Local Coffee

"Hey, welcome back. Just the usual?" A man said to me from over the bark looking counter as I trudge in from the gloomy days outside. I almost overdosed on the variety of beans and leaves smacking my face and perking me up. I didn't even need the drink anymore but still I nodded at him while I tried to make my way to my claimed seat while trying to get limited mud and water droplets on the glossy and green floor. It wasn't really claimed I just like the feel of this corner best, I don't really know why. This whole place has this 'home-for-the-holidays', no matter the time of year. Over sized chairs and the extremities of couches does a good job of that while refurbished diner stools send me to a tourist trap in the middle of nowhere. But for the past week or two the physical embodiment of the sun had been taking this spot. When I say he looked like the sun I swear he was the sun, his short and messy orange and clearly dyed hair(no way was that natural) was one thing along with his smile but his eyes tied the look together. Brown eyes, with dimples in the creases that were always there because he was always smiling and making me want to stay away from him. Every time I've seen him I can't bring myself to get within eight feet of him, I just get so nervous whenever I think about him. But the good kind of nervous. So I let him take the spot every time. But today he isn't here. Feeling a little at lost I take a seat on an old dinner stool dusted brown. Once I unpacked my laptop my name got called and forced me up to get the drink I didn't really want. Once I got back to my seat I commanded the cold keys letting the pitter-patter echo through a small corner. I looked at my screen saw a message. "Hey," was all it said. It was from this new beta site that me and a few other random people are testing. It basically lets you talk to anyone signed up and with similar interests but they could literally be anywhere in the world. They call it "Friendly Buzz."

Well I got that message in that local coffee shop about two months ago. Now here I am in that same seat with the same drink and the talking with that same person who sent the "Hey,". It turns out that we don't live far apart. We live in the same town and go to the same school but we're both people who don't get any focus in the movies. You know the ones called "background" or "side character"? Yeah, that's us. We also play the same sport(volleyball), and like the same shows, movies, animals, foods(pork curry buns), the only thing we don't know about each other is our real names. All they know me by is my screen name 'KT' and I know them by theirs', "Carrot Top Spiker". Speaking of them, they just messaged me.

They always start out a new conversation with that same "Hey," no matter what.

"What's up?"

"Debating to get a drink or not" "Carrot Top Spiker" sent back.

"I would say yes, nothing better to pick you up and a good old cup of tea"

"That's fair, but if I go out then I have to get dressed and look like a human and not a garbage dump"

"I bet you're fine the way you are even if you are a garbage dump"

"So I should get a coffee?"

"Yes, but tea will always be better." They left me on read after that but I knew they were going to get a drink and try to be productive.

By now my jade citrus green tea with eight sugars and a sprinkle of vanilla was cold. I caught the eye of the guy behind the counter and he got another cup going for me. I still don't know his name. Coffee pots and grinding machines went on but I drowned them out with the

alternative rock coming from the speakers, I wonder where they find this stuff. Maybe five minutes after I close out of "Carrot Top Spiker'' and I's conversation the guy with the orange hair comes in. Of course he looks my way to see if the seat is open. When he sees that it's not he takes up another spot by the window in front and pulls out his phone. Then my drink is called and I go up to get it... I think it's my drink.

The orange haired guy goes up at the same time and we reach for the same cup. Our hands freeze inches away from it. I know this is my drink the order is written on the side, no one else orders this ridiculous and overly complicated mug of hot leaf water.

"This is awkward." Oh god, his voice- her voice is like sweet summer air pounding in my lungs, it's the sensation of carving through water after I jump from the starting block, it's sounds as sweet as when I set a ball and it's slammed down a spike past the wall of blockers. His voice is everything I thought it would be.

"I'm- I'm sorry, is this your drink?" I somehow get out with little to no stuttering.

"Large jade citrus mint green tea with eight sugars and a sprinkle of vanilla? I ordered it online."

"That's funny, that's like the only thing I drink here. That exact order."

"That is kind of funny, I guess." he lets out a giggle, it's subtle, but it's there.

"Why don't you just take it?" I say, trying to make myself look good.

"You sure? I mean if we have the same drink they'll have another coming out in a minute. I can wait."

"That's exactly my point. Just go ahead and take that one."

"I couldn't do that. You take it and I'll wait." he says with a smile and pushes hair behind his ear, or he tries to as it just falls back.

"Would one of you just take it? The other will be out in like two seconds." Daichi, that was his name, the barista says. I end up taking the drink but I still feel a little bad about it. By the time I get to my seat the other drink is called. I am in the middle of writing a paper when I get a new chat with "Carrot Top Spiker".

"Oh my god. I just had one of the weirdest interactions of my life."

"Oh do tell." I reply

"So I ordered that drink you always get to try it and then when the drink is called some other guy comes up and we had to figure out who drink it was. In the end he took it."

"What drink?"

"That green tea thing."

"Which one?"

"Jade citrus mint, eight sugars, and vanilla."

"Where are you?"

"At Local Coffee, why?" Okay so the guy I've been daydreaming about is the same person who I've been talking to for the past few months. This kid knows almost everything there is to know about me, but I know a fair share about him. That's when it hits me: I can't let him just know that it's me he had to do that with without making a game out of it.

I go back to the counter and I place another order. An order not for me, it's something I would probably never have but here I was buying it and putting it under another name.

"Red velvet cheesecake bites with a medium mochaccino for-" Daichi double checked the name, "'Carrot Top Spiker'?" he perks up when he reads that and does a double take but goes to get it. So it is him. I keep an eye on him for a little while, I can tell he's a little shiftier than earlier but I know he's fine with her favorite drink and snack. I decide to mess with him a little more.

"Hey, quick question," I send without waiting for a reply when I see her typing, "Why orange hair?"

"Was it you who sent the cheese cake and drink? Where are you? How did you know I have orange hair? I never bring up my appearance." Oh my god, he hasn't figured it out yet.

"I told you, you don't look like a garbage dump."

"Where are you? How did you figure out who I was?" I was going to reply but I saw her dots pop up telling me he has more to say. "You were the guy with the same drink, weren't you?"

"To be fair, I didn't know it was you."

"So what now? We know who we are but didn't we try to avoid it?"

"We could ignore this and let it bubble until we explode or we could stop typing and hold a face-to-face conversation. I choose the latter." I see him sigh and close out his phone without sending a reply. He gets up and makes his way towards me, I'm a little shocked, I didn't think he would.

"Hey," he says, "I'm Hinata Shouyou."

"Hey Hinata, I'm Kageyama Tobio."