Jersey Lights [Frerard]

Mistletoe Kisses And Drunken Wishes

Frank could see his breath as it swirled up into the cold night air in little puffs.

He walked quickly with his head down and his hands in the pockets of his coat, bracing his shoulders against the bitter cold.

Right now he was extremely thankful for his black batman beanie, that was keeping his ears warm. Which was also the reason he had left a bit of scruff on his face, that and he thought it suited him well, in the winter at least.

The sidewalks were loud and bustled with people busy Christmas shopping. With the holiday soon approaching, most stuff had been put on sale and everyone decided to take advantage of that.

People were everywhere, bundled up and carrying lots of large shopping bags, with looks of joy and excitement, seemingly having the time of their lives, as they rushed to and fro.

It just frustrated Frank, because now it took even longer to get anywhere, and hailing a cab at this time of year was impossible.

He finally weaved his way down to his favorite little coffee shop, which he was so grateful for after the day he'd been having.

The department store he worked at had been so full of people bugging him all the time with stupid questions and messing up the displays, making him have to constantly fix them. If he had to rehang another ugly sweater or deal with some rude women's sass one more time, he swore he was going to snap.

He pushed open the door of the little cafe and walked in as the sleigh bells that hung on it, jingled lightly.

He was instantly enveloped in warmth and the delicious smell of coffee, making this place, at times, seemed to Frank like the only good place in all of Jersey.

He quickly walked up to the barista behind the counter, as he looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey Frankie! The usual?" the man asked.

"Yes please," Frank smiled and went and sat down at the same table he always did, just far back enough from the door to keep away from the cold, but close enough to people watch out the windows.

He breathed out a sigh as he pulled off his gloves, tossing them aside on the table, and unzipped his coat, stretching slowly and making himself comfortable in the little wooden booth.

Soon the barista walked over with his coffee and set down the large white mug with a smile.

"Enjoy," he chimed, before he returned to the counter to help someone else.

Frank took the cup in both hands, feeling the warmth seep lightly into his hands, and sipped some of the much needed liquid. It was warm and delicious, soothing out all the tension and frustration of his day. He relished in the feeling of everything melting away at the calming magic that was coffee.

He felt himself unwinding for the first time all day, like he had been a spring that someone wound up to tight and finally took the pressure off.

When he had almost finished, his peaceful bliss was interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket. He quickly threw some money on the table for the coffee, as he down it, picked up his discarded gloves, and walked outside to answer the call.

"Hey Ma."

"Hey Frankie. I'm not interrupting anything am I?" his mother worried.

"No. I was just somewhere quite so I had to walk outside to take the call," he reassured her.

"Good. I didn't want to interrupt you on a date or something."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that Mom," he laughed dryly.