WEATHER FORECAST: 101% rain.

great news for a college student with a job across town and no car.

begrudgingly, you walked to work, hair soaked when you got in. if the cafe you worked at wasn’t as pretty as it was, you’d be in an awful mood.

it only got worse, your first customer being an angry white woman trying to pay with a library card. two more months..

you internally rolled your eyes when you saw your next customer. a bleach blonde burnout — which you could tell, after observing her spot the no smoking sign and aggressively throw her cigarette at the window, then stomp it — in a soccer kit. brilliant.

but to your surprise, she was really sweet. gave you a smile and a tip. it’s common sense, really, after her complicated ass order..

that wasn’t the last you saw of her. she came in the next day, not in her kit this time, and ordered her same drink.

“sorry,” you apologised softly. “we stopped selling that yesterday.”

the blonde nodded and you watched her skim her eyes over the menu board above your head. “.. i’ll just have a black coffee then.”

and everyday, she came in, ordering the same black coffee. you managed small talk with her some mornings, learning that her name was natalie and she played for a soccer team called the yellow jackets, but not much else.

one morning, she brought in a friend. a brunette, wavy haired girl who you heard her call lottie.

“hey.” natalie greeted you casually as she rocked up to the counter with her friend. you gave her a smile. “your usual?”

she nodded, then her friend requested a vanilla latte. you made the drinks and passed them over the counter. “one black coffee and one vanilla latte.. that’s six thirty-“

“black coffee?” natalie’s friend asked, confused. “you don’t like coffee.” the brunette winced as natalie elbowed her in the side. “good joke, lot.” the blonde replied, her tone deadpan, before she paid you with a generous tip, then left the counter to sit down.

if she didn’t even like coffee, why did she keep ordering it every morning?