"You're late."
It was the standard greeting Abigail Winters received upon arriving for work at Misery's Café. She watched as Ben Stemson, the cute owner's son, hurried around the counter, his arms full of trays of coffee and other earthly delights. "It amazes me how you live directly upstairs and can always manage to be late," he continued before disappearing out of sight.
"I slept in," Abby complained to Ben's girlfriend, Mildred Hubble as she tied her apron around her waist. "So sue me."
Millie just smiled. "He's a little upset today," she offered in defense of her boyfriend. "It's been really busy today, his mom seems to be missing and I was late, too." She smiled sheepishly and Abby laughed.
Abby had come to Cambridge, England four years ago for an exchange program from her homeland of Canada. Her life in Ontario was boring and dull and she felt she needed some excitement in her life. Her mother often spent countless hours fawning over herself, practically ignoring Abby. It was if she didn't exist in her household. Abby was certain her mother would barely miss her while she was in England.
However, upon arriving here, Abby found that she adored the people and the surroundings. When her exchange program ended, she decided to stay in England for an extended period of time, perhaps forever. She found a job at Misery's Café, befriended Ben Stemson and his mother, Elaine, and found a quaint little apartment a few blocks away from the café. Life was going good until Abby realized that money wouldn't last forever. Before she knew it, she was evicted from her tiny apartment and forced to live practically on the streets. When Elaine found this out, she offered for Abby to stay with her and Ben in the apartment upstairs from the café, on one condition. "You sing for the customers at least once a week," Elaine had told her, a soft smile playing her lips. Immediately Abby accepted; she loved singing and planned on studying it while she was here in England.
Ben returned from his rounds with an empty tray and immediately gave Abby a sharp look. "What was it this time?" he asked, preparing the next order of coffees. "Alarm didn't go off? Late night?"
"Bit of both," Abby replied hopping up on the counter and swinging her legs against the cupboards beneath. "You know how the party life goes."
"Right," Ben muttered, rushing off again. Millie stood very silently, watching him depart. Abby jumped down off her perch and rushed to Millie's side.
"He'll get used to the idea soon enough," she told her friend, putting an arm around her. It had been two months since Ben found out that Millie's college, Weirdsister, was a college for witches and wizards and every time Millie saw Ben, she was certain that he would never get used to the idea. "Ben's what you would call, uptight."
Millie laughed. "I guess," she said. "I just wonder, sometimes, if he and I shouldn't be together."
"You're crazy," Abby said, stepping forward to help a customer at the counter. "Ben's crazy about you."
Millie nodded slowly and began preparing the coffee that the customer had ordered. Once the customer was gone, Abby picked up their conversation. "It just takes Ben a little time to get used to things. It took him forever to get used to me being Canadian."
Millie's eyes lit up. "I know what you mean! You know my friend Cas, right? Well, she's Canadian and to this day I wonder if Ben understands her."
"Probably not," Abby said, helping herself to a glass of lemonade. The April weather outside made her warm and she was dying for a cool drink. "Anyway, don't worry about Ben. He's had two months to get used to the idea. It'll grow on him."
"You two aren't working," Ben snapped, coming around the counter and interrupting their conversation. "Is that what we pay you for?"
"You don't pay me," Abby said happily. "I work for shelter. Besides, we served one customer. That's better than my average rate!" she finished with a smile causing Millie to laugh loudly.
"Mum wants to know if you're going to sing Friday night," Ben continued, paying no attention to Abby's wit. "She's got a friend coming in from across town and she wants her to hear you."
"It's not another record producer, is it?" Abby moaned. For months now, Elaine had been trying to get Abby to sing for one of the record producers that came into the café and Abby had kept denying. She wasn't ready for that.
"No, it's an old college friend," Ben answered. "Right now, I'm not entirely sure where Mum is. She took off this morning with her crystal vibration friends and I haven't seen her since."
"She'll turn up," Millie assured Ben and he nodded absentmindedly.
"Can we get to work, please?" he said rather quickly. He thrust a tray into Millie's arms and Abby smiled at her, filling the tray up with coffees.
