Decaffeinated Pumpkin Spice Latte Venti at Starbucks
-17th of October-
"You do know that exactly this type of behavior is the inspiration for my rage posts on Twitter?" I tell Jessica, while she cheerly slurps on her iced caramel Macchiato with soy milk and extra shot.
"I know and I don't care!" she smiles sweetly at me and bumps her hip into mine "You're just jealous that I get to have my name written on my cup!"
I snort in disbelief.
"Yeah sure! If these people would be able to spell it right!" I point towards the cup where someone can see a sloppily written 'Jesica'.
"The thought counts!" Jessica defends her favorite coffee shop and we continue the bickering until we step into our dorm and are finally able to take off our big coats.
"I still have to do some homework, you wanna join me?" I offer Jess, but she declines as she promised her roommate to watch Teen Wolf.
With my thoughts already on Psychology 101, I retreat to my dorm.
-21st of October-
"Without your friend today?" my barista asks and flashes me a smile while juggling with the ingredients.
"She bribed me with her Mom´s home-made Chili." I explain and brush my hair behind my ear.
"Well, I hope it will be really good!" the cup is handed over to me and the receipt, which I just stuff into my pocket
Back in the dorm, I deliver the hot beverage and eat my well earned Chili in Jessica's room although I notice that Jess is giving me a strange look when she pays me back.
"Anything interesting happened?" she asks. I shrug.
"Does the Barista smiling at me count as interesting?" I recall and her eyes go wide.
"Of course! Was it a cute one?"
"Yeah, really cute" I confess and we both start giggling.
"Well, then it's set! We're going back there and you, my lovely, obvious companion, are going to flirt!" she declares and I almost lose my chili to the carpet.
"WHAT? No!" I exclaim indignantly.
"Why not? You've been lonely way too long!" she argues but I shake my head.
"That's not for you to decide and I could never be with someone who works at … that place!" I shiver when I think about the awful coffee smell.
"Okay, but you will be coming there with me, right?" she uses the puppy eyes, the ultimate weapon, which I can never withstand.
"Of course, I will!" I give in and she claps happily, while I do the eyeroll of the death.
-23rd of October-
"Listen, I know, I am addicted! But just like cigarettes, caffeine is legal! You can not put me into a facility just because I need my coffee!"Jess declares.
"This is the second time in two days, although normally you only go about two times a week!" I argue back and can't help but frown and feel her forehead. "You are not working yourself into illness again, are you? Please, if you are stressed I can help!" I express my worry, but she shakes my hand away.
"No, Carolyn! I promise! I´m not working myself up again! That´s in the past! And leave me alone with your psychology crap!"
"Jessica, this is no ´psychology crap´! It is basic human empathy!" I argue back and open the door for her as we enter the coffee shop.
"Thank you and could you please let it be? I´m okay!" she hisses and starts to unbutton my blouse.
"Jess, what the hell?" I ask outraged, fighting against her flink fingers exposing my cleavage.
"Stop fidgeting, your barista is here!" she whispers and suddenly I feel my ears turning bright red.
"An even better reason for you to stop!" I exclaim panicking and hastily look to the counter where my barista is laughing at a joke from their coworker.
"C´mon you have to show what you´ve got! I´m gonna look for a table; you order!" she skips away, leaving me in the spotlight as the line progresses.
"How are you doing today?" I'm greeted by my barista, who is wearing a nametag!
"Thanks….Riley! I´m good! The usual for Jessica, my friend over there!" I order and try to flash a flirty smile. Riley´s hair gets brushed back and I can't help the itching in my fingers to do that motion myself.
"Why are you not getting anything?"
"Oh, I don't like coffee!" I answer and am greeted by a hand landing dramatically on their heart.
"How can someone not like coffee?"
"I just don't!" I shrug carelessly and take the cup and receipt from Riley. "See ya!"
-25th of October-
"You are aware that recently there was the first documented case of a teenager dying from caffeine, right?" I tell Jess casually while checking my spare Twitter Notification.
