coffee stains || dreamnotfound

four - dream

we step into the little coffee shop side by side, and i admire the themed interior decor. the strong scent of cinnamon and coffee beans linger throughout the shop and i take a long look at the menu above the register. after a while, i decide on a latte and ask the man beside me what he wants.

"two lattes please." he says, his british accent even more apparent than usual. 

sighing, i take my wallet out and pay for the two of us before scowling at the guy who ordered my coffee for me, and telling him i'm capable of ordering myself. he raises his brow at this, retaliating with, "and i could've paid for myself."

we wait side by side for our coffees, the calm music playing quietly from the shop's speakers, and i find myself gently bobbing my head to the song i've only heard a couple times before. i inhale deeply, deciding i enjoy the scent of coffee a fair amount. a small smile plays at my lips, and i glance at the guy next to me, whose smile is akin to my own. the dim lights of the shop seem to light up his face perfectly, and i almost think he looks pretty. i debate this for a moment in my head, and it takes me a while to realise he's staring back at me. i blink several times and fight the warmth crawling up my neck. 

"you never told me your name." he states abruptly, his eyebrow raising ever so slightly.

i shrug, ready to remind him that i don't know his either. it's been around two weeks since he moved into the same building as me and i've been too busy to care for real introductions. 

"i'm george."

i raise my brow at this, a smug look forming on my face, "i'll stick to calling you idiot."

"see, now normal people would answer with their name in return. so?"

"clay, i guess." i huff, i was tempted to tell him my nickname, as it's what most people call me, but decide against it.

our coffees get handed to us, and we make our way over to a little table in the corner. i take a seat first, watching as he does the same.

"just to clarify, this doesn't mean we're friends. i just wanted coffee, too." i state, taking a sip of the hot beverage. 

he doesn't say anything to this, but shrugs as he takes a sip from his own drink.

i sit silently, listening absentmindedly to george's tales of his journey to florida. the music from before is still playing faintly, but this corner of the shop is further from the speaker. too bad, it was a good song. my phone vibrates from on the table, right beside my half-empty coffee cup. it's done this a few times, but i prefer hearing about george's adventures to care to reply to the person texting me.

but now i guess i should check to see who keeps bothering me.

5 text messages from britt:

hey, what are you up to?(:
is it okay for me to come over? because i'm already on my way
you better not be sleeping still.
clay?
whatever, i'm almost at urs

a chain of curses stutter quietly from my mouth, and a small pang of guilt hits my chest when i realise i'm going to have to leave. i'm the one to blame, i should've checked my phone earlier so i could've told her i was out, but it's too late now. i quickly blurt out some poor excuse as to why i suddenly have to go, and i dash out of the little coffee shop. luckily it's not far from my building.

i rush into my apartment, and breathlessly shut the door behind me. to my relief, britt hasn't arrived yet. she usually lets herself in, but there's no sign of her and my muscles relax immediately. 

i carelessly drag my clammy hand through my sandy hair, only making it even messier. i swallow when i feel a small knot in my stomach, but the familiar feeling of anxiety washes away when i hear the faint humming of the building's elevator. it's normally hard to hear, but my silent apartment allows me to notice the distant noises.

only a few minutes later she lets herself in, "hey, i texted you."

"yeah, i just woke up." i lie, walking closer to her. i instinctively wrap an arm around her, beaming down at her small frame. 

she giggles, "i knew it."

"you wanna watch a movie?" i ask softly as she nods. i turn and walk into my living room, britt following close behind as she holds onto my arm. it takes me a second to log into my netflix account before giving her the controller.

the couch dips as she sits next to me, curling up closer and putting some random movie on.

not even ten minutes into the movie, i hear a knock on my door. i try to ignore it as the movie just started making sense, but when they knock again, i roll my eyes in annoyance. 

"i'll be right back, okay?" i say, lifting myself off the couch.

"who's here?" she calls, as i'm halfway to the door.

i rub my face, replying with, "nobody, i just gotta sign for a delivery."

when she doesn't speak up again, i continue the walk to my door, and debate internally on not answering. but i shake my head, and open the door.

"you left your coffee." george states, handing my drink to me. it's gotten a little cold but i don't mind. he doesn't look too pleased, and it makes me feel guilty, "yeah, thanks."

george looks at the floor for a while, before turning around and leaving.

"george?"

i watch as he pauses, turning back to me. shrugging, i admit, "i had fun, thanks."

we lock eyes for a moment, and i don't look away. his dark eyes give me a sense of comfort, but at the same time, i'm drowning in them. his lips twitch up into a little smile, before he turns and continues to leave down the hall.

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word count: 1042
*edited*
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