Incredibly Short Stories

Coffee Cup

She came here everyday. Looking for a place to sit and read without any disturbances. I used to write her name as best I could, in calligraphy like I knew she liked. I would give her the cup and she'd give me a smile. A smile I can't explain, it's like she wasn't even trying and didn't know how beautiful her smile was. I'd stare at her just to see that smile form when she reads her name on the cup with a heart at the end, just how she writes it on her school papers.

Sometimes we would have a casual banter from across the counter as I organize the cups into a pyramid while she draws in her book. Her laugh wasn't the most beautiful noise, but I loved to hear it. As we grew closer she began to sit behind the counter in a criss crossed position. I bought her a nice pillow so she can sit on that instead of the hard floor and she almost cried when she saw it. She was an emotional wreck, but a lovely mess.

I never noticed just how messed up she was until she didn't come. The first day I thought nothing of it, but then she didn't appear for a week. I missed her, I never knew how lonely I used to be until she came along. When she came back I was elated until I saw how skinny she had gotten and how her smile wasn't bright. She would take the cup from my hands, smile a bit, look into my eyes for a second and then walk away. I would stare at her sitting at her usual back table, the pillow on the ground forgotten.

She never even glanced at her name anymore. She never even talked to me anymore. Never smiled. The brightness in her eyes was gone and I wondered why. I wanted to help her but I didn't want to be a bother. We never spoke again unless it was a quick hello. The last time she came was just like the first time. She smiled that beautiful smile and looked me in the eyes while telling me one last joke. She sat on her pillow with her favorite book in her lap. She looked comfortable I noticed, with her favorite outfit on.

The next morning I walked into work and noticed a coffee cup sitting at her table, but she wasn't there. I thought she had just gone to the bathroom. I grabbed the cup and smiled at the lipstick stain along the rim. My smile fell though as I read the words written along the cup.

Thank you for the best times of my life. -Smiles

She never came again. And just like that the light had been shut off. Just like it was for her. The pillow on the ground collected dust and I took it home, along with her last coffee cup.