Short Stories

Chemistry

Part 1:

Addison Whyte stood behind the counter of a dainty little cafe on the main street of Blinding Peaks sketching over her Chemistry homework. The counter was dark wood and stood against the far left wall, the creme-coloured walls blended with the dark wood accents, the barn-like roof giving the whole room a cottage feel. Several tables were scattered across the room with miss-matching chairs. An old couple sat at a table in the back corner laughing and sipping coffee. A clock on the wall counted down the seconds and Addison sighed. She still had half an hour before closing time. Her pen danced across the page outlining the curves of the face she was absentmindedly drawing. She watched the couple stand to leave, the older man helping his wife into her jacket. They smiled at her as they left, thanking her for their coffee. She waved them out and looked back at her drawing. She was shocked to see that it was a male face, his piercing eyes were missing something she just couldn't put her finger on it. His jawline was sharp, cheekbones were structured. His wavy hair came to the tips of his ears, the dark ink making it look midnight black. The white of the page gave him an eerie pale look. The bell above the oak door jingled pulling Addison out of her reverie. A tall middle-aged man walked in shaking his long blonde hair out of his eyes. He had a yellow muscle shirt on with khaki shorts. His sunglasses sat atop his golden mane, the frame of them matching his white beaded necklace. It was safe to say he wasn't local. Many people stopped in Blinding Peaks on their way to the bright, sunny shores of the Tiger Beaches. He made his way over to the counter smiling brightly.

"Hi! Welcome to Mugs and Bean, how can I help you?"

He stared above my head at the dark chalkboard that filled most of the back wall, the coloured lettering slightly faded. His eyebrows furrowed in thought, making his icy blue eyes grow darker.

"Hmmm I don't know... what do you suggest?" His voice was just as bright as the rest of him.

"Personally I like the maple bacon coffee, but the cappuccino is super popular" Addison had a weird taste in a lot of things, coffee being one of those.

"Well then, I'll take one large maple bacon coffee thanks" He smiled at her as she worked, paying and sending one last wave over his shoulder while he walked out. Addison looked up at the clock and decided it was time to clean up.

The lock clicked and Addison pulled the key out from the large oak door. The cafe closed up for the night, all the chairs upside down on the tables, and lights turned off. As she walked down the steps of the little cafe she put her earphone in and pressed play on her phone. She sighed as the music overtook her for a second before she trudged along the sidewalk. The sun was low on the horizon as it was around 4 o'clock. Addison made her way through the familiar streets, smiling when someone she knew waved. Her dad was in the Blinding Peaks council so they were known throughout the small town. She kept her head down humming slightly to the song that was drifting through her earphones. Turning the corner onto her street she ran straight into something, or rather someone. Addison landed on her backside with a small oof. Her phone fell to the side taking her music with it. A hand came into focus and when she looked up her breath caught in her throat. She had seen this boy before. His steely grey eyes, his sharp jawline, and his wavy raven hair all seemed too familiar. It suddenly hit her. Addison knew this boy because she had his features mapped out over her chemistry work. She had drawn him.