The Coffee Cup

Five.

Sundays were possibly my favourite day of the week. They always seem so peaceful and calming. This was also portrayed through The Coffee Cup. Sunday’s attached the best customers, those who wish to calming read, chat or study. Everyone looked at peace and ease with their lives. 

‘Are you coming tonight then?’ Sam asked from behind the shelf of coffee flavourings. His head moving in and out of view as he stacks the bottles. 

‘Maybe’ I say, opening another box of mugs from the weekly delivery and moving them towards the shelves. 

‘I think you should, I mean it’s totally beneficial’ 

I move the bottles out of the way to have a full view of him. ‘What’s with your turn in attitude? Wasn’t it only last week you were calling parties ‘an oxymoron of fun'?’ 

He grins like a child, ‘I guess you can say I had an epiphany’ 

‘And was the catalyst to this so called epiphany the fact that Emily was invited?’ He stares at me questioning. 

‘How did you know that?’ he said it pointedly as if he were accusing me of something.

I roll my eyes. ‘The massive grin you had on your face’.

‘I’ll tell you what if you come to the party, I’ll take any shift of yours you want’ Why was he so adamant of me coming to this party? For the twelve years of knowing Sam he hated parties. He spend his days either studying or working. However the offer was not something to be missed.

‘Deal’ I smile at him. 

Sam said he’ll pick me up around 9. I fish through my closet trying to find something a little bit exciting to wear. I sigh, at this rate I’ll be going in sweat pants. ‘Lily?’ my mum calls from the door frame. She looks at with furrowed eyebrows, her blonde hair falls messily in her face. I suppose seeing someone standing surrounded by piles of clothes did look slightly strange. 

‘Yes?’ I say attempting to make my mess look organised by folding clothes.  

‘What are you doing?’ she laughs. 

I sigh ‘You know the party I told you about?’ She nods.  ‘Yeah well’ I sigh nodding towards the surrounding clothes. She gives a sympathetic smile and waves her hand towards her room, walking towards it.  I follow her. 

‘I was going to give this to for your birthday’ she beginnings, holding a large white box ‘however I see it may be a necessary evil to save your sanity’ 

She opens the box and a pure white dress sits perfectly folded in it. It was absolutely perfect. ‘I saw and just thought of you. I hope you like it’ her eyes look worried but I couldn’t study them for too long because I was already pulling her into a hug. 

‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!’ I scream.

There is nothing that pains me more than getting dressed. I feel girls go through this painful experience of plucking, burning of the hair and nearly poking you eyes to make themselves look presentable. The doorbell rings pulling me away from my thoughts. ‘I’ll get it’ I call.  

Sam stands in the door way looking away from the door. He waits fashioning a pale green shirt with the sleeves rolled up. 

He turns as his eyes widen, ‘Wow’ he mouths. ‘Who knew Lily, you are actually pretty?’ he laughs. I shove my elbow into his bicep. 

‘You don’t look to bad yourself, Samuel’.

We walk towards his car, I sit in the familiar leather seats and distant Coldplay song. ‘Did you borrow Robbie’s car?’ I ask when Sam jumps in. 

He looks at me questioningly ‘Yeah, he said I could borrow it to pick you up… how did you know this was Robbie’s car?’ 

I guess Robbie didn’t tell him, and in that moment I choose not as well. ’He left the Coffee Cup  in it yesterday’ Sam nods.

We drive, mostly small talking. As we reach Sam’s house, music blasts, my heart feels like its in time with the bass. I jump out seeing the lines of cars parked to the top of the road. The lights flash from inside of the house. Sam offers his arm as we walk in. The smell of alcohol and sweat fill the room. People dance violently, violently being the only word I can possible use to describe it. I stare intrigued for a couple of moments, ‘I’ll get us some drinks’ Sam shouts over music. I see Beatrice dancing, her body moves to the music expertly. Typical, does his girl even has a flaw? She catches my eyes so I look away quickly. 

I decide that I will find Sam instead of him finding me. Weaving between people ,especially drunk ones, is difficult. They tend to just move their body parts when you least expect it. I find my way towards the kitchen, finding Sam talking to Emily in the corner. I try stay as far away from that situation in attempt to not looking a ‘third wheel’. 

‘Watch your step’ an hand grabs my arm pulling me towards them just as large professional footballer size guy falls backwards. The football player falls into the kitchen table before catching his balance again. I, on the other hand, fall next to the person who saved me. ‘Hey, are you alright there?’ his voice deep yet comforting.

‘Huh? Yeah, sorry! I didn’t mean to …’ Looking up I see, worried eyes scanning mine. His glasses are knocked slightly from catching me. I clear my throat, ‘Sorry I didn’t mean to fall on you like that’ 

He offers me a nervous smile, ‘It’s okay, it’s my pleasure in fact’ 

‘Falling for them already, Lily’ Robbie puts his arm around the boy ,who just caught me ,shoulders.  

‘Very funny, Robbie. I was just helping her up’ the boy says. 

‘I’m glad you met actually, Felix this is my idiot brothers best friend Lily’ Felix nods. ‘Lily, this is Beatrice’s brother Felix’. You have got to be kidding. Looking at him now I can see the similar dark brown hair yet Felix’s wasn’t as curly. Felix, however, had calmer face, less confrontational. ‘Oh, you have met my sister?’ Felix asked. 

‘Yeah, a couple of times’ I say watching Robbie’s reaction. He just grins, that awful ‘know-it-all’ grin. 

‘Now who is for a game of Never Have I if you want to play?’ a voice shouts from behind us.