Coffee ~ON HOLD~

Coffee- 4

I step outside and pop in some earbuds. It's 5 am, and I spent all night working on a project. I'm dead tired, so it's time for a peppermint mocha at Love You Latte. Good thing is, Faith probably won't be working this early. "Loco, maniac. Sick b*tch, psychopath. Yeah, I'm gonna show you, I'm gonna show you. Yeah, I'm gonna show you." Bebe Rexha echoes around in my ears as I walk in the rays of the rising sun. The air is still cool from the night temperatures. Winter still has a loose grip on us; no danger of snow, but colder than spring. I sing along quietly to myself. "Mental, out my brain. Batsh*t, go insane. Yeah, I'm gonna show you, I'm gonna show you. Yeah, I'm gonna show you."

The bell is surprising loud as I step into the cafe. I pull the earbuds out and approach the counter. I tap my fingers on the smooth granite, and wait. Soon, I hear voices and the door in the back opens. My heart rate increases when I see short brown hair. Faith bounds out and smiles.

"Getting coffee extra early, huh?"

"What are you doing here?" I blurt out. Faith cocks her head and laughs.

"Um, I work here? Do you feel okay, Molly?"   She remembered my name.

"But don't you work later?"

"I work the morning shift. A.K.A, four to noon."

"Oh." I murmur quietly.

"So.. peppermint mocha?" I look up into her green eyes and give a weak smile.

"Um, yeah. Thank you." She pops the order in and I give her the money. She holds out two quarters, and I take them.

"So." She begins and I jump, not expecting to hear her talk again. "Why are you here so early?"

"I had a project." She nods.

"Ah, all nighter?" I shrug.

"Yeah, I'm a procrastinator. One of my worst habits."

"Oh, you have many bad habits?" I roll my eyes.

"You have no idea." Faith rests her elbows on the counter and leans forward.

"Oh, yeah? I find it hard to believe a girl like you has any bad habits." I raise my eyebrows and feel my face heat up.

"A girl like me?"

"Yeah. Pretty, smart, friendly.." She counts on her fingers and smiles at me. "Yeah, you've got it all. What downfalls could you possibly have?" I laugh nervously and pick at my cuticles.

"Well, I sleep late sometimes and wake up late for school. I tend to doodle on homework assignments, which lowers my grade, so my parents think I'm stupid. I also drink way to much coffee, and speaking of, I have an obsession with peppermint." My gaze slides to Faith again and she's grinning.

"Those aren't all bad. I wake up late, a lot, sometimes for work. Peppermint smells delicious, so I can kinda understand that one, even if I think it tastes disgusting. And the more you come in for coffee, the more I get to see you. So that's definitely not a bad thing." I scratch the back of my neck and blush furiously. I take a deep breath and try to calm down.

"What do you mean, peppermint tastes disgusting? It's amazing." Faith shrugs.

"Never been a fan. Smells good though."

"You're missing out. It's delicious."

"Maybe." Her coworker finishes my coffee and Faith gives it to me. "Here, a mocha for Mocha." I blink and smile.

"Mocha?"

"Yeah, you always order the same thing. So, Mocha. Like a nickname. If.. that's okay." I laugh and blush.

"Sure! I don't mind." Faith beams, and my heart flutters.

"Great! Enjoy your peppermint. Will I see you again before school?" I shrug.

"We'll see how fast I drink this one. Bye, Faith." She waves.

"Bye, Molly. Drink quickly." I glance back at her, and she winks, causing me to flush even harder and hurry out the door.

"She's soo into you!"

"No, she's not." Jackie groans.

"Yes! She is. She winked at you, for god's sake!" I switch the phone to my other hand.

"Whatever, J. I'll be at your house soon. I need more coffee."

"Say hi to Faith for me!" She hangs up and I stand up from my bed. I nab the olive-green bomber jacket from next to where I was sitting and pull in on over my white tank-top. I trot down the stairs and see a note stuck to the table. I scan it quickly and grab the two fifties attached, sliding them into my pocket. Typical. My dad left for another trip. Between the hundred and food in the fridge, I'll get by for the next week and a half. My mom died when I was little, so I just live with my dad, who isn't here half the time.

The drive to the cafe seems shorter than usual, and I get there pretty quick.

"Back again?" Faith teases.

"What, no line?" She shakes her head.

"Nah. A Starbucks opened down the street, so." I frown.

"Ew. This place has better coffee." Faith smiles.

"Agreed. So, the usual?"

"Mhm, and a chocolate espresso." Faith bounces around as she places the order.

"Ah, for you and the fated friend." I giggle. "When am I going to meet her?" I stare at her.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? I want to meet your friend. You buy coffee for her everyday."

"Oh." I blink and blush slightly. "I dunno. I just.."

"Are you always this awkward, Mocha? Or is it me?" I flush even harder.

"Well, I.. no, but.." Faith laughs and smirks.

"That's okay, Mocha." She leans closer to me, and I feel myself being pulled towards her, as if my an invisible magnet. "You make my heart flutter too." Her voice is barely a whisper, winking as she pulls away. Faith turns around to grab our coffees as my face consistently gets more and more red. "Here you go!" She chirps, as if nothing happened between us. "Bye, Molly!"

"Bye." I whip around and beeline for the front door.

"Oh, and Molly?" I hesitate, but turn around. "Tell Jackie she was right. You are the blonde I was referring too." I gasp and my mouth makes weird noises before I blink hard and head for my car.

~Hedgehog