The Warrior's Second Chance Mate

Chapter Four: Normal Coffee People

Annabeth

The look of longing was clearly showing on my face as my eyes moved towards the window, seeing the bright spring sun shining there, luring me to go out. To breathe the fresh air and to feel the warm sunrays on my skin, but no, I couldn´t go yet.

I had to be there, locked up inside my work place, which was a nice and cosy, but busy café, as I was earning money, so I could hopefully one day be doing what I loved.

Photography.

I was finishing my last semester at university, studying photography and the history of art. I have just had the last lecture left tomorrow and then the final exams. I had planned to study for them in the coming week hoping to have some quiet and peace at home to do so. I wanted to become a famous photographer, I wanted to travel the world and capture important meaningful moments.

I loved taking pictures. I loved the feeling of capturing something important in time.

The moment that is gone forever and impossible to reproduce again. It made me feel like I was part of something, like as if I belonged somewhere. I captured the moments that were fleeting, the people who were quickly moving, the time that passed rapidly before my eyes, the clouds travelling in the sky, the waves that would never crash against the shore in the same way and landscapes that were constantly changing.

I wanted to tell a story through my pictures. I was normally a very closed-off and introverted person, but I liked to express myself through my camera and using it as an extension of myself, showing to the outside world who I really was.

Even right now, my fingers were itching to hold the camera.

I was interested in nature, where the ideas came flowing right inside my mind, but I also found inspiration in mundane routines like making a coffee. The different patterns the foam was creating were fascinating to me and I wanted to memorise them by taking a picture.

The annoying yapping of the customer brought me back from my thoughts as I turned my head in the direction of the high-pitched noise that was coming from a girl standing in front of me. A charming, pleasant smile was on my lips even though inside I wanted nothing more than to pounce at her over the counter and punch her straight at her perfect plastic-surgery-enhanced nose for bugging me while I was day-dreaming.

“I want a venti caramel macchiato, one quarter of a syrup, two quarters of soy-bean milk and one quarter of coffee,” she told me with that high-pitched nasal voice of hers.

I looked at her as if she was a hallucination, but unfortunately not. She was real like the rest of the annoying squad behind her, looking all arrogant and perfect with her platinum blond hair and big doe-like brown eyes framed by fake eyelashes that were basically brushing against her cheeks.

I mean nobody had such long lashes in reality. Her hair was shining and slick, not one hair out of order as she swiped it over her shoulder, uncovering a slender neck with fair ivory skin.

“And I four quarters don’t care,” I murmured lowly under my nose.

Even though I was mostly an observer, I had a big mouth that would sometimes get me into an awkward or unpleasant situation. I just couldn’t help myself. It was like my brain totally stopped and let my mouth do all the work and waited for what would happen.

“What did you just say?” the blond asked, narrowing her eyes at me, trying to look intimidating, but in reality, she looked like a small puppy ready to bite.

Cute.

“I said, is that all I can offer you?” I told her, mastering my most innocent expression even though I thought my eye twitched a bit.

Traitorous b*tch!

“No, we also want a mint chocolate Frappuccino…” she blabbered and listened and wrote down all the other orders from the squad behind her.

I forced a smile on my face as I turned around to make the order with a terrible nudging need to put the lexaurin there as the new syrup flavour. There was this voice inside my head telling me what a great idea that was. I glanced next to me at my colleague, Theo, who was smirking and rolling his eyes at the girls standing in front of the counter.

God, I hated her and I didn´t even know her.

Where were the normal coffee people?

Where were the people drinking the black or white coffee?

Were they even existing nowadays?

All I did while working here for the last three months was weird, sweet milk combinations with a splash of real coffee. I bet the girl behind me didn’t even know what a real coffee colour was.

Or maybe she did.

I shouldn’t be judging people according to their appearance, but it was damn hard not to when they looked like a Barbie doll taken off the shelf that someone put in the middle of the big bad world and left, closing the door behind them.

I finished the order for her, not giving a s**t about the quarters, handing it back to her as she and her squad paid and thankfully left. The sound of the door closing behind them was like an enchanted melody to my ears.

I couldn’t f*cking wait until my shift would end.

I had to start studying for my exams that were nearing and I needed all the focus and strength for it. I worked my arse off to get to university and I would finish it with flying colours. It was hard to get there and eventually I was granted a scholarship. The two hours were left of my shift and tomorrow's last one before I would have a week off for my studies.

