Working in a coffee shop you got to know the regular customers, Some came every day, some only every other week, and some even came just once a year – but even those customers came back in a regular pattern.
Which was why, even if you didn't know any of these people you served the coffee, you were bound to pick up some of their preferences after a while.
At least that's what Nicole told herself.
It wasn't a very big coffee shop, nor was it one that connected a big chain. But it seemed to be that homey, comfy side that brought their customers. It was small tucked away in a corner street, run by a family and who's entire left side of the shop was covered in books. You could finish your own book in the shop, as people tended to bring books to coffee shops and then just head over to the wall and switch it for another one that people had left behind. There were of course the regulars of the coffee shop, like an older lady Elizabeth who's daily walk with her cocker spaniel led her to this coffee shop for white English Breakfast tea and a scone. She usually came in around 7.30am every morning before leaving back to her apartment at 8.30. There were of course the 5 students that lived in the apartment complex next door who were very simple to take care of. You simply needed to place a jug of black coffee on their table and they would talk and work for the entire morning. They weren't a bother and they were her own favourite companions to talk to on a easy day.
There was old couple George and his wife Jessica who lived 5 doors down in a little house, who liked a pot of tea and jam cakes, Roger a business man who liked his cappuccino with pepper, Ian and Brett, twins who came in for their hot chocolate before catching the school bus, Sophia a night shift nurse who came for a sweet tea and a bite to eat before heading home after a shift. And of course you had the once off customer who needed a beverage for a cold day, or just need a break after they stumbled across the coffee shop.
The bell on the door signaled another costumer and she looked up to see the stern looking Asian Lady who had become a regular in the past couple of months. She only came every couple of weeks sometimes every morning for two weeks, sometimes only once every 2 months.
As soon as she arrived Nicole knew exactly who her customers were for this morning.
She was always dressed to the nines, her black pantsuit and jacket neat and tidy, always with a crisp shirt underneath in colours ranging from white to grey to cream, and heels that looked like they could kill. She held a brief case in one hand and her ever present sunglasses sat on top of her head. She looked like a lawyer but even Jennifer had seen enough movies and documentaries to see a soldiers stance when she saw one, even if she was in a suit.
But she had come in enough so that Nicole knew her order.
Green tea with pepper.
Strange and not seemingly that nice to drink, but she'd never tried it herself so she was not going to ask. Besides the woman looked scary and could probably (if her intuition was right about her being a soldier) snap her in half.
This lady always came in around 7.45 am and took to seat next to the window.
She was always on time. Never late or early. It had seemed odd at first until Nicole had put together that as soon as a older man dressed in a suit arrived, the lady would leave. He usually clocked in around 7.50 am and it had taken a few appearances to notice their sight interaction with each other.
It was a simple nod of the head and shoulder bump that at a cursory glance you wouldn't notice. After that the lady would leave and the older gentlemen would order his beverage and a chocolate muffin. His was a cappuccino with a dollop of honey and chocolate. There was some fancy name for it, and he'd told her once but she had forgotten. He was, similar to the Asian lady always dressed in a suit, but his had a tie and held a brief case. This one was black and looked the same except for the tiny Captain America Shield keychain hanging of one of the handles. He always tipped nicely and his smile was always genuine before he would retreat back to one of the tables by the windows to wait.
She seen him do it the first couple of weeks and hadn't thought anything of it till she realized that he waited until the next on time customers arrived.
They arrived at 8.20 the mornings of their strange routines, both of them together and both of them spitting out scientific stuff that made her head spin if she tried to understand it. They would come in and the older gentleman would leave.
But if she'd have to admit they were the cutest couple she'd ever met in her life. The boy who was Scottish judging from his accent, was the word adorable. He had bright blue eyes and curly blondish hair and had impeccable manners. He was always dressed in a colourful shirt and (usually) matching tie, always with a smile that made her day. The girl was gorgeous with chocolate eyes and brown hair and she had an English accent, dressed in different blouses and blazers. They always ordered together but one would order for the both of them. A Earl Grey Tea with Milk and a Flat White Cappuccino with chocolate with two yo-yo's.
Always one chocolate and one vanilla.
They would head to the table by the corner that the older man had vacated and finished off their drinks always leaving the yo-yos till last. They always drew everyone's eyes in the shop with their discussions, that were at about a million miles an hour and their excitable hand gestures. They sat on the same side of the 4 seater table sitting so close to each other, they looked like they were one person if you didn't look close enough. They always left at 8.50 as soon as the next of their little 'on time group' arrived.
He was tall, muscled and ridiculously handsome. While the Scottish man was adorable and cute, this man oozed cool. He was clearly over 6ft tall and dressed in a suit that fit him really well, and he like the other two carried a brief case. He ordered a straight black coffee. Nothing else. He never smiled, but tipped very well. He moved towards the same table vacated by both the couple and older gentleman.
He waited quite a lot longer than any of the others. He waited from 8.50 to 9.40 till the last member of their 'group' arrived, the time varying every morning. But this time he didn't leave like the others he stayed watching.
She seemed different from the 3 suits similar to the couple but still different. She ordered a mocaccino. She was usually dressed in the 'modern' clothes that the students and younger generation wore.
There was minimal interaction at all before they left, just a barely noticeable touch on the back before they headed out.. They never talked not even a good morning, just a hard stare from the man, probably having something to do making him wait for her for different times.
They had been coming in for at least 6 months when she put together that they must have known each other, or a least worked together, whether they reunited every couple of weeks or if they came for work meetings.
