A Perfect Storm

1. Him

It felt like I was living the same damned day over and over again. A strong sense of deja vu had been circling me for a long time. I was tired, and bored. Bored of living the same damned day in the same damned town. 

It was my own fault, I suppose. I tried hard to make an effort; to chat with friends or go out to dinner. I even tried a date or two. Or three. But they never worked out. For reasons unknown even to myself, I always questioned what I was doing, or what I even wanted. 

I had been a waitress in the same coffee shop for four years. Four, long years. It was a quaint little place with dark, hardwood floors the colour of walnut and the  high backed chairs were cosy and quaint. It was like you were sat in your own living room, with the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans swirling through the air. Couples chatted and laughed, telling stories about their days and touching each other's hands. Parents held children on their laps, chatting animatedly and making lame jokes. 

I was stood in the alley out the back. It was a Monday evening and it was almost the end of my shift. My unruly, auburn hair was tied in to a messy top knot and the lose strands were tucked behind my ears. I was wearing a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. We always had to wear black which was fine by me, simple and understated. Just like my life, really. I didn't know if that was sad or not. 

I blew out an exasperated breath and scrolled through my phone. My break was almost up, so I sighed gently and tucked the phone back in to my pocket. I opened the door and strolled back behind the counter, surprised to see that it was now almost empty. 

"Where did everyone go?" I asked Mitch, my co-pilot for the day. 

He shrugged. "Looks like a storm is coming in, maybe everyone wanted to head on home."

"Fine by me,"  I replied, glancing around the place. "I didn't realise there was a storm coming."

"I don't think it's that bad, but you know what people around here are like," he rolled his eyes.

Mitch was one of the few people I got on with. He was a straight shooter, you always knew where you stood. He didn't really like living in such a small town, like me. He was saving to buy a new car and then he was planning on heading to the big city to make it as a musician. I was a little bit jealous that he had a dream, a dream he was striving for. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, I didn't know who I wanted to be. I suppose there were worse problems to have. 

"Are you okay if I go out back for a quick smoke?" Mitch asked, already reaching for his coat. 

I nodded. "No problem, I'll hold down the fort. I should be able to handle it."

I motioned my arm towards the empty coffee house and he chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he grabbed his pack of cigarettes and made his way in to the alley. I grabbed a cloth and made my way out from behind the counter. I strode towards the table in the middle of the room and began stacking up the empty coffee cups. 

The sky outside darkened quite suddenly and the coffee shop itself felt surprisingly dark. I noticed that the street outside wasn't as busy as usual. It must've been the incoming storm. I looked outside for another minute, as the heavens opened and rain thundered down furiously. As raindrops smacked against the large, glass windows, I watched for a moment, seeing my own reflection in the glass. I smiled sadly and blew out a breath, before starting to wipe the table slowly, almost rhythmically. 

Suddenly, from behind me, the door bell chimed. 

"I'll be with you in a minute," I semi-yelled over the loud rain outside. 

I bit my lip as I lifted the large stack of coffee mugs. I must've been balancing about fifteen of them as I threw the cloth over my shoulder. Blowing the hair out of my face, I tried to turn around but the mugs began to tumble from my grasp. "Shit," I mumbled. 

Before I knew what was happening, a strong pair of arms enveloped me from behind and caught a coffee mug before it tumbled to the floor. I shivered as a drop of water fell on the nape of my neck and a large, solid chest pressed against my back. I whirled around, stepping out from the stranger's arms and spun around, startled. My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of the man in front of me. 

He must've been about six foot three or four. His jet black hair was plastered to his forehead, heavy with the rain from outside. He had a faint hint of stubble across his chin and his skin was pale, flawless. He was wearing a pair of grey jeans and long tan coat that fell to his knees. But the thing I couldn't tear my gaze away from were his eyes. They were a cool, unyielding grey, like the storm clouds outside. Dangerous. I glanced down at his hand and saw the coffee cup. 

Clearing my throat, I tried to reach out but realised I was still holding the tower of mugs in my arms. "I can take that."

"Don't I get a thank you?" He smiled slightly, still not handing it over. 

I nodded, flustered. "Of course, thank you." I said, walking past him. My heart was thundering in my chest. It was deafening, if only to me. I stepped behind the counter and placed them down clumsily, cringing when one rolled off the counter and crashed to the floor. 

"This isn't your day, is it?" the stranger smiled again, finally placing the coffee mug on the counter gently. 

I blew out an exasperated breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. "What gave you that idea?" I sighed, ready for my shift to end. "It's never my day."

"Well it can't be that bad," he replied, tapping his fingers on the counter. His hands looked large and strong. I found myself watching his long, lithe fingers, tapping teasingly. I bet he could work magic with those fingers.

"Oh, I don't know. I could be stuck in a dead end job in this dead end town, with no prospects and no idea what I want to do with my life so yeah, it can be that bad." The handsome stranger arched an eyebrow and I could feel his eyes boring in to me. I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, just ignore me. It's been a rough day."

"I know how that feels," he said, still tapping his fingers. 'But today may be the day things change."

"I doubt it," I mumbled, glancing at the clock behind him. "Look, I need to close up soon. Can I get you anything?"

"Just a black coffee. To go."

I nodded and quickly made the coffee, keeping my gaze away from him. I could feel his eyes boring in to my back as I made it. He watched me the whole time, I was sure of it. I relished the smell of freshly brewed coffee, it was one of the reasons why I had stayed so long at my job. I inhaled the aroma as I pressed the plastic lid on and handed it to the stranger. 

"Thank you," he mumbled quietly, taking a small sip. "Miss...?"

"Evelyn, my name is Evelyn." Why did I tell him my name?

"Well, you make a mean coffee, Evelyn." He grinned. "I'll see you around."

"Sure," I nodded, watching him go. 

My eyes followed him as he ran out in to the rain. I stood rooted to the spot for a minute, only just realising that I had been gripping the counter hard, my nails digging in. My heart was still thundering in my chest and my palms felt sweaty. The stranger certainly wasn't from around here, I definitely would've remembered him. 

I'm sure I wouldn't see him again anyway. Nothing exciting ever happened in this uneventful, dull town. Oh how wrong I was. I took a moment to watch the rain thundering down outside. 

A storm was coming, in more ways than one.