My favourite coffee shop

B

badonk

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Original poster
A tall pale woman sat slumped in a window seat in the cafe. Her eyes were tired and her body language suggested that she had experienced a long night. One slender hand was cupping her extra large coffee as the other rested on her forehead, keeping her head propped up. She would have sat like that until she left, except her phone buzzed on the table signalling that someone had just texted her. "Ah shit." She grumbled, rubbing one eye with the hand that had been on her forehead before snatching up her phone. "Hey Wren! It was great seeing you at that party last night. You looked smokin'! We should go for drinks." She read the text over and over again, a puzzled look growing on her face. She sat up straight and let go of her coffee cup to use both hands to reply, her brows furrowed and the edges of her lips turned down sharply. "Hey yourself, Chris. Do you keep forgetting that I told you I'm not interested in you? I'm just asking cause you keep asking me out and it is kinda creepy." With a small shake of her head she pressed send and placed her phone down, returning to her original position in her seat.

Wren Baxter was super hung over, so of course she was in her favourite coffee shop. She was always there after a long night of drinking and partying. Yes she was missing class as she sat, sulking in the window seat. No, she did not care. She sipped her coffee and looked up at the front of the shop. "Ah shit." She murmured to herself, just as she had when she had received a text. This time she was just grumbly because she was regretting not getting a muffin when she had ordered her coffee. Wren loved the carrot muffins here.

Leaving her coat on her seat and her coffee on the table she slowly stood up, picking up her phone. She shuffled towards the front, purse slug over her shoulder, one hand digging around through it to find her wallet. Three people stood ahead of her in line so she had ample time to find her wallet, and yet somehow she was still digging around for it when she got up to the cash. "Hi, uh..." She dug a bit more. "Can I just get a carrot muffin, please?" Her hand felt her wallet and she yanked it out of her purse with a small laugh. "Gotcha!" She opened it, ready to pay for her muffin. As she waited she gave her coat and coffee a quick glance, just making sure they were still there. Once she saw her stuff was fine she turned back and smiled at the girl behind the cash. "I know I say this every time I come in hungover, but I swear this time I mean it." She paused and chuckled a bit. "I will not be drinking that much on a school night ever again." She shook her head and laughed softly.

Wren loved her life, even the hungover parts, but then again who wouldn't love their parents paying for everything? At 21 she was living the dream and she knew it.

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The shop was bustling this morning, it being the middle of the week and most party students from the nearby college grabbing a cup of joe in a desperate attempt to bring themselves to a properly functioning level. The hissing sound of the espresso machines and the mumbling of half asleep students floated about the shop. At the counter, Jada was currently taking orders for the customers in line, trotting behind the counter quickly as she hopped from the coffee machines to the baked goods and then back to the machines. She set down each order with record speed and a warm smile, something that most baristas would have trouble doing. Most would think that she was overly dedicated to her job and in a way they were right, however, she wasn't just some college student working to help pay for classes. In fact, she wasn't a college student at all...Jada was born with to many siblings in a family of little income. After high school she hopped right into the work force and since then has been at this shop full time. She didn't even live with them anymore, she moved out as soon as she had enough saved up and found a good place to stay. She was completely independent, something that not many 21 year old's could say.

The line quickly dwindled down and one of the regulars was now in like, a pretty woman who she recognized to be a student and a hardy partier at that since she usually came in hung over and in a desperate need of coffee. She had gotten coffee earlier and seemed to have returned for something else. Once the girl had said her order she smiled and hurried off to the baked good to get the requested muffin and bagging it neatly. She placed it on the counter and plugged in the price into the cash register. With a small laugh at her comment she looked at the girl, having heard that line plenty of times before.

"That will be $1.50, anything else I can get you?" She asked simply as she looked at the woman in from of her, smiling a little bit.
 
Wren popped open her wallet and went through her change, handing exact change to Jada after fumbling with it for a few moments. "Anything?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and smiling mischievously. She picked up her muffin and shook her head. "Thanks." With a twirl on her heels she walked back to her seat. Wren was a flirty young lady, that was for sure.

Slumping back in her seat she took the muffin out of it's little paper bag and started to eat it, breaking pieces off and placing them in her mouth carefully. Every couple of bites she took a sip of her coffee and look around the shop. She was sort of glad that nobody she knew was there, that would be such a hassle. Wren loved people, but hungover Wren wasn't too fond of interacting with people for extended periods of time. As the last of her muffin disappeared she wondered to herself what it would be like to work in this place. It was always busy and people were always dicks to the girls who worked there. She made a bit of a sour face at the thought and finished off her coffee with one gulp. As she stood up to get rid of her trash she smiled and winked at Jada. She didn't look for the reaction as she turned and walked out, grinning to herself.
 
Jada was slightly taken aback by Wern's obvious flirt, not having expected it as she took the exact change and placed it into the register to finish the transaction. She was able to put her small smile back in place though before turning back to that machines to help clean up a bit after the morning rush that always seemed to happen. She started to wipe down the counter and clean up the machines so that they would look nice and not dirty.

She continued to clean, going from the machines to the small table that held the complimentary sugars and creams for those who liked to adjust there own drinks. After stacking up the to go lids and getting rid of the ones that had been mangled in the rush she went over to the backed goods and started to wipe down the glass of the finger prints. She always had to do it after a rush, people just didn't seem to get that touching the glass and pressing there hands against it left smudges. At the sound of Wern getting up and leaving Jada turned to her and smile politely.

"Have a nice day." She said simply, having repeated it to every person who walked out the door. It was then that she caught Wern's wink and smile, having surprised her a bit again...She didn't know what to expect but something told Jada that girl would be back again soon...and probably with another hangover.
 
Jada was almost right about when and how Wren would be back, almost.

The next morning Wren came in with four friends, all of them laughing and joking. They took a table and chattered for a few minutes before Wren stood up to get everyone what they wanted. She stood in line, peeking up at the front before turning back to her friends and smiling really wide. Her friends snickered and giggled. They knew something, that was for sure.

Once Wren was at the front of the line she ordered for her and her friends, getting herself a coffee, but no carrot muffin. She took out some money, ready to pay the total and smiled at Jada a bit. Wren often took her friends out for coffee on mornings that they had late classes, just another perk of having her parent's paying.
 
Jada was working once again, masterfully putting together cups of coffee for desperate students, office workers and the like. She caught a glimpse of Wern wandering in with some friends this morning and surprisingly without a hangover. She seemed to act more bubbly when she was sober, which was a good thing since Jada was already having a bad morning.

One of the customers from earlier kept complaining that something was wrong with their coffee and made her make it over again three times. On top of that a rather unfortunate intern came in with what seemed to be a mile long lists of drinks. Though it irritated her to have to make them she at least didn't have to figure out how to carry it all. When Wern came up and made her order Jada smiled politely and typed the price into the register quickly.

"Alright, that will be $11.89. Anything else?" She asked as she turned back to the machines to start working on the order but looked at her to show she was listening as well.