The Caesar Cipher

Chapter 1: Lucien Brown

Longing

Writer's block. The typing cursor blinking back at your zoned-out eyes. This sentece itself have several writing and grammatical errors 'cause I am feeling too dead inside to care.

I never really knew how to start a book so did I back then. Alright, let's start from back then,

The slow lazy sunlight of a November evening brushed its way from between and above the tall buildings. Chit-chattering and buzzing group of gossiping old ladies walked past the glass window of the cafe as I lazily watched them, resting my chin on the palm of my hand with my elbow on the glass table while I battled the bittersweet feeling of drowsiness which tried to pin my eyelids closed.

I sighed, sinking into my chair and fishing a packet of Caprisun out of my opened bag on the table. Popping the straw into the packet, slurping a sip in, and letting the citrus taste of the orange juice brush the neural network and reactivate the attention bar of my brain.

I straightened in my seat and wiped my mouth with the edge of my sweater's sleeve, let out a short sigh and brushed the charcoal-black strand of hair from my forehead that slightly curled up near the corner of my sight. Yet still my creativity didn't budge to strike me like it does to those writers in movies. I was ready to write the greatest book of all time today and would only seek sleep once I was done with it but seemed like greatness didn't want me.

Lowly growling under my breath, I reclined back into my seat with my arms crossed in front of my chest as I continued to boringly gaze at the visitors of the cafe.

I have been here a lot of times ever since I was freely allowed to leave the house. I have been visiting this cafe daily, so I do know a lot of tea going on in the town just by watching and 'accidentally' eavesdropping on the people here.

Though, not all the time it's all merry and exciting.

Sometimes you get stuck in these lonesome thoughts as you see people having the best moment of their life, talking with the best person they'd ever met in their life, soon to realize, realizing and having realized this fact.

I watched the tired nurse couple, sitting near the gate laughing with tears in their eyes at jokes that weren't even funny. The indie couple that just moved into the town were drinking hot cocoa and counting the months they have been together almost 49. A boy in the back was talking to his best friend on her phone and making fun of how she acted around the holidays. The barista girl wears a ring but tells people that she is not engaged.

The ones sitting a few tables across me met in class for metaphysical philosophy. The guy with his friends waiting in line tells them that he likes her 'cause she is so much smarter than he. The indie couple were having talks about their future until 4 A.M., and I was happy for them.

Dreamily sighing, I wondered if I ever had the chance to feel all the same love and emotion but my brain reminded me how I look and the same 'never mind' popped that idea out, leaving me with a cold misty feeling.

The doorbell clinked and the droning outside sound hummed as the door opened and a group of teenagers walked in, which painfully didn't take too long to identify who they were.

The same warm chuckles and giggles that didn't seem to stop, the same scent of the sweet strawberry perfume tickling my nostrils, bringing back the hazy memories, the Taylor Swift merch hoody he wore, that was the dearest to him and small tired smiles of his that reminded me of home...though this time they were for someone else. I glanced at them with a strange pinning and glitching feeling churning my stomach inside out as a million thoughts zipped all across my mind in an overwhelming rush.