Honey and Bourbon

1- One Last Dance

It was loud, impossibly noisy really, and a permanent lingering scent of raspberries always filled the air. La Violette Blanc was a popular cafe on the west side of New York with little purple violets in boxes under the large, cracked pane windows. The face of the building was numerous shades of a dirty red brick and the sign above the door was written in a looping cursive that was both elegant and familiar. On the inside there was tall tables with plush topped stools and high backed chairs for the glass tables. It was everything the writing on the sign promised: elegance and familiarity.

Arlo was a regular who sat in the back corner of the cafe in an attempt to avoid as many people as possible, which sometimes did and didn't work. It was cozy, and warm and the scent of raspberries was a constant that he enjoyed. It was nice, to have something constant in life, if only for a while.

A clatter here, the clink of a mug there, but Arlo ignore most of it, sipped at a peppermint tea and scrolled though different social media accounts. A lady at the table three over was trying to feed a baby and a few more tables over there was a girl with a thick ponytail trying to write down the order of an obviously busy business man who just wanted to get his food and leave. Life was bustling outside too, people in the streets and cars and buildings in every which direction.

Someone bumped into Arlo's table and his tea mug jostled. He looked up from his laptop, and a short girl with a heavy tray was attempting to weave through the masses of early morning patrons and wild chairs. She gave him a tired smile and pulled a wad of napkins from her wide black plastic tray, "I'm so sorry! I hope I didn't spill that on you?"

Her voice was scratchy but sweet in a way, and her smile would have charmed anyone. "No, I'm fine, thanks," Arlo gave her his own small smile, barley there but still kind. The girl nodded quickly, his response the only confirmation she needed, and weaved through some more people. Arlo saw her mistake a moment before she made it, a chair pulled out too far, her foot caught the edge. He heard her squeak, a small noise almost inaudible among the chatter of the cafe, and she had a horrible look in her eyes. She was only worried about ruining people's orders, not herself, not the mess it would make. She was falling and Arlo couldn't do anything and he wanted to, mortal lives were so fragile, but in the end he didn't have to. A boy, tall, probably over six feet slipped his hand under the falling tray and and caught the short girl with his other arm. Some people stopped to look, to stare at this boy who seemed to appear out of nowhere like a blessing.

A few people clapped, the ones that had been too far away to help her, the woman who had stood from her chair to try and get to the girl in time, a little boy who just really wanted his chocolate powdered donut bites.

The girl let out a relieved sigh and the boy helped her stand, set the tray on an empty table and smiled at her.

"Careful where you're walking, wouldn't want to fall again." He had a rich voice, to go with his caramel skin and his chocolate hair. He looked like he belonged in a candy store, with all his soft orange and brown tones, not at a cafe; not wearing a black apron with the cafe logo on it.

The girl thanked the boy and went to pick up her tray with the embarrassment of the almost disaster but the boy stopped her, said something to her softly and then pick up her tray to begin his way around the cafe in her stead.

He was swift, flexible and didn't spill or ruin a single thing. Arlo was mesmerized, captivated, by this tall boy and his ability to practically dance around everything like it was a game. He smiled at customers, excepted their tips and then when he was done went back and handed the tips to the girl he had taken the tray from. She didn't want to except the money, fretted about it for a moment before the boy spoke again and then she pointed in Arlo's direction. Actually pointed at Arlo, spoke a few words to the tall boy and then he looked where she was pointing.