alexis
After walking around aimlessly in awe, Luke leads me into a beautiful little coffee shop entitled, "Guitars and Lattes". He rushes to open the door for me as I peer inside the glass, filled with curiosity. I can tell right from the title of the place that's it's going to be something different.
We get into the line that has formed in front of the huge chalkboard menu and counter, and once Luke explains to me how to order, I finally get the opportunity to look around and take everything in.
The room is furnished with only about a dozen mismatched tables and chairs. There are a million different kinds of pictures on the wall: abstract paintings, black and white photographs; The walls themselves are painted a bright orange, and the windows are shielded by purple curtains. Ordinarily, I would have a distaste for shades such as these, but in the setting they work beautifully together.
I love it.
At one end of the room is a stage. Hence the first word of the name of the place, a few guitars are propped up in the corner, awaiting someone to play them. It doesn't appear that anyone's going to perform, though. Everyone seems to be caught up in their conversation, which is a beautiful thing.
"What do you think?" Luke asks me as we're almost at the front of the line, his eyes twinkling as they flick around the cafe; clearly he likes this place just as much as me, and probably more.
"I could live here," I say breathlessly, getting a chuckle out of the blonde.
"So what do you want" he asks me as the line begins to move, and I look at the chalkboard tentatively, weighing my options.
"Surprise me. But I want a medium iced mocha." I tell him, but he cringes.
"You're one of those people who drinks those kinds of coffee? Like, always chocolate or whipped cream or caramel. No plain coffee for Alex?" He asks, the grin remaining on my lips as he says my new nickname.
I nod. "Exactly." He laughs again before whispering to me.
"It's okay, I am too." As I giggle, the person in front of us finished ordering and the cashier waves us over, plastering a smile on her face.
"What can I get for you guys today?"
"Hi. Ah, can I get two club sandwiches, a large iced caramel macchiato, and a medium iced mocha?" Luke orders for the both of us, my stomach growling at the thought of food. A bacon sandwich is just what I need- I can't remember the last time I had bacon.
I pull a few crumpled bills out of my pocket and am about to give it to the girl when Luke shoves my hand away and gives her his money. She smiles, thanks us, and gives him the receipt.
"You didn't have to pay for me," I inform him as we walk away. He chuckles.
"Well I did." He nods toward a couch with a table in front of it; this is definitely the most laid-back restaurant I've ever visited. As I sit down on one of the red cushions, the sofa dips, burying me in the cushions and striped pillows.
It turns out the sofa was quite soft.
Apparently Luke really digs couches that prevent oxygen to flow into your lungs, because he laughs and plops down beside me, causing me to fall deeper into the black hole of couch.
"I did not know couches like this existed," he says, laughing. I can barely see through a crack between two cushions, and I can't move, and I can barely breathe. After a moment, I feel the sofa move, and then there are two hands pulling me out of the darkness. I laugh nervously and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.
"Thanks," I tell him, and then both of us double over with laughter.
After a few minutes, a woman behind the counter yells out our number, and Luke runs off to retrieve the food, telling me to find us a table.
As I walk around the shop, I noticed how everyone is sort of alone, but they all seem to be at peace with each other's presence.
It takes me a moment before I recognize the gesture: respect.
I select a bright red table with really high stools, and struggle to get on the seat due to my short legs.
When Luke returns, he easily slides into it, and passes me the food.
I laugh.
luke
When I sit down, Alex chuckles at me as I pass her her tray of food. She shakes her head at me and takes a sip of her drink.
"What?" I eye her carefully. "Did you put a Whoopie Cushion on my seat or something?" This makes her laugh harder.
"Never mind." She dismisses and takes a bite of her sandwich. I do the same.
"So, how did you find this place?" She asks after a moment of chewing, in reference to Passion Street. I smile at the memory.
"My best friend and I were looking for some song writing inspiration, so we were legit just driving around LA all day and found this street. And of course, after all of that driving, we were both caffeine-deprived, so we came here." I explain, remembering the way Calum got so excited to see a caffeine- selling store. While we were drinking our drinks, he kind of forced me to get up on stage and sing for everyone, but that's a story for another day.
"That's cool," Alex nods and I take another bite.
"Yeah." We sit for a moment, just taking in the sights before I speak again. "What are your friends like? You know, back home?"
Something shifts in her eyes, and she looks around before answering. "I uh, I don't really have many friends. I had a best friend, and we were really close, but we kinda just stopped hanging out after the incident with my boyfriend." She tells me, looking away on the last word.
What the hell are you supposed to say after that?
"I uh, I'm sorry." I tell her earnestly, taking another sip of coffee. She nods.
"It's fine," she lies.
...
i missed calum in this chapter :(
what's your favorite color?
thank you for reading!
YOU ARE READING
and then you left // cth
Fanfiction"you left me, cal. after everything you'd said, after every promise, you left me without even saying goodbye," my words knock the wind out of him. he doesn't know what to say, what to do. but even so, he stares into my eyes, reminding me of everythi...
