Coffee Beans

Coffee Cake, Victoria Sponge

The next day, Ellie woke up to the sound of her piercing alarm. Maybe her Dad was right; Sundays were the hardest for getting up on time. Taking the day off would be a lot easier and also give her a lie-in for once.

Eventually, she persuaded herself that the homeless shelter needed the cake more than she needed her duvet. Choosing something random from her wardrobe, Ellie packed the tubs of cakes and biscuits into a large carrier bag and walked into the centre of the village.

Their village didn't have a big homeless population, but they did have to deal with the overflow from London. After the short ten minute walk, she had reached an old red-brick building. It almost looked like a converted fire station but had in fact been a bakery. A London-based charity had then bought the building and converted it into a shelter. With a wave to the guard, the building's door slid open and Ellie signed her name on a piece of paper.

Handing her a laminated name badge, the guard grinned, showing unnaturally white teeth. "We don't want people thinking you're here for help, do we?" He said. Ellie was unsure whether or not to laugh.

"Is Mark here?" She asked sweetly, ignoring another bad joke that the guard tried to make. He nodded and pointed down a corridor.

"Yep, and in the same room as always. Did you know he has a name thing for his desk now? I don't. It's not fair really. Discrimination in the workplace I reckon." He swirled around in the spinning chair a bit, his eyes following Ellie until she was completely out of sight.

"So weird," she whispered. Shaking the last few minutes out of mind, she quickly arrived at the room she needed. The door opened and a chorus of hellos wrapped around her like a warm hug.

"Hello everyone," Ellie said, not having to fake a smile among the lovely volunteers. "I've brought some more cake from the shop. I hope that's ok?" She put the carrier bag down and opened one of the tubs, letting some of the nearby ladies sniff enthusiastically.

"Of course its ok," came a silky smooth voice from behind. Ellie spun around and felt her cheeks burn as she locked on to Mark's bright blue eyes.

"How come you're working on a Sunday?" Ellie said, fiddling with a loose strand of hair peeking out from beneath her woolly hat.

Mark shrugged and smiled. "Why not?" He looked over Ellie's head and raised an eyebrow at the other ladies, all of which immediately turned back to their computers. The sound of their keyboards was irritating but would be loud enough if-

Mark leaned forward until his head was close to Ellie's. "This way," he whispered. "I can see you more than just for my morning coffees." His mop of neatly combed black hair was almost brushing against Ellie's cheek. It ran a chill down her spine just thinking about it.

A/N: Thanks for the comments and votes - I didn't expect this story to be so popular XD So again, thank you. Please keep letting me know what you liked or what needs to be reviewed; this keeps me getting better! Happy reading folks :)