Quaran-Queen ♕♔

One

Otis and I walked in silence for the rest of the short walk to Vanessa's Coffee. It's always been one of my favorite places in the city.

Vanessa's Coffee is a cute shop in a brick building, it's home in a rather small building, but it fits perfectly in place. Windows and the door cover one wall, giving the people on the street a nice view into the cozy place.

At what I'd consider the front of the space is a small elevated stage with a single microphone stand and a couple of stools crowded against the back wall.

Various circle tables are spaced around in the center of the space, a set up with a coffee table, couch, and plush chair pushed against the right wall.

The barista counter stands a few steps in from the doorway, it's the first thing you see when you walk in the doors. Bottles of syrups, canisters of beans and powders, and different machines with purposes I had no idea toward lines the counters.

A glass case displays fresh baked goods on the counter, acting as a barrier to the part of the counter with the coffee and the cash register part. It is perfectly labeled and organized, as is everything in the store, Vanessa made sure of that.

Looking past the cash register and over the counter there are saloon style swinging doors that lead to the kitchen area.

If you go to the back wall between the glass case of fresh pastries and the stage there's a short hallway with another door to the back with another entrance to the kitchen, the doors to the single stall bathroom, and a door to the alley out back.

The cafe may be small, but it has something about it that almost stops you at the door while you look around in amazement.

I'm not sure if it's the deliciously strong aroma of muffins and americanos, or the atmosphere with the workers and comfy chairs and tables.

Regardless, it's amazing.

Behind the barista counter, Vanessa and another one of the baristas are watching the person on the makeshift stage.

Vanessa looks to the door as it closes, she smiles and waves to us. Vanessa's pretty young to have the amount of success she has.

She opened the store two years ago when she was twenty-five, and now at twenty-seven she is looking into opening a second store in a different part of the city.

Whisper-shouting to me, she asks, "did you bring my five dollars."

I try to chuckle quietly, as not to disturb the girl performing her spoken word poetry, but don't quite succeed as about three of the ten or twelve people here look over.

Opening my wallet, I hand her one of the crumpled bills that has been there probably since 2019, "I couldn't find my favorite jeans."

Emily, Vanessa's fiancé, walks out from the kitchen and moves to wrap her arm around her waist, "hey guys."

"Hey, Emily," I smile as Otis waves and takes his guitar off his back.

Gently laying the hard case on the nearest open table, he as quietly as possible opens the case revealing his dark wood guitar that he saved up to buy for Christmas.

"Could we get our usuals?"

Vanessa nods and turns to the new barista, a college aged girl with bright orange hair, pretty eyes, and a name tag reading "Kenzie :)", who starts to grab cups and press buttons.

I turn to Otis, "you're going to kill it man. What's the worst that can happen?"

Two Weeks Before The Prologue- July, 2020