—
My eyes dart both ways of the street before I quickly cross the road with a a group of other people, the snow falling in chunky little balls and sticking to everything. Including myself.
I push open the door of the café, the small bell chiming like usual. My eyes are immediately drawn to him sitting in the back corner like he was yesterday. Cora was right. He's here.
The girl behind the counter gives me a reassuring nod, telling me she's already whipping up my vanilla and cream latte with a touch of cinnamon that I always order.
My small table is calling my name as I slide out my usual chair, setting my bag on the table and tugging my sketch book and pencil bag out, quickly flipping to his page.
He is sat almost exactly the same, his left leg stretched out with his right sat normally and both of his elbows on the table. And today he wears black jeans, slightly cuffed at the ankle and a grey hoodie and a tan coat over the top with a pair of black high top converse. He still scribbles in his journal just like yesterday.
My pencil starts moving across the page, trying to get done before he leaves. I'm not sure how much longer he was here before I got here, but I hope it wasn't long.
"Back to drawing, I see." The barista sets my latte down causing me to glance up at her, nodding my head with a smile.
"Like always." I laugh. I glance over at the boy in the corner and this time, his eyes are already trained on me. But as fast as I can blink, he's already lowered his head and eyes back to his page. "Do you by chance, know that guy?" I ask, discretely point to him with my pencil.
"No, I see him here everyday, never orders anything though." She quietly replies, shrugging her shoulders. I sigh, the barista walking back to the counter while I continue drawing.
He's interesting to look at and from what I saw in the quick second is he's absolutely gorgeous. But I can't even recall what was so gorgeous about him, he looked away too fast for me to even really remember what I saw.
I wonder if he drinks coffee at all. Or maybe he likes hot chocolate like I do sometimes, or maybe he's into tea. I don't know anyone from NewYork who drinks tea, but it's a possibility.
Maybe he goes to the University like me, but I would've had to have seen him at least once. Or hear of him. I wonder what his name is. I could see him as maybe an Alex.
The more I stare at him, the more I wonder. What's he writing? Maybe he's drawing. Is that like a diary of some sort or something for a class? Maybe he's evaluating me as well. I doubt it.
Today, his vibe seems much more sad than yesterday. The short eye contact between us was long enough for me to see the deep lines between his eyebrows and the frown on his lips. Or maybe he's angry, or upset with someone.
I want to know him.
Turning to look down at my page, I've finally gotten a decent outline of him done. His one leg slightly stretched out from under the table while the other one stays in its place, his left elbow laid out over the table with his right hand holding the pencil.
Now all that I really need is to go back in, add all of the details, shading and shadows to accentuate that feeling of sadness that he gives off. I'd like to get some details of his face but I highly doubt that will ever happen.
I glance down at the time on my phone screen realizing it's already four o'clock on the dot. And when I look up, he's packing his things up and sliding out from his table just like yesterday.
And he walks past me without a glance just like he did yesterday to. The bell chimes when he leaves the café, his figure disappearing in the sea of people outside, leaving me alone to stare at the piece some more.
After a long moment of considering throwing the whole piece away and restarting, I decide to stick with it. I know it'll be good in the end and it'll be different. When the detail comes together at least.
In the meantime, I start sketching out the rest of the details of the wall beside him, along with the window and even the sign that is hung on the wall.
—
"I didn't expect him to say anything to me." I tell Cora through my shower curtain. She stays quiet for a moment as I finish rinsing out the conditioner form my hair before shutting off the water.
"Does he even, like, realize you're drawing him?" She wonders out loud. I shake my head to myself, wondering the same thing Cora is.
With my towel wrapped around my body, I step out from my shower, Cora sat on the vanity counter with her back pressed against the wall, her eyes staring up at the ceiling.
"I just hope I get a good grade on this piece, it's going to be really nice when it's finished." I shrug my shoulders, Cora glancing at me now.
"Maybe you could buy him a drink, like a coffee and send it to his table." She suggests. Usually I don't take much boy advice from Cora, however, this idea of hers isn't half bad.
"I could try, I mean I don't know how he likes it and the barista said he never orders anything when he's there." I explain. Cora laughs loudly causing me to look over at her.
"So he just sits and writes in his journal. . . In a café?" She wonders with a laugh causing me to furrow my eyebrows at her. "Sounds like something you would do, Clove."
