. You got a job as a barista at a local coffee shop and stayed, not bothering to go to college when you finished high school. You got a small apartment and lived there by yourself. Your only friends were your coworkers, who were almost like the family you never had.

Which led you to today. It was an ordinary day- a small handful of customers on a beautiful, sunny, autumn day. You and Dave were working the shift today, which meant you could mess around with each other while no one was around.

"Hey, Dave, can you look downstairs for extra lids?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Dave pretended to walk downstairs behind the counter. You giggled as he reappeared. "Looks like we're out."

"Hey, maybe ride the elevator for straws?"

"I thought we had some already?" He kneeled down behind the counter, then popped back up. "They must be all up here."

"What about taking the escalator to look for some plastic cups?"

"When did we get an escalator?" He slid to the side, and you both started laughing until tears came out of your eyes.

"Uh, I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

You wiped your tears and turned to see a male around your age approaching you. Dave quickly went in back, and you jumped over the counter to the register. "Nope! Sorry, we're usually not that busy, so we tend to mess around."

The man was smiling. "I get it. It's good to have a good laugh sometimes."

"Amen to that. So, what can I get you?"

"I'll just take a black coffee." He pulled out his wallet.

"Okay, that'll be $1.47." He handed you two dollars, and you gave him his change. "Dave, a black coffee!"

"Coming right up!" He called out to you.

You looked back at the man. "You're new here, aren't you?"

"How could you tell?" He answered.

"We usually only get locals and usuals here. You're a fresh face."

The man rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I'm pretty new, I guess. I just moved here a couple months ago. To be honest, this is my first time out of my apartment, besides to get groceries."

"Ah, so you work at home? That's pretty cool. What do you do?"

"Ever heard of 'YouTube'?"

You smiled. "Ah, you're one of those." You giggled. "I'm more of a Netflix person, but I've watched a few videos. How's the channel going?"

"Pretty good. I've over two million subscribers."

"That's pretty good! Congrats!"

The man smiled. "Thanks. I've worked hard to get the channel to where it is."

"That's a good thing. If you just let it go on it's own, it's not going to go anywhere."

"That's true. Do you have a channel of your own?"

You shook your head. "Nope. This is my job, right here. Has been since I was sixteen."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And you're how old now?"

"Twenty-three."

"That's a long time in one place. Did you ever go to college?"

You shrugged. "Why bother? I gave up on my dreams a long time ago."

Dave walked up with the man's coffee, just as sirens were heard. He looked out the window. "(Y/n), turn away." You complied, staring at one of the coffee makers behind you.

"Why does she-" The man started.

"She's sensitive time flashing lights. Anyway, here's your coffee, sir. Have a good day."

"And come back another time!" You said over your shoulder.

"Maybe I will." You heard footsteps, then the door to the coffee shop.

Dave turned to you, smirking. "Someone has a crush."

You playfully smacked his arm. "I definitely do not. He's just new to town, and we had a pleasant conversation. He could probably use a friend."

"Sure. Whatever you say." He walked away.