2:27 am - lrh [ON HOLD]

the first of many

2:27 am

A bell above her head rang as she stepped into the 24-hour coffee shop. She had just moved into my new apartment and the only thing she wanted was to get a fresh pair of sheets on her bed. She smiled at the lankish boy behind the counter. He was tired, that much was obvious. His blond hair was ruffled in different directions and his eyes barley opened after each blink.

'A small coffee please - decaf' she said as the boy pushed a few button on the cash register.

'That'll be $1.75 thank you' he mumbled, sleep present in his voice. She scrambled through her pocket to find coins and handed them to him.

As the sound of a coffee machine started up she scanned the empty cafe from the seat she had taken at the back. It was small and dirty to put it plainly. The checkered tiles were coming up in the corner, visible piles of dust were collecting in various areas of the cafe and the windows had small handprints all over them.

'E-excuse me? Your coffee's ready' the boy called. She jumped off of her seat and made her way over to him.

As she took the coffee from him, their hands touched. They were warm. She muttered a thanks and pushed open the door to begin walking home in the brisk morning air.

She pushed the door to my apartment open, slightly breathless after climbing a total of 2 flights of stairs before throwing away the empty coffee cup and returning to the unpacking she had started before she left.