Downtime [Alexandra]

[Deleted]

WELCOME TO A JOURNEY IN COFFEE HEAVEN

Eric let out a sigh.


It was finally break time for him, which seemed to almost always be after working hours. He brewed a cup of hot café latte for himself and took out some vanilla ice cream. His favourite time of the day was always when he could brew himself a cup of coffee and eat some ice cream. That had somehow become a bad habit for him. The young man took off his apron and sat down at one of the tables. The CD was still being played softly overhead and the café doors hadn’t been locked yet. He’ll do that later, he thought. It was his downtime right now and everything else could wait.


Closing his eyes, he took a sip of his coffee. The temperature was dropping day by day, edging closer to the season he hated the most. Eric could never get used to the cold, even after years of living in this country. Hong Kong was always pretty warm. Even in the winter it didn’t get as cold as here. He wanted to hibernate. As much as he loved his job, he hated getting out of bed at the wee hours of dawn, getting ready to serve his morning customers with fresh coffee and food. He was just too serious when it came to his business. And he had every right, seeing as he paid rent for this place.


Eric got up from the chair and walked towards one of the big windows off to the right of the entrance of the shop, coffee cup in hand. He enjoyed looking out the window, watching the line of cars edging like ants in traffic. He sometimes fantasized of where the cars were going. He didn’t like going home, being alone in that apartment made him feel exceptionally lonely. But he hadn’t many friends with most of his time spent here at the shop. He longed for someone to talk to, someone who could understand him.


But that was easier said than done.

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WORDS: ● TAGGED: @alexandra ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Deleted]

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"I need caffeine!" Alexandra squealed as she kept a quick pace down the brisk night streets of the city. She vlogged as she dashed, probably helping to render very shaky footage. But Alexandra was beyond caring. She had stayed up late editing a video, and was nearly done. She was falling asleep, Stef was out, and regular grocery store coffee wasn't going to cut it. Alexandra had become addicted to a certain latte at the coffee shop a couple blocks down, and to her tired mind, it was definitely worth it.

In the bag on her shoulder, Alexandra carried her laptop, a pad of paper and a couple pens, a couple chargers for her various devices, and a pair of sunglasses. She didn't need a pair of sunglasses at night, they just always seemed to be in that particular bag. Whenever she needed them, she couldn't find them. Whenever she didn't need them, there they were. Bundled up in a heavy coat, Alexandra arrived at last to the coffee shop where dreams were made of. Her plan was to get her drink and finish her work there.

Opening the door with one hand and still vlogging with the other, Alexandra didn't notice the quiet at first. What she did notice, however, was that no one was at the counter. Letting out a loud huff, she scanned the room until she spotted who she recognized as the owner based on the fact that he was simply always there when Alexandra came time after time. After this, she began to put the pieces together that the shop had just closed. She had caused a bit of a commotion coming in, and she shrank a bit upon the realization. Crossing the floor to the window where he stood slowly, Alexandra spoke carefully and quietly, her vlog long since paused.

"Um sorry, didn't realize you were closed. I just, um, wanted one of your holiday lattes is all. I can- I can come back tomorrow morning," Alexandra conceded, watching the light snow fall outside, knowing she very well did not want to go back outside right now, but would for the sake of the remnants of her dignity. This would make for an interesting video. At this point, Alexandra wasn't even sure if she would use the footage from the jog to the shop. She would have to admit her mistake if she did.

@eric ● 400 words ● notes: let's get this show on the road!!

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

WELCOME TO A JOURNEY IN COFFEE HEAVEN

He gave a little jump as he noticed the chime at the entrance sounding. Indeed he should have locked the door, seeing as it was after hours. It was just that nobody ever came this late at night, or rather those who did would have guessed from the lack of customers that the shop was closed. Not the particular blonde girl who came barging in. He could only make out her hair colour as it glistened under the lights. Eric wasn't really sure what to do. Thankfully he was spared the thinking when she walked directly to him, an embarrassed expression on her face.

Eric had seen that face somewhere, as he could make out more of the girl's features. She was a regular customer, one who really liked coffee for that matter. Deep down he was really happy he had such loyal customers like her. He could use the word of mouth advertising especially to cover the expensive rent and cost of utilities to run the place. The girl was young and pretty, he admitted, with a sort of serious yet not quite aura about her whenever she visited the shop. He had always been either too busy or too shy to try to strike a conversation with more of it leaning towards the latter of the two. It was simply hard to imagine he could be so socially awkward.

"Um sorry, didn't realize you were closed. I just, um, wanted one of your holiday lattes is all. I can- I can come back tomorrow morning," she flustered, standing before him. Of course he wouldn't and simply couldn't turn her away, back into the cold. By now most of the cafes in the area should be closed or near closing. It was just her luck that he was closing today, and not the other part time staff, who would have rushed to catch the evening train by now. Eric smiled and gestured to one of the sofa seats, right against the window, to his left. He smiled at her slightly and shook his head. "It's alright. I'm glad you like my lattes. Have a seat." he meany every word he said. Eric was not accustomed to compliments and got very few in his time. He secretly liked compliments...a lot.

He would grab a menu for her while she took a seat, telling her that she could order anything she wanted since it was after hours. He was a very nice guy, if you got to know him. He brought her a glass of water and a warm towel for her to wipe her hands. It was a custom he learned when visiting Japanese cafes. They would have warm towels individually wrapped in plastic, warmed or chilled depending on the season. It was so that customers could wipe their hands, cleaning them from whatever they had touched from the outside. He thought she'd need one after walking in the cold night, to warm her hands a little.

