Long Live Us

I placed my head phones in my ears as I walked down the road towards the coffee shop I worked at. I sang along absentmindedly as I practically skipped down the road, it was a beautiful day out, leaving me no reason to be in a bad mood so I was making the most of it. Once I got to my work I opened the door and smiled brightly at my boss, Simone. She smiled back at me as I placed on an apron and joined her behind the counter.

“How are you doing today, sweetie?” She asked me kindly and I simply smiled before replying.

“I’m amazing. The sun is shining and that makes me happy. What about you?” I asked and she chuckled softly.

“Getting ready for the morning rush hour. Get ready, I have a feeling its going to be a good day.” She explained and I shrugged as I started serving the first customers of the day. I liked busy days, it kept me on my toes and I was never bored. I met so many new people each day and the people only seem to get more unique as the time passes.

“Morning, what can I do for you?” I asked politely and the boy leaning on the counter gave me a glum look.

“Double espresso.” He said as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. I gave him an unsure look before ringing up the price. He gave me the money without a word and I made him his order and passed it to him. He nodded softly at me as a thank you and went and sat in one of the booths out of sight. I sighed softly before serving the next person. After around an hour of constantly serving people Simone took my place and I walked around the shop collecting the empty cups that people had left lying around. Some people where kind enough to bring them back to the till but most weren’t. I didn’t mind though, gave me something to do. The boy I’d served before still hadn’t left and I hadn’t seen him since. I walked over the table where he went and sat after I’d cleaned up the rest of the tables and sighed. He was fast asleep in the booth, his espresso un-touched and his mouth slightly ajar, light snores escaping him. I walked over and shook his shoulder softly.

“Excuse me? Sir?” I asked and his head shot up instantly. It was then that I noticed his red puffy eyes and the dark circles lining them.

“Sorry.. Haven’t slept much recently and I must have dozed off.” He explained and I nodded softly in understanding.

“Are you okay? You seem a little..” I said as I tried to find the words and he simply chuckled waving it off.

“I’m fine, I always am.” He explained with a soft smile and I offered one back, patting him on the shoulder.

“I think you should go home and get some well needed rest. You deserve it.” I explained and he nodded. He whispered thank you softly and I smiled before walking away to continue cleaning up. I walked back behind the counter once I was done and Simone gave me a puzzled look.

“Is he okay?” She asked and I nodded softly.

“He’s okay, just a little tired. I had to wake him up only a couple of minutes ago.” I explained and she sighed softly before shaking her head.

“He’s been here a couple of times before. Always goes to the exact same booth and falls asleep. Poor soul, there must be something bothering him to make him like that.” She explained and I sighed softly, turning my head slightly to the side so I could see him. He was still awake, rubbing his eyes aggressively. I slowly went back to working, the boy still plaguing my mind. I hated people being unhappy. I’d been unhappy most of my life and I knew now that that wasn’t the way to live it, it just wears you out.

Hours past and the boy still hadn’t moved out of the booth. I decided to go check on him again and left Simone in charge of the till. She happily agreed as she knew where I was going. I walked back over to the booth to see him yet again fast asleep. I rolled my eyes softly and sat down in the seat in front of him, shaking his shoulder yet again. He woke up, his eyes the same but squinting this time because of the light all of a sudden flooding to his eyes.

“Morning.. Again.” I chuckled and he laughed softly, moving the long strands of hair out of his eyes.

“Sorry, I really need to stay awake.” He said and I sighed softly, observing his facial features. He had deep brown eyes, his hair flicked to one side and his bangs almost covered his eyes, I was sure that if it wasn’t for the beanie on his head his whole face would be covered with hair.

“What’s bugging you?” I asked and he simply sighed, staring down into the cup he had yet to drink from.

“Just life.” He chuckled and I simply rolled my eyes with a half smile as I flicked some of my hair that had fallen into my eye sight.

“Life bugs everyone, its definitely something deeper than that.” I stated and he simply raised a brow at me, taking a sip of the coffee.

“To say we’ve only just met, you sure want to know a lot.” He muttered and I shrugged.

“I care about people. What can I say.” I explained and he sighed before grabbing all his things.

“Well maybe you shouldn’t care as much, that’s how you get hurt.” He stated angrily before standing up and walking out of the shop. I simply sat there in a confused state. I eventually erased it from my head and silently decided to get back to work. I just wish I knew what he meant by his statement.