Coffee Shop ✓

Talk To Me ✓

C H A P T E R . T H R E E

Wednesdays are Thomas's rest days. Well, rest from working in The Attic. He spends almost his whole day painting or sketching, sometimes he goes to art museums or stores in which he can buy more art materials from. This Wednesday, though, he decides to head over to The Attic. And the reason is clear and simple: to see Cara. If she's even going to be there.

The weather has improved lots since late last night, as the weather forecasts have predicted. Thomas was able to see Cara leave the coffee shop wearing his brown coat, but he didn't utter a word about her returning it. He was fine with her having it, just for a short period of time. He was too afraid to go up to her and ask for it back, anyway. Cara had also ordered a hot chocolate before leaving, and Thomas made George use the cup he had doodled on hours before for her order. Josefine was the one who gave her the beverage, and so Thomas didn't have a chance to give another attempt to talk to her.

Just to be sure, Thomas texts Levi asking if he's in The Attic at the moment and is with or can spot Cara. It's three in the afternoon and the weather is completely different from yesterday's gloomy, cold, and dark one. The sun is blaring today and, though it's not all that warm, it's a very perfect day to be walking outside. It seems the storm had just paid a quick visit and simply left as soon as it came.

Thomas puts on a casual outfit before heading out. He takes a longer route to get to the coffee shop just so he could soak in the sun (and he's still waiting for Levi's reply, which is taking an awfully long time). He has walked through a wide park and has bought himself vanilla ice cream when Levi finally replies with, 'sorry m8, she wis there in the morn. canny txt her, dinnae av her #'

It takes Thomas a short while to completely understand Levi's text, since he doesn't exactly understand what he means when he says 'canny' or 'dinnae' (and he may be a little bothered since he isn't such a huge fan of texting shortcuts), but it turns out be quite simple, really. Levi can't text Cara because he doesn't have her number—makse sense.

Thomas texts him once more. 'Did she say anything about me???'

'lassie kept askin aboot u,' Levi added in a laughing emoticon, 'asked er if she wantae get a wee swally wit ye an me tonight, said she wis busy. she'll come back tmorrow, am sure pal'

Thomas switches off his phone after sending Levi a quick 'thanks' and finishes the last bit of his ice cream cone before heading back home to work on his painting.

+

Thomas's Thursdays are similar to his Mondays. He, along with George, Alfred, Linda, and Eloise are in charge of opening up the cafe at six in the morning. Today he wakes up a little later than normal and arrives at ten past six in The Attic. He apologizes quickly to George and Linda, who are the ones who act like the rest of the staff's "parent figures." Linda replies softly with a, "It's alright, dear," whereas George, being the usual grumpy-pants he is, exclaims, "Why are you late?"

"It's just ten minutes, George," Thomas says, throwing his head back in mock exasperation. Grumpy George may seem to be always mad at everyone and always hating everyone for every little thing they do wrong, but it's really just playful banter. Everyone who has had shifts with George knows that. George just loves doing everything correctly and giving everything his best, and he wants others to do the same. He'll reprimand a person if he sees them slacking off, and so he received the nickname Grumpy George. Once the nickname stuck, George began exaggerating his scolding just for the laughs.

"Just ten minutes?! Time is crucial in this job, mister. You miss ten minutes, you miss the amount of customers that could walk in in that ten minutes and Eloise would have to attend to every single one of them without your help!"