Coffee Beans

Americano To Latte

Ellie finally took the chance to breathe as two o'clock came round. The lunch rush had died down and most of the Mums had left, taking their children home to get ready for a family dinner no doubt. She took a cloth out from the cupboard beneath the sink and soaked it under the tap. She then wrung out the cloth so most of the water had been pushed from its fibres before it was ready to clean the work surface.

Cake crumbs flew onto the floor for her to sweep up later. The milk steamer on the coffee machine soon returned to its silver shine rather than the dull white that had taken its place. The cake stands reflected the lights above them with a single wipe. Even the till looked sparkly and new with a wipe of the cloth. Ellie beamed when she had finished and looked up at the clock. Half an hour before closing time.

The last group of Mums got up from their table and put their coats on, herding their children out of the door. "Thank you very much!" They said, almost in unison. 

Ellie waved goodbye, especially to the children. She thought back to days out with her parents. They would regularly spend hours at a coffee shop with nothing for her or her brother to do. It was always a small victory when she saw a child smile with one of her board games or pencils in their hand. It meant she had prevented the same boredom she'd had to suffer.

Ellie laughed at her own thoughts; boredom wasn't painful at all, but it still made her happier to see the kids laughing rather than crying.

"What's so funny?" A familiar voice said from behind.

Ellie spun around and didn't quite know how to react when she saw Robin stood before her. It was almost weird to see her with dry hair and without heavy clothes darkened by the rain. Instead, she was wearing black jeans, a knee-length button-up coat and a thick knitted scarf.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Ellie said, stumbling over her words. She glanced up at the clock above her head. Five minutes till closing time. "You're certainly making a habit of coming late, aren't you?" She laughed a little and was relieved to hear Robin laugh with her.

"I'll try harder next time," Robin muttered, tucking a loose hair behind her ear. After a short pause, silence growing between them, Robin got out her purse from one of her coat pockets. "But if it's ok, I'd like to order a coffee?"

Ellie nodded and prepared the coffee machine. "What would you like? You have to make the decision this time," she smiled and watched carefully as Robin looked over the blackboard coffee menu above their heads.

"I'll try a latte then, please," Robin said, putting a two-pound coin on the counter.

"Right away," Ellie began to steam the milk, hot coffee pouring into a mug. "Although you'll have," she looked back at the clock. "About three minutes to drink it," she smirked, pouring the milk into the mug.

A/N: Thank so you so much for your comments (and votes), they mean a lot to me. I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am writing it! Let me know what you think with a comment; I'm always open to suggestions :) Happy reading everyone XD