The day went rather smoothly and quickly to Abby and by the time they closed that evening, she collapsed, exhausted, onto a stool by the counter. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm wiped," she said.
Millie nodded. "I have a two-hour lecture tomorrow morning," she informed them. "I should get back to college and go to bed." She did look tired and Abby told her not to overdo things. "I won't," Millie promised, grabbing her jacket from the coat hooks in the back. "I'm just so tired of Starfinder's lectures. They can be rather boring from time to time." She smiled briefly at Ben, waved to Abby and left the café.
Ben locked the door behind her and watched Millie walk down the path to the street. Abby noticed his eyes were filled with confusion and disturbance and his face was twisted into a serious grimace.
"You'll have to let go of it soon, Ben," she warned. He turned towards her, his eyes still far-off.
"What?" he asked.
"This thing with Millie being a witch. It's not the end of the world," Abby said, standing up and stretching. "There are worse things she could be. Why, she could be like me!" she joked.
Ben shook his head. "That wouldn't be a bad thing," he said softly, but Abby didn't fully hear him. "Nothing," he said when she asked him what he had said. "Nothing at all."
Abby shrugged. "I'm going upstairs," she said, shutting off the lights. "Did you shut off the coffee pots in the back?"
Ben nodded and followed Abby up the staircase that led to the apartment. It appeared small on the outside, but really wasn't. From the stairwell, the kitchen was off to the left, the living room connected to it. To the right was three bedrooms and a spare room which Elaine used for her meditation purposes. This infuriated Ben as he didn't see any reason for his mother to practice the odd things that Millie practiced at school, but as of late, it didn't seem to bother him half as much as it used to.
"Well, I'll see you in the morning," Abby said, just before heading into her own room. "I'll try to be there on time," she added as an afterthought, but Ben didn't laugh. Instead, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead at the far wall. Standing there, Abby thought he looked much like a guard, but she didn't say anything about it. She left for her room, hoping Ben wasn't still going to be standing there in the morning.
It was the standard greeting Abigail Winters received upon arriving for work at Misery's Café. She watched as Ben Stemson, the cute owner's son, hurried around the counter, his arms full of trays of coffee and other earthly delights. "It amazes me how you live directly upstairs and can always manage to be late," he continued before disappearing out of sight.
"I slept in," Abby complained to Ben's girlfriend, Mildred Hubble as she tied her apron around her waist. "So sue me."
Millie just smiled. "He's a little upset today," she offered in defense of her boyfriend. "It's been really busy today, his mom seems to be missing and I was late, too." She smiled sheepishly and Abby laughed.
Abby had come to Cambridge, England four years ago for an exchange program from her homeland of Canada. Her life in Ontario was boring and dull and she felt she needed some excitement in her life. Her mother often spent countless hours fawning over herself, practically ignoring Abby. It was if she didn't exist in her household. Abby was certain her mother would barely miss her while she was in England.
However, upon arriving here, Abby found that she adored the people and the surroundings. When her exchange program ended, she decided to stay in England for an extended period of time, perhaps forever. She found a job at Misery's Café, befriended Ben Stemson and his mother, Elaine, and found a quaint little apartment a few blocks away from the café. Life was going good until Abby realized that money wouldn't last forever. Before she knew it, she was evicted from her tiny apartment and forced to live practically on the streets. When Elaine found this out, she offered for Abby to stay with her and Ben in the apartment upstairs from the café, on one condition. "You sing for the customers at least once a week," Elaine had told her, a soft smile playing her lips. Immediately Abby accepted; she loved singing and planned on studying it while she was here in England.
Ben returned from his rounds with an empty tray and immediately gave Abby a sharp look. "What was it this time?" he asked, preparing the next order of coffees. "Alarm didn't go off? Late night?"
"Bit of both," Abby replied hopping up on the counter and swinging her legs against the cupboards beneath. "You know how the party life goes."
"Right," Ben muttered, rushing off again. Millie stood very silently, watching him depart. Abby jumped down off her perch and rushed to Millie's side.
