The Last Coffee Shop

Chapter 4: Second Male Lead Syndrome

When her alarm went off, reminding her about the meeting, Mads finally left the shop to get ready. She was going to make Alan late if she didn't get moving, and after their conversation this afternoon, there was a chance he'd just leave without her if she didn't show up in time.

Upstairs, Mads changed her simple smock and trousers to a more professional plain black dress and heeled boots. She also made a valiant effort at smoothing her chin-length dreadlocks. As usual, they refused to stay put. Last of all, she inhaled and tried to stand up straight, looking at her reflection in the scabbed and pitted mirror.

Her stomach wasn't completely flat, and this dress had the tendency to accentuate that, unless Mads' posture was perfect. She added a pale blue scarf, to draw eyes from her stomach, or worse, her wide hips. 

"This will have to do," she muttered, tearing her eyes from the mirror before she decided to discard the nicer clothes in despair. This was why she tended to ignore her appearance. Faced with the legendary loveliness of her mother, and the current icy grandeur of Grandmere, Mads couldn't compete, so she had never tried. Krill also, with her purple skin and bright eyes -- all indigo and fuchsia -- had an elegant beauty about her.

Mads had always felt like a weed in a flower garden, so she'd tried to be the best at everything else. If she couldn't be a beauty, she could be smart, strong, and poised. So far, she felt like she could only claim to be strong. Years of boxing and hard work got her at least that far.

"You're only twenty seven," she addressed herself aloud as she left her room. "Plenty of time."

"Time for what?" Luc was leaving the shower rooms, his shaggy, dark hair dripping on his ratty shirt and hanging in his eyes. "And I'm somewhere north of twenty seven myself, so I resent the insinuation that my time might be running out."

Mads frowned in annoyance. "I wasn't talking to you. But do you have any other clothes?" He was wearing the same worn-out things he'd had on earlier, and they were streaked with grease and dirt.

Luc's brows disappeared into his hair. "Not really. If I did, would I be here begging?" His mouth tilted a bit, the first hint of a smile she'd seen since he'd arrived. "Not that I'm complaining. Besides, clothes can't compare to free bread. You were right about Krill, she's basically a wizard."

"Krill's a treasure." Mads managed to sound civil, even though she wasn't really interested in talking to the stranger about clothing, bread, or anything else at the moment.

"Where did you find her? Andalarians rarely come this far out."

He was right. The Andalarians' homeworld was even farther than Rax, and twice as remote. Mads shifted, wishing he wasn't blocking the whole hallway. It made her feel trapped. "Krill's adventurous. She had already been across the galaxy a few times when we met."

That was only part of the story. Krill had been beaten and alone when Mads had found her shivering in the barn. On the run from a brutal fiancé, Krill had been desperate, having spent her last Galactic to get her as far away from her homeworld as she could afford. Mads had made Krill a white mocha with a hint of butterscotch, and a crumbly attempt at a scone. 

Krill had taken one bite of the scone and made a horrible face. "I can do better," she had said, with no hubris, simply stating a fact. The drink, on the other hand, had made her eyes roll in delight. And that was that. They had been inseparable ever since. To date, there had (thankfully) been no sign of the fiancé.

Luc shook his head, sending water spattering like a giant dog. "Long story?"

Mads frowned at the water spots on the walls, realizing that she'd been lost in her memories. "There are a lot of those around here, long stories."