"Shut up, maybe he's like some famous writer or something and makes millions." I say, shrugging my shoulders as I lean against the wall, my arms crossed over my chest.
"Or maybeeee." Cora drags out. "He's some weirdo that's secretly keeping tabs on you and is going to kidnap you the next time he sees you."
"For gods sake, Coraline. He's not going to kidnap me." I shake my head, pushing off the wall and walking out of my bathroom and into my bedroom.
"I'm going home, just in case he followed you here and is planning on killing you!" Cora calls from the front of my apartment. I roll my eyes when I head the door open and slam shut, knowing she's full of shit.
I'm just hoping I'll see him again.
I don't know anything about this man, let alone his first name, but somehow I'm completely intrigued by him. Not to mention his great sense of style.
But it's more than just his good style and (possible) good looks. The way he carries himself is also very intriguing to me. He moves around fast, he does things hurriedly but also like he doesn't care.
He seems careless, even with just the way he sits. Slouched shoulders and back, his leg lazily stretched out. His head is always hung down low like he's trying to hide. And it seems that his non dominant fist is always clenched.
There's a lot you can tell about a person just by the way they sit and carry themselves. He strikes me as sad or lonely. I wonder what he does when he's not at the café.
I could be totally misjudging him. He could possibly be the biggest partier to ever walk to earth, or maybe he's a huge softy. I know I'll never know but god I would absolutely love to.
I pull my hair out from the back of my tee shirt before I pull my sketchbook out once again, flipping to his designated page and staring at it. It's such a minimalistic drawing but it says a million words and represents a thousand emotions.
I can't imagine what he thinks about on a daily basis. I wonder if he's happy. Or if he misses someone and that's why he's sad when I see him.
I lay comfortably on my stomach, staring at the sketch, wondering about him. Wondering what he's doing right now, how he's feeling.
My pencil slowly glides across the paper as I shade in his shadow along with the tables. I'm holding off on any part of his actual body so I can get it perfect. And hopefully tomorrow he'll be there.
—
I arrive to the café at my usual time, one in the afternoon. My stomach is filled with nerves, wondering if I'm going to see him there at his table like he always is.
The familiar bell chimes and the comfortable warmth engulfs my body, a small sigh leaving my lips as I brush my hair back and out of my face, the same girl behind the counter. The fresh and strong smell of coffee acting as my daily serotonin.
My eyes flicker to his table, his slouched figure sitting there like I hoped he would be. A small smile tugs at my lips as I step up to the counter, reading my familiar baristas name tag. Josie.
"I'm Clover. I figured I should introduce myself." I say quickly. She smiles warmly, her ginger hair tied into a braid today with a small red bow at the end. "Also, can I do just a black coffee for him?" I ask, nodding my head towards the boy in the corner.
"It's nice to meet you and yeah, that'll be seven fifty." She says, taking the ten from my hand. I tell her to keep the change which she seems to appreciate given her sweet smile.
I quickly make my way to my table, tugging my sketchbook out like I always do and begin to work on his drawing some more, trying to decrease the amount of times I look at him seeming as yesterday I practically stared a hole through his forehead.
I chew the end of my pencil nervously, watching from the corner of my eye as Josie sets his coffee down delicately on his table, his head snapping up with surprise. I keep my focus down on my paper, feeling his eyes burning into me from across the café.
"He didn't say anything, he just stared." Josie mutters subtly as she places my latte down before me. I furrow my eyebrows and glance over at him, seeing his head low like anyways.
"Not even a thank you or. . . anything?" I question lowly. Josie shakes her head, sending me an apologetic look before leaving my table and disappearing back behind the counter.
Now he's got me thinking even more. I haven't spoken one single word to this man, and shared one glance with him and he's already got my mind running wild with questions that don't even make sense, especially for a stranger to be asking another fellow stranger.
It doesn't make sense. Maybe he just doesn't like coffee like I suspected, or maybe he doesn't like black coffee and cousin go for more of a latte like myself.
And far too soon the clock has hit four and he is packed up and already out the door. Josie and I share glances before I stand and walk over to his table, glancing in the small cream mug I had bought for him hours ago.
And it's completely full.
—
Happy update baby! I hope this was okay? Usually I don't incorporate different days into chapters but they would be super short if I didn't!
I promise this will move along shortly so hang in there! I hope you're enjoying so far either way!
Don't forget to vote and comment! It means so much to me when you do!
Much love
~C