Caffeine Withdrawal | T. Drake ✔

[00] Dora's Coffee Haunt

The fresh summer breeze caressed her face softly as she got down from the train at Gotham station. After a long time, she finally felt free and happy to be back in her birth city.

Dragging her duffel bag behind her, she made her way to the main platform where she knew her brother would be waiting for her. And soon enough she spotted him, his light brown hair standing out from the rest of the crowd and also due to the fact that he was considerably tall.

"Alexander!" She waved to catch his attention and rushed to give him a hug. The two were meeting after a long time and she was rather excited to see him.

"Dora," he ruffled her head affectionately as he took her bag in one hand since she was tightly holding on to the other, a wide smile dancing on her face, "I'm not late, am I? Had some work to tend to before I left so it took me a while."

"No worries, you're right on time. I had just arrived," she replied and followed him out of the station to the parking lot.

"How's Mum?" Alexander strapped her bag safely onto the carrier of his bike, handing her his helmet to wear.

"She's good, misses you but too busy in her own life to actually pay a visit." The chirrup from her voice had dimmed at the mention of her mother but she quickly masked it with a smile, "you tell me, how's everything going on here?"

"I might have a surprise for you," he remarked, eyes shining for he could imagine her reaction after the surprise was given, "but no more questions because I can't afford to get distracted while I'm driving."

She nodded, putting on the helmet and holding on to him securely as he revved up the engine. "Hey Alex, just one last thing..."

He hummed in response for her to resume.

"Don't crash, okay, I want to stay in Gotham for at least a month before succumbing to death in a tragic accident."

He was startled at her words as his head spun round to face her almost immediately , "Isadora, this is the reason I don't want you to talk while I'm driving. You're completely absurd."

She smiled mischievously at him, "and now you're stuck with this absurd sister of yours for goodness knows how long, such a pity."

A smile flickered on his face as well and he turned to face ahead, "hold tight because I won't slow down for you."

"Who wants you to slow down? Go as fast as you can. Remember when Dad used to take us on his bike..." But her voice trailed off as she realized what she had said.

Though it seemed as if Alex had either not heard her or chosen to ignore her remark for the rest of her words drowned in the sound of the wind brushing past them roughly as the bike headed over to the destination.

After her parents' divorce, it was the first time Isadora had come to Gotham. The Beaumonts had gone through a rough time and Isadora had been staying in Bludhaven while Alexander had branched off completely, severing his connection with both his parents.

Since she wasn't eighteen when the divorce happened, her custody was divided between her parents and she stayed for a month with her mother and the other with her father. Whereas Alex had left to live by himself as soon as he could do so, irritated by the constant fluctuation from one place to another.

Isadora too had been rather disturbed by the whole ordeal and couldn't wait until she could finally leave and start a life of her own. And soon as she turned eighteen, she had called her brother asking to come to Gotham and stay with him instead.

And though she knew things wouldn't be the same as they used to back when all of them lived together, still she hoped for the best.

Alex parked the bike in front of a cozy looking coffee shop and she finally straightened looking around at the surroundings, "oh how sweet, are we supposed to have coffee before going home? Cool... If only the shop wasn't closed." She had noticed the Closed sign hanging from the glass door.

He gestured her to get off the bike and approached the front gate, putting his hand in his pocket to fish out the keys. The smile on his face hadn't faltered as he took out the key and turned in the lock.

"Wait... You have the keys to a coffee shop? Alex..."

He turned around at last, leaning back as he pushed open the door stepping backwards into the shop, "surprise."

Her eyes had widened and it took a whole minute for her to realize what he had meant.

"Alex, you sneaky raccoon," she shoved him hard and he almost stumbled, breaking into his characteristic rumbling laugh.

"Welcome to Dora's Coffee Haunt," he announced, sweeping a rather magnificent bow, "the only place in Gotham which is actually named after you."

Her eyes danced in a mixture of joy and surprise as she spoke up, "oh my God..."

"You like it?" He had placed his hands in his pockets, leaning against the counter as he observed the expressions flickering on her face.

"Like it? I love it," she admitted honestly, her smile widening as she curiously checked each spot, "I still can't believe it, we own this lovely coffee shop...?"

"We do. I had closed it for a short while so I could go and pick you up since I don't yet have another person to look after it in my absence. But now that you're here, problem solved."

"Problem solved," she nodded, flipping over the sign on the door so that it read Open, "and to think that you named it after me... I'm so awed."

He headed back to the bike, bringing her luggage in and remarked, "anyways, our home is right on top of the coffee shop and I'm going to drop off your luggage there. It's small but you'll like it. I couldn't rent out another place so I had to fit in two rooms and a toilet upstairs, there was no space for the kitchen so I merged it with the shop's."

She nodded, "thanks. I'll definitely like it."

He smiled a little before taking the spiral staircase in the corner that led to the accommodation upstairs. In the meanwhile Isadora took her time in checking out the shop, waiting for Alex to return so that he could take her to the kitchen and show her around there as well.

Though she could see that her stay in Gotham was going to go even better than she had initially expected. For owning a coffee shop and running it together had been both her and Alex's dream and a hope for the future back when the two had been rather disrupted due to the problems between their parents.

And now that Alex had made that dream come true, she was quite certain that the future was finally going to be just as bright as they had dreamed of years ago.

***