Equinox [Autumn & Surreal

[Autumn]

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There was no doubt that the day started terrible for Austin. He was drenched from head to toe when he entered the cafe. Every step he took inside, a mark was left behind thanks to his his soaked sneakers. 'And they were my favorite pair too.' He thought, pouting as he continued to walk inside towards the counter. Such a disaster all thanks to some annoying rock. A small rock that chose to be in the worst place whilst he took his usual morning walk by the lake near the city. 'He's probably gonna laugh at me...' The one he referred to was none other than his guardian whom he often boasted to about having excellent reflexes. 'Well, so much for that.' If in the past politicians were the only thing he hated, now he could add rocks to the list. Passing by a waitress whom he worked with, he quickly swapped from a somber expression to an apologetic one, "Sorry 'bout that, I'll clean it after I dry up a bit," He said with a small yet cheery smile. They spoke for a bit more before he moved on. Despite what had happened, he knew he still needed to stay cheerful otherwise the customers and his co-workers might think something terrible had happened. Yes, getting soaked in the lake was awful but it would be an embarrassing story to tell. Well, he'll probably tell Cassandra about his newfound enemy - aka rocks - but she was his best friend so it would be fine to tell such a tale. Especially since he had plans on ranting and telling his plan to rid the world of rocks.

Moving past the wooden tables and chairs of the busy cafe, he managed to make his way towards the specified room for employees near the counter without any problems of slipping. At least one thing went his way this morning. It'd be impossible to dry himself within a few minutes but thanks to his fellow worker's hairdryer, he managed to dry his clothes. Well, not exactly but at least his clothes were no longer dripping with water. "All better," He said with a grin, talking to no one in particular considering he was by himself. He left the room and began his part time job as a waiter, taking orders and serving desserts as well as coffee. He looked around to see if his best friend or guardian had arrived but finding neither, he went on doing with the tasks assigned to him.

 

[surreal]

The moment Cassandra stepped foot outside of her home, she knew it was going to be one of the worst days ever today. Her newly-bought heels were dirtied from the puddles on the road, and she broke a nail. She hated that she had to endure this kind of torture; she didn't do anything wrong! Well, maybe, she did insult one of her friends, but that was because the color coordination of her outfit was so not on point. "Who even wears a green top with a brown skirt?" she thought to herself. "She looked like a tree! She just had to know it before anybody else pointed it out!" was what she reasoned out, when she thought long and hard about it. Therefore, Cassandra concluded, she was innocent of any wrongdoings that may have been the cause of all her bad luck this day. She couldn't wait to tell all of this to Austin, her best friend for so long, who would definitely sympathize would her. He was always the cheery and kind one; he never did any wrong to any sinful soul, even if they would hurt him. She was currently on the way to the cafe where he worked at, and she was very pleased to see him from the window of the said shop. He was such a hardworking guy that Cassandra would feel embarrassed doing nothing substantial when with him. That was probably the reason why they're still friends until now; they balanced each other out. Rather, Austin was the only one who could put up with her antics.

Standing in front of the cafe, Cassandra took a piece of tissue paper from her pack and positioned it in front of her two fingers. She used it to protect herself from the "bacteria on the door," as she usually says, when entering any place. She approaches the nearest trash bin and throws the tissue inside before sitting down on a couch near the window, a perfect spot for serenity and, most importantly, taking photos. She had to post a picture of what she was going to order here and force Austin to take a photograph with her. She looked from left to right, scanning for her best friend, and when she finally found him, she waved excitedly. "Over here, Austin!" she called him over, and soon after, showed him a sour expression, indicating that she had a lot of things to tell him. Surely, she was going to start her storytelling with Austin from the beginning of her day.

 

[Autumn]

Austin had just finished relaying a customer's order to his co-worker by the cashier when he heard a familiar voice, one that he wouldn't ever mistake for anyone else. He immediately walked over to his best friend's table and quickly noticed the sour look on her face. Clearly something had happened and he just knew she'd love to talk about whatever dampened her mood so being the good friend and worker that he is, he decided to kill two birds with one by asking, "Wanna order something before telling me what's got you so down?" He knew it would most likely be something trivial like maybe a broken nail or something of that sort. Nevertheless, he'd listen not only because he was a good friend but also because she reminds him what it feels like to be a normal person, to laugh without worries and to actually smile. "Today's special is a blueberry cheesecake, in case you want to know."

 

[surreal]

She sighed, knowing that before she could even rant to Austin, he had to do his job. Cassandra wondered why Austin never accepted her help; she had the means to assist him without him overworking himself day and night. "Alright, fine," she said, her lips forming a small, childish pout. However, the moment Austin mentioned blueberry cheesecake, her eyes lit up, and she almost stood up, herself. She, clearly, hasn't had the taste of a cheesecake in quite a while now, mainly because her mother had given her a strict diet to follow to keep her from being 'unhealthy.' She was torn between ordering that sweet treat or just a boring salad.

"Sorry, mom," she thought to herself. Without much regret, she ordered, "I'll totes get that! Maybe three orders!" Cassandra has been putting herself on the 'healthy' lane for the longest time, and it was time for a reward. Nothing was going to stop her from eating these desserts, not even the most handsome guy on Earth. "Don't forget to sit down with me, okay? We have so much stuff to talk about."

 

[Autumn]

"Finally got sick of your boring salads?" Austin said, slightly teasing her as he listed what she ordered. "Trust me, you won't regret it." He told her with a grin. He wouldn't have mentioned the cake if he knew it wasn't worth it. Although he wondered if three might be too much for one person. But he decided not to mention it. If she wanted to have three cakes then so be it, 'Besides, she could always have them for take out.' He thought although if he rant was going to be a long one then maybe three cakes would be good. It's not as if the portions are large in the first place."I'll be right back," He told her although before leaving, he added, "Yeah, I will." He walked to the counter to relay Cassandra's order to the girl by the cashier who then proceeded to get the requested slices of cake. He also asked for a short break and as expected, it was granted. Most of the employees were aware of his and Cassandra's friendship and how they often talked. Besides, he's been here since opening time so a short break wasn't unreasonable. 'Well, depends how long her rant'll be.' Not that he minds her rants or whatever other topic she may want to discuss. He liked talking to her as he always did ever since they were young.

It didn't take long before he was walking back to her table, carrying a tray with three small plates, each with a slice of blueberry cheesecake. "Here's your order, three blueberry cheesecakes." He said as he placed the three small plates on the table before placing a silver fork on a neatly folded piece of tissue paper. "Let me just return the tray." He told her, quickly placing the tray back for another waiter's use before returning to her table and sitting down. "Alrighty then, I'm all clear. So, what'd you wanna talk about?"