But it every time they had the same routine, each of them coming in at their correct time. It didn't seem at all odd, they just seemed to work nearby or at least this was on their way. She didn't think any different of it till she realized that the older gentleman would stand across the street watching the other people enter and leave the coffee shop.
She'd seen him when she'd moved to clear the table by a window. He was hidden from sight if you were behind the counter, but as soon as you moved towards the window, he was there leaning against what looked like a red corvette (if her brother's obsession with cars taught her anything). He waited till it was his turn and the returned when he had gotten his coffee, leaving after the last two 'members' left.
It was defiantly never dull in this coffee shop. The regular customers were always there for a chat and those 6 newer customers kept her on her toes.
000000
It took two weeks for them to come back after their last visit, though this time they were different.
The Asian Lady arrived precisely at 7.45 as every other time she had come. However this morning she wasn't wearing her usual pantsuit, without her brief case and her usual sunglasses. Instead she was dressed simply in jeans, a blue blazer jacket with a simple white undershirt and boots. She looked tired, she looked like the colleague students sitting by the back wall, who at the moment were in the middle of their finals and practically lived off coffee.
She ordered her usual green tea and pepper, before she returned to the window booth and stared out the window.
The bell rung a few moments later, signaling another customer. Looking up Nicole meet the blue eyes of the gentleman that usually arrived later on. He was also void of the suit and suitcase, dressed in jeans and a jacket similar to the asian lady. Instead of ordering his usual cappuccino with a dollop of honey and chocolate, he instead ordered a straight black coffee. When she moved to get a plate, he shook his head and smiled. "Just two sandwiches please"
She nodded and handed him the two sandwiches and his coffee, watching as he moved over to the lady and sat down. He pushed the plate over to her, waited with a glare until she picked one up and began to eat it. Once she had eaten the first one, he pushed the second one towards her and turned back towards the door. The lady picked up the second one with a glare before eating that one too.
They sat in silence until the bell rang again and they both looked up.
The british girl came through the door closely followed by ridiculously handsome man. The girl was missing her regular blazer and blouse instead was wearing a pair of jeans with a blue jumper that was way to big, its sleeves rolled up around her wrists, the hem of the jumper reaching mid thigh. It looked really warm and well loved its blue wool fading and a barely recognizable capital 'L' on the front. Ridiculously Handsome followed behind, dressed not in his suit, but also in jeans and a white shirt covered by a leather jacket.
They ordered the usual, Handsome ordered a straight black coffee and the british girl ordered her usual Earl Grey Tea with Milk and the Flat White Cappuccino that the Scottish boy usually got.
Thanking her the girl turned back to the table, sitting on the opposite side to the lady in the booth before curling up slightly into the cushions. Handsome followed her, but instead of sitting next to her, he simply pulled out a chair and sat at the end of the booth. By now the lady and older gentleman had finished their own drinks and the food and with a nod between then the gentleman got up and ordered more food for the table. There was barely any interaction between the group, Handsome grabbing some sandwiches on a plate and slowly eating. The silence was broken when the older gentleman tried to get the younger woman to eat, she adamantly refused and moved further into the corner of the booth. He gave up after a few seconds, simply leaving the plate on the table.
He shared a look with Handsome and she watched as he got out his phone, typing something quickly and slipping it back into his pocket. Slow conversation continued between them all, Handsome continuously checking his phone and the British girl refusing to eat.
The doorbell rang once again this time allowing the adorable Scottish boy to enter the shop, he looked around, smiling at her, before heading over to the booth. Greetings were given and he sat down next to the British girl, moving over to the corner to lean closer to the girl, gently whispering into her and gently pushing the plate closer. A slight whispered argument occurred, ending with a few raised eyebrows from other customers and the British girl taking a small bite of a sandwich. She glared at the boy for a few minutes as she slowly ate before she leaned into him and he slowly began to rub his hands up and down her arm.
They all sat there for about 2 hours either silent or with slight conversation. Customers came and went, the cafe cleared out before lunch and then packed in, but they stayed there. The Asian lady had grabbed a book as had the older gentleman and both of them were quietly reading away, the lady looking up every couple of minutes scanning the room and taking in the scene across from her in the booth.
The British girl, who from snitches of conversation as she'd passed, name was Jemma was fast asleep against the Scottish boy's chest. He was slowly running has hands through the Jemma's hair as he talked to Handsome, as he slowly finished his 4th cup of coffee.
To Nicole it seemed they were waiting for someone, she though eventually that the last girl would arrive, the one that aways dressed in the latest clothes and always had a laptop would arrive, but as the lunchtime crowd dulled into the afternoon lull it seemed that she wasn't coming.
At 3pm they finally moved, the Asian Lady returning the two books they had been reading, and the older gentleman cleaning up the plates. Jemma was slowly awoken by the Scottish boy, as he and Handsome man began to clean up as well.
The older gentleman returned the plates to the counter, smiling and thanking her for letting them stay. Handsome and the older gentleman left shortly after, the door ringing again in their departure. The Asian Lady stood quietly by the younger couple waiting for the British girl to wake up once more before signaling them towards an SUV parked across the road.
Snatches of conversation were heard as the British girl seemed to disagree with what ever the Asian Lady had said. The word "no" was repeated constantly, along with the shaking of her head and Nicole caught the words "Hospital" "Home" and the last sentence before they left.
"She'll be fine Jemma, go home a get some rest" this time the Scottish man seemed angry, and he pulled her out the door quite forcefully and helped her in the car.
They moved out of her sight as another customer ordered and by the time that Nicole had looked up from making a hot chocolate, the SUV was gone as was the Red Corvette.
She turned back to the next customer, thinking that it was time she stopped noising into others business.