coffee | taehyung

2.

Forbearance 
"patient self-control; restraint and tolerance."

A shrill screech pierced through the air and caused Sora to shoot upright, the tendrils of sleep loosening their hold on her, seconds before a cupful of ice cold water drenched her completely.

"I am so so so so so so sorry, ohmygodareyouokay?"

Sora still drowsy and dazed, just sat there contemplating her life choices.

A click of fingers in front of her snapped her back to reality, and she suddenly felt the wetness from her clothes seeping through to her skin. Goosebumps trickled down her arms and she exhaled loudly.

"IwascominguptowakeyouandithoughtyoumightbethirstyandsoI-"

"Mina. Slow. Down."

Mina took a deep breath, guilt clear on her rounded face. Biting her lip, she blurted out:

"It was an accident"

Resisting the urge to throw a tantrum, Sora merely rolled her eyes, knowing all too well about her best friend's clumsiness as she hauled her shivering body out of bed.

The velvety comforter was whispering it's sweet nothings out to her; to return to its warmth, but it was a Monday. And that meant work.

Sora lazily stripped out of her damp pyjamas and into her dull barista uniform, little yawns escaping her pink smudgy lips. As she regarded her scowling face in the mirror, she let out a shudder at the horror she saw. Dragging a hairbrush through the knotted tangles of the bird nest that lay on her head, she tugged and tugged before deciding to abandon it and instead rock the "messy chic" look. (messy chic = i'm too tired to deal with this shit)

She padded downstairs, a lazy grin on her face as the scent of pure bliss wafted to her nostrils.

Excitement danced in her irises at the scene in front of her. She reached for a plate and almost moaned at the sight of the velvety goodness that lay ready on it. Cutting off a bite and lifting it to her tongue, she sighed in fondness.

"I see you found the waffles I made for you then?"

Mina swept into the room, ruffling Sora's hair before grabbing the seat opposite her.

Sora only gave a nod of acknowledgement to Mina's comment before devouring the waffles and laying back in her chair in contentment.

Wiping her mouth, she suddenly says "They taste like home." Nostalgia with undertones of regret lay thick in her tone.

"You mean they taste like-"

"Thank you, but I gotta get going, you know me always early for work!" Sora said pushing her chair back under the table and giving a quick wave as a goodbye, before grabbing her purse and coat and rushing out the door.

Sora had not once been early for work in her entire life. In fact it was a longstanding joke between the two, the fact that Sora had a complete lack of awareness for time.

Mina shook her head slightly in disbelief, as she watched the heavy chestnut door close shut. She couldn't believe that even after all this time, Sora was still so unbelievably unwilling to talk about it.

Before being able to ponder on the situation any longer, her eyes became fixated on the fluffy waffles in front of her.

Grumbling from her tummy echoed around the room, and all previous thoughts drifted away from her as she returned to the love of her life. Food.

Sora hastily tied her hair up in a messy bun and sprinted to the coffee shop tucked away on the corner. Her chest rose and fell as she entered, as her body nimbly dodged to behind the counter.

Sora took a deep breath of the earthy smell from the coffee machines, and tied her apron in sudden vigour.

"It's 6.00 am." A booming male voice came from behind her.

She internally winced as the steps came closer and closer. Begrudgingly dragging her head up, she turned to face the man.

"Yup" she answered, offering him a weak smile.

"I'm impressed! Did you finally learn how to read a clock this morning?" Sarcasm nipped at his words.

Comeback on the tip of her tongue, she wanted nothing more than to tell the old man exactly where he could shove it, but she restrained herself. Barely.

"I-"

"Clean the counter, change the filters in the machines, put the prices out, take the trash out, we've run out of almond milk and..."

Sora stood nodding her head at his every order, until he finally came to an end.

"Also stop whatever the hell you're doing with your face, you're scaring the customers."

Poking her tongue on the inside of her cheek, she sucked up her pride and smiled widely at him, her stomach curling in distaste. 

"Meh. Even when you smile, it's still scary."

And upon uttering those words of finality, he left; back to his little cubby hole (the storage room at the back).

"If taking orders from an incompetent frog (the boss) is what it takes, then so be it" she thought. She just couldn't afford to lose this job.

Letting out a sigh, she got to work drawing on the chalkboard stickers, the pricing of the baked goods, and tried to ignore the rumbling of her tummy, as she eyed the sweet, triple chocolate brownies that were calling out to her.

The shop bell's shrill ring pulled her attention away from the tempting treats, and she painted a welcoming grin on her face and greeted the customer who had just walked in with a bright voice.

Today is gonna be a long day.