I didn’t have rich parents or parents at all that would be paying for my studies, so I had to work every day after or before school to pay my expenses. Luckily, the scholarship covered all my school expenses and also books, but the accommodation was not included.

Hopefully, I would be able to study in peace, but I doubted it as my roommate was very active in her social life, quite the opposite to me, but she was a nice, funny and great person in general.

She had quickly become my friend, my only friend really.

The advantage was also the low rent, as her parents owned the place and let her stay there for free with me paying just half the amount of what I would be paying otherwise. I really did hit the golden grail by finding her offer online when I decided to move here in the town from the dorms that I was staying previously.

I had to move due to an uneasy and complicated situation that I wouldn’t like to think about right now. It always brought me a sour taste in my mouth and a headache, together with a flicker of fear still very much present inside me. My stomach was in knots just thinking about what could have happened as the dread spread through me, bringing me back into that night, when my consent didn’t matter. Even after months, the memory was making shivers run down my spine and not the good ones.

I shook my head, annoyed with myself as the door of the café opened and Barbie came back with her eyes raging and her hand with the mug was shaking.

“This is not what I ordered!” she shouted at me angrily and her palm hit the countertop, making me look at her wide eyes.

Jesus, that girl needed more sugar!

“Are you sure?” I asked her calmly, seeing her glare at me, “venti caramel macchiato, one quarter of syrup, two quarters of soy-bean milk and one quarter of coffee.” I repeated the things she said previously.

“It´s sweeter than usual!” she claimed, “you put more syrup into the drink!” she accused me, shouting, and I tried to remember if I had done what she was accusing me of.

Maybe. I honestly didn't remember anymore.

There might be the slightest, a very small part of truth in her claim, but there was also no way I would admit it out loud.

“Well,” I started to say to her, “we have a new syrup, so it might be a little bit sweeter than the one you are used to.” I lied skilfully seeing Theo glancing at me, but he didn’t say anything to oppose my claim.

By now, her shouting had got the attention of everyone in the room as they were looking at her as if she was crazy. I had to cut her a slack because when I said my lie, her expression softened, and she actually looked remorseful. Her face went red with embarrassment.

I smirked internally, but my shocked expression didn't fall. I kept playing my part like a pro.

“Oh, well, them …,” she started to say slowly, glancing around herself, seeing all the eyes were on her before she took a deep breath and looked me right in the eyes.

“You should inform your customers about such a change, then I would require just one eighth of a syrup and more soy-bean milk,” she said, huffing as her fingers were now thumping on the countertop nervously.

Well, at least she knew the math behind the order.

She might not be as stupid as I had originally thought.

“I apologise Miss, we have changed the syrup. It is a bit sweeter than the previous one. May I offer you a new coffee?” I asked her with a sweet voice, maybe overworking it a bit.

I saw her nod at me, handing me the mug as I started to work on the new order.

The people inside the room were still giving her looks, some of them frowning, some shaking their heads, getting back to their original conversation and some sent her a glare.

I finished making a coffee right this time according to her original request, as I handed it back to her.

She took a sip and nodded in agreement before taking out a few quid and putting it down on the counter before she turned and walked out of the shop.

I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding as the door clicked s**t behind the blond barbie doll.

“B*tch,” I murmured under my nose as I took the cash and turned around to shove it down the tip jar.

Thankfully, I was paid by hour, so I didn’t need to relate to the tips, but it was nice to have some extra cash from time to time.

“New syrup hm?” Theo laughed as he came over to me, his baby blue eyes sparkling against his tanned skin.

He was hot as hell, but also gay, unfortunately for me, as he was one of the few good and decent men I had met in my life so far. Tall and well-built but not overly muscular with broad shoulders and a sweet smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts, shaggy brown hair and baby blue eyes, as bottomless as the ocean.

“Better than offering her a biscuit,” I shrugged, smirking at him, “that girl desperately needed sugar!” I laughed, making him chuckle at my remark.

“Or s*x,” I added, making his chuckle again, his eyes twinkling like stars in the sky.

I liked stary night. There was something beautiful and relaxing about watching the night sky.

“Oh, Beth. That big mouth of yours will one day get you into serious trouble,” he warned, shaking his head as he turned to serve the new customers.

My smile vanished after hearing his words.

He didn’t know that it already had.