Our Favorite Student (TxSxT)

Ch. 6 - The Café

Imani Hill's point of view:

After a long day of standing in heels, over exerting my voice, and grading papers I finally decided on a break. I drove out of the school's parking lot and headed towards my favorite café.

The third week of school has just finished and I still haven't fully adjusted. I've made a routine for my students and I to follow, but outside of work I'm just a mess.

I moved across the country from California to New York almost two months ago, and somehow still feel like a tourist. Every time I leave the house there's something new that I haven't noticed or learned about yet.

I get lost pretty often but I don't let it discourage me. This new environment is still just the change I needed in my life. I ran away from a lot of things back home so it's best for me to just focus on the future.

I pushed open the glass door to the café and took a seat near the back. I inhaled the sweet scent of cinnamon and fresh coffee. I ordered a drink and then opened up my laptop.

I started to work on lesson plans and presentation slides for the next week. Even though I came for a break the workaholic in me foiled my plans. I got carried away until a voice interrupted my train of thought.

"Can I interest you in one of our dessert specials? You've been here a long time and you look like you need it." A waitress spoke.

The woman was beautiful even while being dressed in a stained t-shirt and an apron. She had a sweet smile on her face which felt genuine. I checked the time on my phone and realized that I've been in the café for two hours.

"Oh sorry, I guess I lost track of time. But I'll have a dessert." I replied.

"It's no problem at all. What desert would you like?" The waitress asked.

"I'm not too sure. I haven't tried any of them yet." I said while quickly peering at the menu.

"You're definitely missing out but I can fix that. I'll bring you my favorite dessert on the house." She said.

"You really don't have to do that. I can pay for it." I reasoned.

"Nonsense. I'm paying for it and you can't stop me." The waitress said with a sly grin. She then turned on her heels and walked into the kitchen.

The jingle from the bell on the door informed me that someone had entered the café so I turned my head to look. I met eyes with my colleague Trinitee who looked disheveled.

She quickly walked over to my table and sat down with a heavy sigh. I looked her up and down to try and figure her out.

Her previously neat bun was now decorated with flyaways. The tight paint suit she had on from this morning was now full of wrinkles.

"Long day?" I asked with a smirk. I'm sure she didn't have a bit of fun before walking into the café, but it wasn't an off base assumption either.

She rolled her eyes at me and shifted her face into a pouty expression. "Listen you don't even know the half of it, so don't judge me." She huffed.

I had to admit she looked pretty cute when she was upset but I still wanted to know what was bothering her. Before I could question Trinitee about what she meant the waitress returned.

She walked over to me with a smile on her face and placed a small plate on my table. "This is a chocolate molten lava cake. The best dessert we serve here in my expert opinion." The waitress said.

"Thank you for this. It looks delicious." I said and smiled back. I took a bite and was delighted by how good it tasted. The cake itself was soft and sweet while the inside was full of warm, gooey, melted chocolate.