Burning Red

Busy Streets and Busy Lives

Lip liner stains on coffee cups, unknown names and faces, busy streets and busy lives, strangers passing glances between one another, autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ─

Seattle was cold in the fall, and Gracie Shelty could not believe she was finally experiencing an October that wasn't cloaked in stifling southern humidity. Sure, her four years at Penn State had given her an abundance of chilled fall days, but she'd been a student at the time. Growing up in Texas and moving back for a couple of years following college graduation meant soaring temperatures all the way up until Halloween, before they plunged below freezing quite literally overnight and failed to rise until late spring.

The damp cold nipped at her face and seeped into her bones, penetrating her brown wool-lined fleece. Beneath, she wore a grey Penn State crewneck and blue jeans. Doctor Grey, the head of Grey Sloan Memorial had told her to dress comfortably. She'd already met the woman once, over a Zoom call, for her interview. Gracie had been dressed professionally then, so Dr.Grey must have decided Gracie needed not to try so hard and make a second impression for this meeting.

Gracie's eyes scanned the block, searching for a coffee shop. She was already barely on time, but had hardly gotten a lick of sleep the previous night. She doubted that falling asleep during her meeting with Dr.Grey would be approved, so caffeine it was.

After another minute or so of walking, she found one that looked promising, and ducked inside. The shop, named Ivy and Willow, was dimly lit and looked like an enchanted garden. The white brick walls boasted vinyl records, and fairy lights were strung up all across the space. Golden lamplight flooded the shop, and it was bustling with people on their way to work and class. A cacophony of sounds filled the room as baristas whipped up drinks, orders were called out, and people stood around speaking to one another. Though the cafe was busy, Gracie noticed there was no one else in line and made her way to the counter to order.

She quickly scanned the chalkboard menu, settling on a hot caramel macchiato. Typically, she enjoyed something iced, but needed a little extra warmth in her stiff, aching bones on this cold morning. Gracie ordered, paid, and dumped her change in the tip jar, which was draped in delicate, twinkling battery-powered lights.

She stepped to the side and people-watched as her drink was made. She heard the barista call out an oat milk latte, honey-lavender green tea, and finally a caramel macchiato for Gracie. She checked her watch, her heart stuttering in her chest. Shit. Five minutes.

Scooping up her drink and cupping it in her chilled hands, she headed for the door, weaving through the crowd of people who had just entered the cafe. She'd lucked out: a massive line of caffeine-deprived people had formed behind the counter. Gracie hurried to the door, when all of the sudden, she realized her path was blocked. Unable to stop in time, she slammed into a solid figure, the breath leaving her chest with a soft gasp and coffee splashing on her and the stranger's chest.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she managed to finally say after a moment, fumbling her words.

"No, no, it's okay. You're good. Here, let's get this cleaned up."

She finally worked up the courage to look the stranger in the eye, and the first thing she noticed has his height. The way he seemed to tower over her, he had to be taller than six feet. Stubble covered his defined jaw, and his hair was styled almost perfectly.

He turned back around and handed her a pile of napkins, watching as she blotted the coffee splashes off her jacket. They blended in with the brown of her fleece anyway, but now she was going to smell like a caramel macchiato for the rest of the day. She blushed, trying hard not to focus on the fact that his gaze was still on her. He was watching her so intently, his ocean blue-green eyes transfixed by the stranger who'd just ran into him and spilled her coffee all over them.