soldier | | ash

➳ one

➳ 

mary e. o'niel 

➳ 

It's just like any other Wednesday morning. I start my shift in the morning, take a break at eleven, and then finish the day off at five. The coffee shop is only a bike ride down from my parent's house. It's sad to say I still live there even after university, but I need to save up and they're welcoming. Luckily, I managed to keep a sturdy relationship with them even after my turbulent teenage years.

I'm washing up and getting prepared to close up shop when the bell rings. A young man, probably a year or two younger than myself, saunters into the coffee shop at 4:57. I stare at him as he walks to the register sliding his wallet out of his way too tight skinny jeans that cling to his hips.

"Can I help you?" I say feeling my blood boil. Customers always did this: they came in close to closing time and ordered the most annoying things that took a good five plus minutes to make forcing me to have to re-clean the counter. My boss tells me I can never turn away a customer unless they come in right at 5:00.

The man's lips tug into a small smile, and he gives a short laugh. "If you wouldn't mind."

"You did decide to come in three - no, now two - minutes before closing."

He raises his brow and looks around the now completely empty coffee shop besides the two of us standing in the corner and me behind the counter in uniform dirty from a day of making coffee and sandwiches to about one hundred people. I live in a small town.

"Looks like there's not many people waiting, so I think I can take my time." His smile changes into a daring smirk, and I take the time I spend glaring at him to register what is going on. I've never seen this kid before in my life, and if I have, I doubt I would've forgotten his face. When he was smiling, he had dimples on both cheeks that sunk deep into his hollowed cheeks. His eyes were a sharp hazel that seemed to change shade every time I look at them. His hair is short, but curly and sits on top of his head. He has a black bandanna tied snug around his forehead. If it weren't for his annoying smirk and smart-ass comments, I may actually find him decent.

I roll my eyes and put my hands on the counter in front of him. "You want something or not, kid?"

He scoffs and leans against the counter keeping his brow raised and a smirk across his lips. "Oh, so I'm a kid now?"

"If you're not going to buy anything, leave. No loitering." My finger points to a sign on the window that says, "no loitering." I don't want to be one of those people who is annoying with the whole loitering thing, but at the same time, I could be on my way home by now.

"Fine, fine," he waves his hand and looks up at the menu behind me written in chalk. Lucky for him, I didn't decide to erase the writing before he entered the shop. I suddenly wish I had. "I'll have a medium iced coffee."

"That's it?" I say typing the order into the register.

"Yes. How much?"

"Three ninety-five."

He hands me a five dollar bill and I ring up the change before turning my back to go to the fridge to get the needy boy his iced coffee. It's at this moment, I can't help but feel like I'm being watched. I turn my head over my shoulder slightly to meet eyes with this stranger. That's all he is to me, some stranger. It kind of scares me some random guy walks in moments before I close down and asks only for a coffee he could easily get at some concession store down the street. If he's from around here, he knows this place closes down promptly at five. It's mainly because of me, but people respect the way things go around here. This kid obvious does not.