It Started with a Coffee.

Many people come in and out of this coffee shop, people of all kinds, each with their own beliefs, with their own mind set, and with their own personalities and ambitions.

I observed all these people as they entered and exited, their emotions usually easy to read upon their faces, in their eyes or sometimes simply by their body language. This usually brought me back to what I was told when I was younger, that making a person smile at least once a day could maybe save a life. That it could change that person's day from one of sadness, or contempt to that of happiness.

All this can be accomplished with one small act of making the person smile.

So each person I watched walk in here, I knew had a different story behind them. Some had happy stories, some had sad ones, some had tragic and other's had outrageously funny ones. But we didn't know their stories, we could only guess them and that's exactly what Violet and I did to pass the time while we worked.

We came up with nicknames for each customer who walked in, and with that nickname we sometimes added a backstory for them. The nickname also helped us remember their order, which helped in some cases.

I mean, I don't think the guy named Dick or the woman named Gertrude would like their atrociously chosen name to be called out for all to hear. Really, what were their parents thinking?

"Try this one." Violet said, casting a glance in the direction of an old lady.

She sat alone by the window, with her lemon tea that she had ordered almost an hour ago, forgotten on the table and getting cold.

What's her backstory you ask?

I don't know, but I can make up one. She's remembering her youth, watching as young woman and little girls walk past her. She watches them and wishes for her younger days once again, so that she can do the things she refused to do thinking that it wasn't ladylike, like she had been taught.

She watched these girls walk by, hoping that they grab every opportunity that comes their way with both hands, for she hadn't done that and now she regrets it.

She sits there and she remembers her first love, all the loves in between and finally her last. She remembers them all and how happy she was in those times, and yet now she is left alone in this world. Left alone to dwell here for a few more years until death comes to take her away too.

"Jeez man, why so bleak?" Violet asked, shaking her head as she headed over to the register where a man dressed in an expensive suit stood, his phone pressed to his ear and a suitcase in his hand.

He had broad shoulders that he held back as he stood there with authority, looking upon certain people, like us, with disdain.

What's his story you ask?

I figure his story is simple; he is a business man, a busy man. Always working, always running around and always on the phone with whoever needs his assistance or services next. Having no time to think for himself, he has no time to really pay attention to himself let alone his family.

That's if he even has a family of his own.

You see, he is so focused on the success of his career that he had forgotten to live. He has forgotten what it's like to be carefree, what it's like to have fun, what it's like to love and be loved.

This man is so busy trying to keep his expensive house and car that he has forgotten what it's like to come home to a house full of loving people, he has forgotten what it's like to actually have people care for him.

Since he is always caring and doing things for other people in order to make money.

But he will soon come to realise that he had missed out on so much that life has to offer, and when he does realise it, it will be too late.

It will hit him when he is finally retired and sitting on the porch of some fancy house he now fully owns but there will be no-one to enjoy it with him.

And that's how it is done, passing the time with stories of other people's lives, making some happy, some sad, and some totally bizarre at times, just to keep things interesting.

"Gray, check, it's that girl you like, she's back." Violet said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Seriously." I hissed. "Could you be any more obvious?"

"Oh don't give me that, you've been crushing for months now." She said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, nothing's going to change that," I grumbled.

"Not unless you do something." She said with a smirk before she waved at me and headed towards the back.

"Hey, you're supposed to . . ." My words died on my lips as she came to stand in front of me, her face slightly hidden behind a curtain of hair.

It was true, I was crushing on one of our customers, but who could blame me. She was absolutely beautiful. She came in here every day, ordering the same chocolate cappuccino, with extra chocolate shavings on top.

"I would like . . ."

"Chocolate cappuccino with extra chocolate shavings?" I said with a small smile.

At her order, I watched as her chocolate brown eyes widened slightly in surprise, before she sent a small smile back at me shyly, her cheeks suddenly red.

She was a fair skinned beauty, with long light brown hair that she always had covering her face slightly. Though when she did show her face, it was truly a sight to behold. Her chocolate brown eyes which were almost doe-like held emotions so delicately in them that it was hard not to get lost in them. Her small button nose that fit perfectly in the middle of her face and her rosy cheeks that at the slightest of kind words turned red.

And finally her lips, god, those lips that were a cute bow shape and that were a light coloured pink. With no make-up adorning her perfect face, she was absolutely perfect.

She was different today though, she had rushed over to the counter and of course I had already placed her order. But her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were glossy as if she were crying. Even though I could see she was trying to hide it behind that small shy smile she sent my way.

She looked dishevelled, her clothes seemingly just thrown on, and her hair slightly messy. She didn't even carry herself the same way that she usually did, it was as if she had no life today. Standing there staring into space while waiting for her coffee.

I watched her standing there, seeming insecure about something and I knew that today was the day I made her smile. I don't know why, but I knew that today I would make her smile. As Violet had said, I had to do something, and today I would.

So as she told me her name that I was supposed to write on her cup, I instead chose a different route, writing something totally out of place and totally unexpected.

With a small smile, and a lot of hope, I handed her coffee to her and watched as she turned and walked towards the door. I held my breath at this point, hoping that she would look down at what I had written and see that I truly meant it.

As the girl walked to the exit of her favourite coffee shop, she glanced down at her cup for a second.

"You're Beautiful," was written in place of her name. Her eyes widened slightly at this.

Glancing back their eyes met and she stopped in place. Turning to glance back at him, to see that in his light brown eyes, unlike her dark ones, in his eyes she saw that he meant each word.

The sadness that had overwhelmed her this morning, the gripping pain that made her chest ache disappeared in that moment as she watched a small uncertain smile break out onto his face.

With that she started walking towards him, her body moving of its own volition. Not knowing what drove her to do this, not knowing why she thought she could trust this man that had been serving her coffee for the past six months, she still headed towards him.

Stopping in front of him, she asked with a shy smile. "When your shift ends, do you wanna grab a coffee?"

And that's how these things sometimes start, with a small smile, an innocent joke, or even with a simple cup of coffee.

* * * * * *

Hey all, this short story stemmed off a word prompt. This is how it goes,

As she walked to the exit of her favourite coffee shop, she glanced down at her cup.

"You're Beautiful," was written in place of her name.

She glanced back and their eyes met.

So in turn I took that and made it my own and this is what came out...

I hope you enjoyed it...

Vote and Comment, tell me what you think...

Mystery

Shoutout to the author of Writing Prompts, the book where I got the inspiration for this.

nerdsunite864

Your book is truly inspiring with those ideas...