I got this idea from a short comic i read a while back. You can read it here. devin-distortion. tumblr post/ 87165017474
Just remove the spaces.
Enjoy :)
Written for my bestie Neha.
Every Tuesday at exactly 6:30 pm a man comes into the coffee shop. He sits at the table in the corner by the window and orders one flat latte, one spinach and cheese roll and one slice of blueberry cheesecake. He always wipes the table three times with a napkin before placing his elbows on the very edge.
He always wears a dark blue suit and a cravat. I always thought that was strange.
So far, I know three things about this man.
One. His name is Levi.
Two. He is a clean freak.
Three. He has never once eaten more than one spoonful off the tip of the blueberry cheesecake.
Levi was a clean eater, he rarely left crumbs on the table and if he did, he would wipe them away before paying. We didn't really talk. On good days, he would greet me with a "Hello Eren" and say "yes" when I asked him if he wanted the usual.
On bad days he just gave a small nod.
Sometimes I want to ask him why he doesn't eat the rest of the cake. I mean, He is paying for it. But that's not all. I'm the one who makes all the cake and coffee in the shop and I know its good, because everyone who eats it tells me so. Except for Levi.
The first time, he left without even touching it. I thought he was just full.
The second instance, I thought he just had to go, ran out of time or something.
The third time, I thought he might have been full again.
The fourth time, He took a spoonful off the tip of his slice. I watched him chew it slowly from behind the counter.
I was happy, I thought, "It's okay, he likes it."
Then he made a face, wiped his mouth and stood up to pay.
That was like a slap in the face.
Now, I rarely take offence to anything but for some reason Levi not eating my cheesecake annoyed the hell out of me.
As he came up to pay, I opened my mouth to ask him what was so bad about my cheesecake. Except I didn't.
You see, Levi has a very particular facial expression. There isn't really one word to describe it, its more of a general "I hate everyone, please don't talk to me" kind of face. His eyebrows are always slanted downwards and it seems like he's always scowling.
He has come to this shop every week for about a year now and I have never ever seen him smile.
He looked at me, my mouth hanging open and said, "If you don't close it, you're going to swallow a fly."
I swear my face heated up so much even he could feel it. I guess that was the first and only time he said more than three words to me.
As the weeks passed, I got more and more agitated.
Why didn't he eat my cake?
Is he allergic to blueberries?
If he is why did he order it?
One Monday night, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and practiced asking Levi why he didn't want to eat my cake.
"Mr Levi."
No that sounds weird.
"Levi, why do you never eat my cake?"
No that's too direct.
"So… I notice you always order my blueberry cheesecake but you never eat that, what's the deal mate?"
I think he would punch me in the face if I called him "mate"
The next day, Levi came in as usual at 6:30PM. I walked over to take his order and I was just going to ask him but he made that face and I got scared.
This has happened for the past three weeks.
But not today. Today will be the day I ask him why he doesn't eat my cake.
I walked out of the kitchen and stood behind the counter, waiting for him to arrive.
6:28
I looked around. There were two tables that were full, one had an elderly couple and the other had a three girls chatting quietly.
6:29
My fingers started drumming on the counter. He isn't going to tell me he thinks its disgusting.
6:30
Oh my god what if he thinks its gross. What am I going to do.
6:31
He is late. He's almost never late. Why is he late today?
6:32
I sighed. I turned to head back to the kitchen. I guess today isn't the day.
Riiinnggg
Or maybe it is.
The door opened as Levi stepped inside. I watched him make his way to his table. I stepped out from behind the counter and walked slowly to him. I will be calm and collected and he will give me a reasonable answer.
I take a deep breath.
"Levi. I-I know you come here every Tuesday a-at exactly six thirty without fail and you always order a flat latte, a spinach and cheese roll and a slice of blueberry cheesecake and you finish your coffee and roll without even a crumb left behind but you only take one bite of your cheesecake."
I paused to take a breath.
"I make those cheesecakes a-and everyone likes them a lot and I work really hard every mo-morning to make a fresh one so you can have a good piece but you never eat it and I really want you to eat my cake and I never asked you before cos you have a scary face but I cant wait anymore so I need you to tell me what am I not doing right?"
Oh god.
Oh god no.
Oh god why.
Everything came out in a rush and I had to clutch the edge of the table for a second to catch my breath. The girls sitting at the other table turned to look at me and so did the elderly couple.
I felt my face heating up.
"Um, that's not what I meant…uh" I tried to backtrack.
"I don't particularly like sweets." Levi said slowly.
"What? Then why do you order it?" I asked.
He just looked at me and shrugged.
He continued. "You make it don't you?"
"Yes I do."
"Well then just bring me the usual."
I shook myself out of my embarrassed daze.
"Okay."
I practically ran back to the kitchen. I prepared his food but had to ask someone else to take it to him because I was too embarrassed. I ended up sitting in the very back of the kitchen trying and hitting my head against the wall.
After about an hour, I poked my head out of the kitchen doorway to see if he had left.
His seat was empty. I walked over to clear his table and on it sat an empty cup, an empty plate and a slice of untouched blueberry cheesecake. I don't know what I was expecting but I was disappointed nonetheless.
I began clearing the table and as I picked up the cheesecake, a small piece of paper fluttered to the ground.
I bent over to pick it up.
I froze.
Now that I think about it, my face was probably redder than a tomato and I probably looked like a retarded fish with my mouth hanging open like that.
Because you make it and I want to see you.
The next week he was at his spot again. I was too embarrassed to take his order and bring him his food so I just hid in the back.
He left exactly an hour later.
There was something different this time.
The cheesecake was gone from his plate, in its stead, th, tere was a small scattering of crumbs and a slip of paper.
It's too damn sweet.
I crumpled the paper in my hand and smiled.
Next week I'll put less sugar in.
Yaayy :)
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