Shorts

cuppa tea, love

It was raining.

It was always raining. It was the middle of summer, the supposedly tan-worthy month of July, and it was raining. I'm not sure why I expected it to be any different.

It was the last day of college before summer break and I had missed my bus. I was also wearing a dress, because I like making bad life choices. God forbid I wear a dress in the summer. Shame on me thinking that the sun might make its annual appearance.

I had no umbrella.

No life.

No hope.

But still with a shred of dignity, soggy, wet, rat hair and all. Okay, maybe half a shred.

The next bus would arrive in over an hour, and I wasn't really sure what to do. Walking home wasn't an option because voluntary walking is never an option. I'm just not built for it.

I looked around desperately, shivering as my long, soaking hair dripped water all down my back. I peered down the street and spottet an old neon sign, except it was broken so it was more sign than neon. I couldn't read what it said, but beneath the rune like writing was the image of a tea cup.

"I could murder one of those right now," I muttered under my breath.

Or not as under as I thought, because an elderly lady stood at the bus stop next to me swiftly stepped away in alarm. "Not you," I reassured her politely. For some reason she still looked worried. Oh well. "Not yet." I added for good measure, and began heading towards the tea cup.

I jogged gracefully like a horse with a leg seizure to the door of what appeared to be a cafe and pushed it open. I was instantly hit with the long forgotten feeling of warmth and the smell of fresh, hot drinks. I relaxed instantly, sighing slightly. I ordered a mug of tea, ignoring the bemused looked I got for being pretty much drenched, and sank into the seat of the table next to the window, right at the back of the building. I wrapped my hands around the cup, savouring the burning feeling for a few seconds before tying back my hair into what could only be described as a kind of bun.

There were magazines and newspapers strewn about at each table, and I snatched one of them up to read while I sipped at my tea.

"Cuppa tea, love."

Both my head and my eyebrows raised at the sound of a poorly performed northern accent ordering from the girl on the till. I read her name tag before, I think her name is Emma.

"Coming right up, dumbass."

"Hurry it up, ay," the man said, thankfully sticking to his own, smooth voice this time. "I'm a very important man." His voice was a little different from around here. It was smooth, nice, and...I don't know...cool.

"Oh yeah?" the waitress replied, hands on her hips. "What's on the agenda today then? Must be something good since you've actually gotten out of bed."

"You know me, Emily," Oh, Emily not Emma. Oops. "Places to be, people to see. I'm very cool."

"I'm going to ignore you now. Here you go."

I quickly nodded my head back down again when the man accepted his drink and turned to find I table. Fighting to wipe a grin from my face, I took another sip of my drink and shoved the magazine back in my face. The stranger deliberated his seat choice like it was a major life decision before taking the table two away from me. Close, but not too close.

I tried my hardest not to look at him but I couldn't help it. In between slightly too hot gulps of tea I noted how soft his dark brown hair looked, pettable, one could say, and how it fell just over the top of his enviously nice shaped eyebrows. I would do anything for eyebrows that actually matched. I sighed inwardly and he glanced over at me. I flushed and fixed my eyes vehemously back on the paper in front of me. I gave it a minute or so before I deemed the coast was clear and peered around at him again. I looked at his eyes this time. He was looking away from me, to the side, but I could see clear blue irises and I may have melted a little bit inside. He was wearing a light grey jumper under his coat, that I may have watched him take off a little too closely, I'll admit. The jumper had a few holes in and looked worn, but it just suited him, made him seem homely.