Living in Non-Existence

Ch.6 Welcome Home

The next two weeks passed faster than I thought possible. Marc and I hung out almost every day after his work and I became friends with one of the peppiest barista's. Yes, since I was a regular at the coffee shop, we actually started talking besides more than just my coffee order.

It was on my routine coffee binge that I actually found myself standing behind someone. There was never anyone in line before me but this girl was different and she clearly wasn't from here.

I looked her up and down as she approached the counter. Her blonde hair bounced in its high ponytail, of course it was perfect at the top of her head. My eyes traveled down to her denim jacket, cuffed at the elbows, down to her turquoise blue skater skirt. So yeah, that all seems normal until I looked to the floor. She was wearing the most extravagant pair of embroidered cowboy boots I had ever seen. They were worn to the point that you could tell she had had them for years.

Veronica, my best friend at this beach, the barista, attended her. I listened closely to this foreigner's name. She didn't have any sort of southern drawl when she said it, "Michaela," the girl said spelling it out. Interesting.

"Girl, I have never seen anyone put my outfits to shame but she-" I trailed off looking at Michaela. Ronnie laughed behind the counter. "Alright, kiddo, whatever. Regular?" I nodded my head wiggling my eyebrows, my regular had three shots in it and it felt like lightening coursing through my throat.

"I get off in about half, wanna wait?" Ronnie signaled to the open chair, the only one available, exactly the table where this Michaela girl was sitting. "You bet!" I grabbed my coffee.

Approaching the table cautiously I tapped the girl on the shoulder trying to take her out of the revelry of her book. The girl's panicked brown eyes looked up at me with realistic surprise. My heart swelled for this poor soul, but then again I did kind of look terrifying for someone like her to look at maybe. We were complete opposites in every way possible. Where her girly skirt brushed her legs with ease, my waist high ripped shorts sat cautiously, her plain tank and denim jacket rivaled my too-loose, too-low-cut black tank, and my messy beach crazy hair couldn't even try to compare to hers. She was a vision and I was there looking like I had just been attacked so I understand her as she looked in my eyes with shock.

"I am so sorry to bug you but my friend over there," I pointed to Ronnie behind the counter engaged in a conversation with a handsome brunette cowboy. Guess I knew who he was with. "Gets off work in about half an hour and I want to wait so is it okay if I take this seat or are you waiting for someone?" I figured she would say that it was taken but her mouth opened and closed, a choked groan escaping her mouth as she motioned frantically to the chair across from her.

"So you're not with that boy over there?" I wasn't trying to be intrusive but I couldn't help it, if they weren't together, I had never seen people look so perfect. "Um yeah, that's my boyfriend, Red." She smiled looking at him still talking to Ronnie, if I didn't know her semi-well I would totally think she was flirting but it was Ronnie, she knew how to put two and two together which is probably why she kept looking over at me and this Michaela girl.

I don't know if we talked for half an hour of less but that girl was amazing. She had so many things to say and sure, she was shy with her big brown doe eyes opening wider anytime I talked but she relaxed towards the end.

Her boyfriend approached us, an arm wrapping around her shoulder.

"Ready babe?" He asked smiling looking at me. "Well, hello," he stretched a huge hand out to me, "Red Hewett, pleasure to meet you". I smiled shaking his hand, "Antoinette Nathan, nice to meet you both," I said shaking Michaela's hand also.

"It was so nice to meet you but we do have a schedule," I shook my head to shoo away any excuses they could give me, "I totally understand. It was nice to meet you," I said giving them my warmest smiling and waving to them as they left the shop.