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WORDS: ● TAGGED: @alexandra ● NOTES: just had to throw in a little Japanese customs in ^^

deltra of gangnam style

[Deleted]

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Man had Alexandra really messed this one up. Had she so much as even glanced at the clock before running out the door, she would not have walked down the surprisingly somewhat quiet streets for that stupid latte. Maybe this was just part of the whole New York City experience. You had to do it at least once, right?

The man, she believed his name was Eric based on name tags in the past but she wasn't entirely sure, had a somewhat friendly, calm face, and clearly now patient. He had been at the cafe multiple times when Alexandra stopped by, but their conversations consisted of nothing more than please and thank you, for that was all they had ever needed in this particular business setting. And Alexandra never thought that that would change.

Somehow, though, the presumed owner did not turn her away. Why, Alexandra wasn't exactly sure yet. He ushered her to a seat and Alexandra blinked, standing still for a second in surprise. She eventually forced her limbs to move in the direction he gestured, sitting down pretty unevenly on the sofa. It did provide a pretty view. Alexandra didn't tend to sit in the particular spot because it always seemed to be occupied, but obviously not so much now. "Thank you," Alexandra managed to get out, watching him carefully, though shifting her gaze out the window every now and then until he brought her a menu, water, and a warm towel. She was grateful for each, though she was pretty sure she didn't need the menu. Wiping her hands carefully, Alexandra forced herself to make eye contact and smile to display her gratitude as words were clearly not her forte at the moment. The towel was a nice added gesture, one she had only seen in this particular cafe based most likely on ownership. Perhaps there were a couple reasons she preferred this cafe over others.

"Just um, the caramel latte please. If it's not too much trouble." It was her go-to, and Alexandra didn't really believe that she had the ability to peruse and explore the menu at the moment. She had come to work on some editing, but she had a feeling that that would not be happening after all.

@eric ● 376 words ● notes: xxx

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Deleted]

WELCOME TO A JOURNEY IN COFFEE HEAVEN

Eric nodded his head as Alexandra ordered a caramel latte. His caramel lattes were a little different from other coffee shops. He took into consideration the fact that many Americans seem to drink quite sweet drinks, preferring coffees with sugar or syrups. His lattes were more about the coffee as he knew that most people craved the caffeine to provide that energy kick. The cafe owner would put away the menu and head towards the kitchen. He went into the kitchen and took out a bottle of caramel syrup, whipped cream and a slice of vegetable mushroom cheese quiche and returned to the counter overlooking the shop. It was a little weird having just one customer but at least it was quiet.

He had prepared the quiche as a new lunch set menu for the next day, seeing as the weather suddenly became very cold. Eric had thought long and hard of a new dish to capture the interest of customers. It seemed like most of his time was taken up with this new product development, always wanting to rise above his competitors. Eric was hoping the young girl could be his taste tester. He could use some advice. Besides, she was thin, from what the man could see as she sat waiting for her drink. He preheated the small toaster oven beside the expresso machine, put in the slice of quiche, and started making the caramel latte. The sounds of the oven timer and low hissing of the expresso machine at work were the only audible sounds. By now the CD had finished playing too.

It would be around three minutes when the oven timer chimed. Carefully taking out the slice of quiche, he placed it on a plate and added a small amount of green salad with balsamic vinegar as a side. He hoped she'd like the quiche, which he had tried to make as light as possible so that people who came to the shop in the evenings would be able to enjoy without fear of indigestion. Eric brought a wooden tray which had her latte, the quiche and cutlery. As he put the tray in front of her he gave her a little smile. "Would you mind trying the quiche for me? It's for the lunch menu. Please tell me if it doesn't taste good." Although confident in his culinary abilities he was humble as usual. You could tell he wasn't used to talking to women.

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WORDS: ● TAGGED: @alexandra ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Deleted]

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Alexandra always seemed to get herself into these awkward situations. But she liked to think that if something was meant to happen, it will happen, and everything happens for a reason. So perhaps she and Eric needed to meet each other this cold night in New York City. As awkward as it was, he was very pleasant and calm, a nice balance to her normal eccentric personality that she very much was trying to tone down at the moment. He left her to go make the latte, and Alexandra found herself looking out the window to explore the dark depths of New York City at night. It was good for her to get out every now and then, too. The silence was well-needed, and Alexandra took the time to relax, letting her mind wander.

It was a couple of minutes before her new acquaintance appeared, and with more than just a latte. Alexandra grinned as the tray was set before her with an explanation. "Thank you, she stated in surprised as she looked at what was in front of her, "I'm used to playing taste tester though don't worry, my roommate's a chef." She nodded, gesturing for him to sit. Alexandra didn't have any other way to demonstrate her gratitude. She began to dig in, trying not to embarrass herself further in the process. The latte was exactly how she remembered it, but it would not be accompanying her editing on her computer. Sometimes you just really need a break, and that's what she was doing, even though she had no idea what she had been getting herself into. The quiche itself was flavorful but light, perfect for such a late hour. Balsamic was Alexandra's favorite dressing, and she found herself nodding in approval while she ate. She paused, swallowing and praising the food: "It's really good. Not - uh - too heavy either." Alexandra couldn't find any other words to describe what she was tasting, and she hoped that that was enough description for him. Instead, she figured she would turn the talking over to him: "How long have you been working here? I, um, I've seen you here a couple times. Do you like it here?" Based on all the times that Alexandra needed a caffeine kick in the middle of the day, "couple" was a low estimate.

@eric ● 390 words ● notes: xxx

MADE BY VEL OF GS