Super Star Crossed Lovers

An Eventful Morning

The day was a drafty one in New York City. A cold front had arrived to New England surprisingly late, and Luigi was unprepared. Unemployed and armed with empty pockets, he spent yesterday morning with only his usual attire, and in the afternoon Luigi rummaged through his parents' closets for appropriate winter garments. This morning, he rushed out of the door with a warm corduroy jacket and a green scarf lovingly knitted by his mother. He had a very busy morning ahead of him; two interviews, both for a job as a line chef. He had one at nine-fifteen, then another at ten-thirty.

He always stopped by his favorite coffee shop, The NightOwl Cafe, for a black cow and some toast. On less urgent mornings Luigi would sit by the black-tinted window and watch characters walk alongside the two young oaks positioned on the storefront's sidewalk. The shop was along a popular route for dog walkers. He loved seeing the expensive breeds. The dogs were definite show-breed material; they had the most gorgeous fur and the cutest little faces with their sparkling black eyes. On one morning he counted 267 dogs, all glamorous and unaffordable.

This morning he had no time to gawk at businessmen's items. He entered and heard that heavenly ring, that promise of a good cup of coffee. He has frequented this café for three years now, since he was fresh out of college with no place to go. Luigi, raised to be polite above all else, called out to Yoshi as soon as he stepped through the door. Yoshi, the barista, appeared to be working alone this morning.

"Yosh! How's it going this morning?"

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old," came Yoshi's reply. "How's the job hunt coming?"

Luigi's expression shifted to convey his anxiety. He said, "Great! Two interviews this morning." Despite his upbeat tone, he felt anything but confident, and couldn't meet Yoshi's eyes.

"You must be in a hurry then! The usual?" Yoshi asked, perhaps sensing Luigi's sudden apprehension. He got to work after receiving confirmation in the form of a quiet nod. "No toast please though." he added. Luigi gazed outside, then back the sunburst clock on the wall. Eight fifty-five. Oh my god he thought. Why did I stop and get coffee, I could've gotten there already. Luigi nervously shifted his weight back and forth until his coffee was ready.

Yoshi hurried out and handed Luigi's coffee over.

"Get out there and kill it, Luigi!"

"Thanks a lot, bro!"

Right as he was about to exit, Luigi tumbled into a stout, mysterious figure. Scalding coffee flew into the air, his heart tensed up, and once the chaos was over, Luigi found himself staring into a pair of bulging, angry eyes.

"MOTHERFUCKER! THAT SHIT IS HOT, DAMNIT!"

He looked down upon a plump, yet muscular fellow wearing a set of tacky, maroon, velvet bootcut overalls with a ochre-yellow button down shirt and a matching hat. Talk about a disco king. The man was hot-red. Yoshi watched from behind the counter with the blankest stare.

"These overalls were worth a lot, y'know! Cost a whole paycheck, at least for you."

"I'm really sorry, I'm just in a really big hurry and-"

"That's all you're going to say? Sorry?! Jesus, the people!"

Luigi accepted what he perceived as forgiveness, and he fled the scene.

—

Wario stood near the entrance still, looking very intense.

"Hi, welcome to the Night Owl Cafe," Yoshi greeted with an empty expression, a note that clashed against his melodic tone.

"Are you alright? Sorry about that, I wouldn't want to be in that situation either."

"Yeah no shit you wouldn't want to be in that situation—sorry, sorry." Wario took a deep breath through his nose. Smooth jazz played softly in the background.

After a couple of moments, Yoshi continued.

"Would you like to drink anything, have some grub?"

" A coffee please, black."

"Coming right up." Yoshi went back to the kitchen.

Wario was left alone with his thoughts. Sitting in a corner, he tried desperately to direct his mind away from the young man he had just encountered, but to no avail. His thoughts kept drifting back to the thoughtful, startling blue eyes, the enticingly long legs, and the nervous stranger they belonged to.

Wario licked his lips and, lost in his reverie, nearly missed the call of his name at the counter.

"Wario. WARIO! Black coffee!"

Wario jerked out of his daydream and rushed up to the counter. "Sorry! Here, let me make it up to you," he handed Yoshi a shiny gold coin, a twenty.

"Oh, please, you don't have to do that!" Yoshi cried out in surprise.

"I insist," Wario left the coin on the counter and turned to walk out the door, leaving a wide-eyed Yoshi in his wake.

As he left the building, Wario's thoughts again turned to the dark-haired gentleman that bumped into him. Though angry about the state of his overalls, he was becoming increasingly intrigued. It wasn't any feeling he could really grasp or understand. What he did know was that there was some sort of energy attached to it. Maybe it was something about that mustache struck a chord in Wario, or that he just drank a cup of coffee. He continued with his day, moving through the bustling streets of New York City with the man still in the back of his mind.

Later that day, Wario's thoughts of the charming stranger diminished as the work day demanded his attention. As CEO of his father's mining company, he had a lot on his plate, and he had to focus his energy on this week's latest triumph or disaster.

"Wario, sir, you're needed down in Research and Development. They need your approval before moving forward on Project G," Koopa Troopa, Wario's personal assistant, spoke quickly, conveying the urgency of the matter. Wario stood up, walking briskly out of his office and toward the elevator.

"Koopa, bring me a large black coffee and a chocolate croissant. Quick!" He demanded as the doors closed. He was going to need more caffeine to make it through this day.

"Right away, sir!"

As he worked through the day, he nearly forgot all about the man who spilled coffee on him. He had a lot of big decisions to make for the new year ahead, and he had to figure out how to best allocate resources with Research and Development working on new, sustainable technology. His work was taking over his life, and he had begun to think that he would never have time for love. Having changed before work, he wasn't reminded of the eventful morning he had until he was winding down for the night. He waved it off, though, thinking it ridiculous to waste time on something so trivial as a man's beautiful eyes.