Moonlighting

Touched by the rays

Every day is always the same. I leave school, ride route #176, walk half a mile home, set my keys on the table and plan to throw on an over-sized tee with some shorts. It has been this way since I graduated high school and moved out. Not like much would be different had I stayed in my home town for university. There would still be no one to waiting for my arrival or seeing me off in the morning.

"hah... I'm home..." I let my school bag slam to the floor. My textbooks and pencils spilled from the opening. As per my usual after class routine, I slipped off my daytime wear while walking to my room, leaving a trail of dark attire behind. After I changed, I strolled around my small apartment and shut the blinds, shunning the evening light. "Mm. There we go."

I made dinner, ate, then sat on my couch, wasting away time until the moonlight was all that covered the streets. No pedestrians. No cars. Just the stars.

At this point in the night I listen to some soft indie music and walk to the nearby park. Usually I would go back after about an hour of sitting on the play set, however, today I was so tired from writing a last-minute essay before my class that I ended up falling asleep for a couple hours on the swinging bridge. The only thing that was able to wake me was the icy breeze which seeped into my hoodie layers.

'Need. warmth.'

On the way back to my apartment complex, I noticed a small, humble-looking cafe that was open despite the late hour. I entered and was immediately met with a burst of heat and a tall woman.

"Ah! Good Evening!" She beamed from behind her long, curly, brunette bangs. "What are you having?"

I slowly approached the counter, half tempted to turn around and leave. "um.. c-can I have a- a..."

The bubbly barista cut me off by almost jumping over the counter top. "My, my! Your lips are so blue! How long were you out there?" She snatched my shivering hands and held them. "There! You'll heat up twice as fast now."

Though her cheerful attitude was a bit overbearing, she has such a calming aura about her that made me feel safe. Plus, her hands are really warm. Burning, actually. "Oh- T-Thanks.." The woman continued to stare at me behind her over-sized round glasses. "Uh.. y-yes?" I asked, concerned over her lingering gaze.

"What can I get you?" She asked again, calmer this time.

"Oh!" I pulled my hands away from the woman and shoved them into my sweatpants. "Hot c-cho-colate?"

She snorted which then turned to a full on cackle. "You came to a coffee shop for a hot cocoa?!" she then cleared her throat and rephrased herself, "I mean, 'coming right up, dear customer!'"

"I-I just don't like coffee all that much! A-And its really l-late too-"

"Right about that one, miss." She began steaming the milk for my drink. "It's right about close now. You'll probably be my last customer for the night."

I felt a little guilty about having her make me a drink so close to the end of her night. I looked at my metal watch and saw that it was almost midnight. Surprised, I looked to the humming barista and asked, "isn't it t-too late for a c-caf-fé to stay o-open?"

The woman gave a small smirk and replied, "I get that a lot." After she mixed the syrup and milk, she dusted the top of the mug with cocoa powder before sending it to me. "In my eyes, there's no better time for a hot chocolate than at midnight in a snow covered city."

The yellow-orangey lights that illuminated the room only helped to add a warmth and honesty to her features. As if I were a moth to a flame, I was encapsulated by her charm and charisma.

'I want to be like her.' Is what I thought. 'I want to know more about her.' Is what played in my mind over and over as I listened to her wash dishes and finish cleaning up the store while I drank my elixir.

Soon after, we both left the building and headed into the frigid wind. "Well, hope to see you again, stranger!" She waved and smiled before marching into the icy, empty street.

I felt myself become frantic as she left, so I unconsciously called for her to wait. Turning to me, brightening my mind while also inducing my fear of judgment, I began to stutter horribly.

"I-I ...uh I.. forg-got to- I mean.." My vision started to blur the more I made a fool of myself. 'Why can't I just be fucking normal?'

Just when I felt like hiding my face and disappearing into the cold, I felt a small bump on my head. I looked up, and the sun was beaming at me.

And just like that....

"My name's Alina, and yours?"

"Cynthia."

....I felt like things were going to change.