"He'll get used to the idea soon enough," she told her friend, putting an arm around her. It had been two months since Ben found out that Millie's college, Weirdsister, was a college for witches and wizards and every time Millie saw Ben, she was certain that he would never get used to the idea. "Ben's what you would call, uptight."
Millie laughed. "I guess," she said. "I just wonder, sometimes, if he and I shouldn't be together."
"You're crazy," Abby said, stepping forward to help a customer at the counter. "Ben's crazy about you."
Millie nodded slowly and began preparing the coffee that the customer had ordered. Once the customer was gone, Abby picked up their conversation. "It just takes Ben a little time to get used to things. It took him forever to get used to me being Canadian."
Millie's eyes lit up. "I know what you mean! You know my friend Cas, right? Well, she's Canadian and to this day I wonder if Ben understands her."
"Probably not," Abby said, helping herself to a glass of lemonade. The April weather outside made her warm and she was dying for a cool drink. "Anyway, don't worry about Ben. He's had two months to get used to the idea. It'll grow on him."
"You two aren't working," Ben snapped, coming around the counter and interrupting their conversation. "Is that what we pay you for?"
"You don't pay me," Abby said happily. "I work for shelter. Besides, we served one customer. That's better than my average rate!" she finished with a smile causing Millie to laugh loudly.
"Mum wants to know if you're going to sing Friday night," Ben continued, paying no attention to Abby's wit. "She's got a friend coming in from across town and she wants her to hear you."
"It's not another record producer, is it?" Abby moaned. For months now, Elaine had been trying to get Abby to sing for one of the record producers that came into the café and Abby had kept denying. She wasn't ready for that.
"No, it's an old college friend," Ben answered. "Right now, I'm not entirely sure where Mum is. She took off this morning with her crystal vibration friends and I haven't seen her since."
"She'll turn up," Millie assured Ben and he nodded absentmindedly.
"Can we get to work, please?" he said rather quickly. He thrust a tray into Millie's arms and Abby smiled at her, filling the tray up with coffees.
The day went rather smoothly and quickly to Abby and by the time they closed that evening, she collapsed, exhausted, onto a stool by the counter. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm wiped," she said.
Millie nodded. "I have a two-hour lecture tomorrow morning," she informed them. "I should get back to college and go to bed." She did look tired and Abby told her not to overdo things. "I won't," Millie promised, grabbing her jacket from the coat hooks in the back. "I'm just so tired of Starfinder's lectures. They can be rather boring from time to time." She smiled briefly at Ben, waved to Abby and left the café.
Ben locked the door behind her and watched Millie walk down the path to the street. Abby noticed his eyes were filled with confusion and disturbance and his face was twisted into a serious grimace.
"You'll have to let go of it soon, Ben," she warned. He turned towards her, his eyes still far-off.
"What?" he asked.
"This thing with Millie being a witch. It's not the end of the world," Abby said, standing up and stretching. "There are worse things she could be. Why, she could be like me!" she joked.
Ben shook his head. "That wouldn't be a bad thing," he said softly, but Abby didn't fully hear him. "Nothing," he said when she asked him what he had said. "Nothing at all."
Abby shrugged. "I'm going upstairs," she said, shutting off the lights. "Did you shut off the coffee pots in the back?"
Ben nodded and followed Abby up the staircase that led to the apartment. It appeared small on the outside, but really wasn't. From the stairwell, the kitchen was off to the left, the living room connected to it. To the right was three bedrooms and a spare room which Elaine used for her meditation purposes. This infuriated Ben as he didn't see any reason for his mother to practice the odd things that Millie practiced at school, but as of late, it didn't seem to bother him half as much as it used to.
"Well, I'll see you in the morning," Abby said, just before heading into her own room. "I'll try to be there on time," she added as an afterthought, but Ben didn't laugh. Instead, he kept his eyes focused straight ahead at the far wall. Standing there, Abby thought he looked much like a guard, but she didn't say anything about it. She left for her room, hoping Ben wasn't still going to be standing there in the morning.