Coffee Beans - Special Edition

Chapter 2: Warming Coffee

"Ok then, I'm not going to argue with that," Robin said, letting out a nervous laugh. Ellie smiled and an awkward silence filled the room, the lights fading slightly; the speakers automatically turned off at closing time to save electricity and the dimmed lights were a gentle reminder to any lingering customers. The blonde went back to drinking her coffee, enjoying every sip. She didn't seem fussed by the change in atmosphere. If anything, it was calming to have the music fade away and the pitter sound of rain get louder.

Suddenly, Ellie's phone started to ring. Taking it from her pocket, she rolled her eyes as 'dad' was displayed on the screen. She quickly put her phone back in her pocket and with some force.

"Not going to take that?" Robin said, taking another sip of the warming coffee. "It must be important if someone's calling you at, what is it? Ten o'clock?" Again, she took a sip of coffee, letting the steam caress her face for a moment before bringing the cup back down to rest on her knee.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders and fiddled with the bottom of her red checked shirt. The corner of the shirt had begun to fray; something else she was ignoring as she continued to pick at the same seam. "It's a conversation I could live without, to be honest." She looked up at Robin who had a comforting smile pinned from cheek to cheek.

"I've been there myself, don't worry. No need to explain," Robin mumbled, taking a large glug of coffee. "I'm useless with touch screen phones though. I had one early last year and I kept ringing people from my back pocket." She laughed at the memory and Ellie felt a smile return.

"You made a butt call?"

"If that's what it's called, then I suppose so."

"It's not the best name for something, I'll give you that."

The two women laughed until Ellie started to cry. Robin couldn't help but laugh harder, very nearly spilling her coffee over herself. "Woah that was close," she said, putting the mug down on the saucer.

"Are you normally this clumsy?" Ellie asked, ignoring her phone as it rang a second time.

Robin nodded and took an overly-cautious sip of her coffee. "Well my coat managed to fall off and I tripped over it, landing face-first on the pavement just up the road from here. Then a lorry came along and hit a pothole which had collected the rain from this morning, splashing it over the pavement and therefore all over me. So not clumsy as such, just incredibly unlucky."

Ellie giggled but at the same time felt bad. "I'm sure that's not true," she said softly, trying not to laugh too much. "And anyway, why were you coming down here at half nine? Surely you'd spend your evenings with friends or out partying? That's what most people do, right?"

Robin shrugged and finished off the coffee. "Most people, yeah. I live a couple of houses down but my heating is broken. I figured that since I got soaked, your shop would be the only place I could get warm and dry." She paused, running a finger around the saucer. "Again, I'm sorry for having barged in on you like this."

Ellie waved a hand and picked up the mug and saucer. "Seriously, stop apologising. I'm happy to have been able to help." She put the saucer on the work surface and put four (recyclable) takeaway cups under the coffee machine. The brunette could feel her heart pounding as she weighed out the coffee into the portafilter and brushed off the excess grounds. She couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was because there was rarely just one customer in the shop. Either way, Americanos were easy drinks to make. A loud whirring resonated in the small space and the sweet-smelling liquid flowed into cup after cup. "In fact," she said, getting a cardboard tray from beneath the work surface. "Take these home with you to keep you warm. It's the best I can do, I'm afraid."

Robin shook her head frantically. "No way," she said, waving her hands in protest. "You've already helped enough. I'd feel bad taking them." Her words were met with deaf ears as Ellie continued to make four perfectly matching double-shot Americanos. Once the coffee was brewed, she topped up the cups with hot water and put on the lids before putting the tray inside a paper bag. She wasn't sure if Robin noticed or not, but she also sneaked a slice of fudge cake in there too.

"The bag should help keep the coffee warm for longer, but I think they should stay hot for a good few hours on their own anyway." Ellie walked back over to the sofas and pushed the bag into Robin's arms. She held her hands in the air to avoid being given the coffee back. "Before you protest any more, this is the least I can do. I would go as far as to offer you a temporary bed in my flat until your heating is fixed, but considering we're strangers, that could be a bit weird."

Robin laughed a little and nodded. "Fair enough." She took her hair out of the bun and ran her hand through it, letting it spread out across her back. Ellie couldn't help but admire the long wavy lines of blonde. She made a mental note to dry her hair in a bun the next time she had a shower.

"Well, see you around then?" Robin put her hand on the door handle, looking back at the coffee shop.

Ellie nodded and put her hands in her trouser pockets. "Sure thing. If you need to get warm again, the shop's open tomorrow from eleven. Feel free to pop in any other time as well, ok?"

Robin's eyebrows raised in surprise but they settled down quickly. "Yeah, ok then. I'll try not to get your furniture soaked next time though, I promise." She opened the door and waved before heading out into the dark winter night. The wind weaved through the houses, whistling against Ellie's ears. The rain had stopped at least.

Ellie waved back and she watched as Robin walked past three more houses before going inside the fourth. She really did live close. "Strange," Ellie muttered.

A/N: Shout out to the OG fans! Are there any scenes between Ellie and Robin that weren't included in the original story that you'd like to see? And YES, before you say it, the time jumps have been fixed!!

Let me know what you think :) It's great to be back <3