Status: Done! :)
Unexpected
1
The thick smell that I associated directly with caffeine filled my nose and clouded my mind as I stepped into my favorite coffee shop at the end of my street. It was the only place that I could ever be alone with my thoughts without my roommate and best friend, Tory, interrupting. I loved her to death, but there were just times when a person needed their space.
“The usual?” Monty, the manager, asked as I approached the counter. I came here so often that the workers almost seemed like friends.
“Please,” I responded, thankful. After staying up all last night working on my latest novel, I needed a caffeine fix before going to my job as a waitress at the local diner.
I did love my job, but it was hard sometimes. My worst enemies were particular customers who thought that nothing was good enough, no matter how many times it was sent back to be perfected.
My dream, of course, was that I would publish a book and make enough money to get away from there. Though the staff was close-knit and I loved the 50’s atmosphere that the diner conveyed, it just wasn’t the kind of place that I pictured myself being for the rest of my life.
Dreams were usually just dreams though, staying unfulfilled until the person eventually gave up on pursuing it. I didn’t want to be the kind of person that just moved on to something else though.
“Layla,” Monty’s voice broke through my thoughts, handing over my caramel iced coffee, regular, with an extra shot of caffeine. My mouth almost watered thinking about it.
“Thanks a lot,” I smiled, handing over a couple bills and gesturing for him to put the change into the tip bucket.
Checking the clock, I noticed that it was only eleven, and I still had a half hour until I had to get to my job. Since it was only a five-minute walk, I knew that I had time to relax until I needed to leave.
I settled in a seat at the table right next to the window. The city was in a rush outside, and as each person passed by, I made up a back-story for them. The man that passed by, pushing a toddler in a stroller, was a responsible guy who had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, but once she had the baby, she took off, leaving him all alone. On the bench sat an old lady who reminisced about her husband that had passed away ten years ago, and chose that particular place to do it because that was where they had first kissed, first exchanged ‘I love you’s, and where he had proposed.
“Can I sit here?” an unfamiliar voice broke through my thoughts.
Raising an eyebrow, I looked up at the man who had spoken. He was tall and broad with light eyes, either blue or green, and dirty blonde hair that fell into his face a little. He looked young, no older than twenty.
There was something that I recognized in his eyes, though it took me a second to remember. “CAM!” I exclaimed, jumping up and hugging him in the middle of the café. My stomach had butterflies of excitement.
Cam had been my best friend in high school, but he had moved across the country after graduation. I had no idea what he was doing in New York City, but at that moment, I didn’t care.
“How in the world did you know that I’d be here?” I squealed.
“Can we sit down first?” he laughed. Sighing, I did as he instructed, taking a sip from the cup sitting in front of me.
“Alright, speak.”
Cam informed me on how he had gone through hell to find me, first looking up my number in the phone book this morning, only to have an irritated Tory answer the call and tell him my location.
“And here I am,” he finished. God, I missed him.
“Wow. So is there any reason that you’re here?” I glanced at the clock and deflated a little when I realized that I only had ten more minutes before I had to leave to walk down the street.
“Maybe I just wanted to see my best friend in the world?” he tried to convince me. I raised an eyebrow at him until he finally gave in and started telling the truth. “I actually just dropped out of college and I came back here for a new start. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do yet, but NYC has a lot of opportunities just waiting to be pursued.”
“That it does.” I groaned as the clock gave me horrible news. “Well, I’m sorry, but I have to get to work now… We’ll catch up tonight, okay? Text me with the time and place.” Since I hated making decisions of any kind, I tried to force them off on anyone who was involved with the plans.
“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll see you later.”
With a wave, I exited the restaurant. I made my way down the street, wanting to punch myself in the stomach to try to get rid of the butterflies.
I had convinced myself that I was over him. Little did I know that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Great.
“The usual?” Monty, the manager, asked as I approached the counter. I came here so often that the workers almost seemed like friends.
“Please,” I responded, thankful. After staying up all last night working on my latest novel, I needed a caffeine fix before going to my job as a waitress at the local diner.
I did love my job, but it was hard sometimes. My worst enemies were particular customers who thought that nothing was good enough, no matter how many times it was sent back to be perfected.
My dream, of course, was that I would publish a book and make enough money to get away from there. Though the staff was close-knit and I loved the 50’s atmosphere that the diner conveyed, it just wasn’t the kind of place that I pictured myself being for the rest of my life.
Dreams were usually just dreams though, staying unfulfilled until the person eventually gave up on pursuing it. I didn’t want to be the kind of person that just moved on to something else though.
“Layla,” Monty’s voice broke through my thoughts, handing over my caramel iced coffee, regular, with an extra shot of caffeine. My mouth almost watered thinking about it.
“Thanks a lot,” I smiled, handing over a couple bills and gesturing for him to put the change into the tip bucket.
Checking the clock, I noticed that it was only eleven, and I still had a half hour until I had to get to my job. Since it was only a five-minute walk, I knew that I had time to relax until I needed to leave.
I settled in a seat at the table right next to the window. The city was in a rush outside, and as each person passed by, I made up a back-story for them. The man that passed by, pushing a toddler in a stroller, was a responsible guy who had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, but once she had the baby, she took off, leaving him all alone. On the bench sat an old lady who reminisced about her husband that had passed away ten years ago, and chose that particular place to do it because that was where they had first kissed, first exchanged ‘I love you’s, and where he had proposed.
“Can I sit here?” an unfamiliar voice broke through my thoughts.
Raising an eyebrow, I looked up at the man who had spoken. He was tall and broad with light eyes, either blue or green, and dirty blonde hair that fell into his face a little. He looked young, no older than twenty.
There was something that I recognized in his eyes, though it took me a second to remember. “CAM!” I exclaimed, jumping up and hugging him in the middle of the café. My stomach had butterflies of excitement.
Cam had been my best friend in high school, but he had moved across the country after graduation. I had no idea what he was doing in New York City, but at that moment, I didn’t care.
“How in the world did you know that I’d be here?” I squealed.
“Can we sit down first?” he laughed. Sighing, I did as he instructed, taking a sip from the cup sitting in front of me.
“Alright, speak.”
Cam informed me on how he had gone through hell to find me, first looking up my number in the phone book this morning, only to have an irritated Tory answer the call and tell him my location.
“And here I am,” he finished. God, I missed him.
“Wow. So is there any reason that you’re here?” I glanced at the clock and deflated a little when I realized that I only had ten more minutes before I had to leave to walk down the street.
“Maybe I just wanted to see my best friend in the world?” he tried to convince me. I raised an eyebrow at him until he finally gave in and started telling the truth. “I actually just dropped out of college and I came back here for a new start. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do yet, but NYC has a lot of opportunities just waiting to be pursued.”
“That it does.” I groaned as the clock gave me horrible news. “Well, I’m sorry, but I have to get to work now… We’ll catch up tonight, okay? Text me with the time and place.” Since I hated making decisions of any kind, I tried to force them off on anyone who was involved with the plans.
“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll see you later.”
With a wave, I exited the restaurant. I made my way down the street, wanting to punch myself in the stomach to try to get rid of the butterflies.
I had convinced myself that I was over him. Little did I know that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Great.
♠ ♠ ♠
:)