"Oh drop it, Carolyn! I won't die and you know that as well as I do!" she gives me the eyeroll of doom and pushes me out of the line. "Can you save us a table? I'm going to get your hot chocolate!"
Surprised I comply and elbow my way through the crowd of pilot jackets and long straight hair. Finally I find a little table near the window, extending my neck to see if Jess is looking for me. I see her brown locks bouncing and notice her animated conversation with Riley.
"What did you say to her?" I immediately ask, once she has returned, balancing two hot mugs of precious liquid.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" she answers but can't prevent her lips from forming a smirk.
"You talked with Riley! I saw it!" I accuse her, sitting down and sipping on my hot lifeline.
"Is it a crime now to talk with one's barista?" she wants to know, eyebrows raised and a smile hiding behind her coffee.
"You're up to something!" I say and wave my finger threatening in front of her face.
-27th of October-
Why again am I doing this? I don't even like coffee or the shop or my classmates so WHY?!
"What, so alone on a tuesday?" Riley asks when I enter the shop and indulge in the warmness that my coat can't give me in the winter.
"I volunteered to get coffee for my study group! Ugh!" I groan and she chuckles at that.
"Oh poor Carolyn!" she mockingly pities me.
"Wait, how do you know my name?" I ask, surprised and she stops in her movement.
"...Jessica told me!" is her answer. I roll my eyes. "So what is your order?" Riley switches into professional mood.
"So one Tall Vanilla Latte with Pistachio Nuts and cream, one Black Coffee Grande, a Venti Iced Tea Lemonade, a Grande Vanilla Iced Coffee with Soy Milk and at last a Grande Hot Chocolate for myself!" I finish reading from the crinkly paper I wrote my peer's orders on.
"Okay, great! That would be a total of 20.78$! And here's your receipt!" she hands me the piece of paper while I'm busy typing in the right pin for my card.
"So what are you studying for?" she asks and flashes me a smile whilst juggling with three dangerous looking bottles of … something.
"End semester Exams! I tell you, I will never study Psychology again!" I exclaim, tossing myself on one of the fluffy arm chairs.
"Psychology it is then! I was already wondering!" she replies chuckling.
"And what was your first thought?" I challenge her and glimpse towards her.
"Well with your looks I would have put my money on model!" she answer cocky and I feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
"Here are your beverages, see you soon?" she offers with a smile that's confident although I can still discover a hint of tentativeness behind her eyes.
"See you soon!" I confirm.
We smile at each other before I leave.
-30th of October-
"Hi Riley! I'm so sorry to bark in like that! Jess lost her earphones and throws a tantrum in the dorm and now the whole house split up to look for them in various locations! I volunteered to come here!" I almost fall through the entrance just minutes away from when the store closes.
Riley, clearly startled and still with a mop in her hand, looks at me with big, blue eyes.
"Okay, let's look!" she claps enthusiastically with her hands and comes out from behind the counter. I bend over, hands splayed over my knees, trying to catch my breath. "Are you okay?" Riley asks concerned, but I wave her off.
"Just the run! Do you have like a lost and found?" I ask, straightening myself up.
"Yeah" she nods, "In the changing room, I'm gonna look real quick! You go to your usual corner!" she instructs me and disappears into the backspace.
I frantically turn around arranged pillows, crawl underneath tables and around chairs, while searching in creeks with my eyes. My phone buzzes and I bang my head on the table, which makes me curse lowkey.
"Na na, what would make such a pretty mouth curse?" Riley enters the room again, headphones in hand and a cheeky smile playing around her dimples. I point an accusing finger towards her and answer my phone.
"Hi Jess...Yes, we found them, don't worry!...Riley and I, who else?...I´m coming home right now, yes!...Okay, see you!...Bye!" I talk to Jessica and roll my eyes at Riley, what makes her laugh like a hundred bells are ringing.
"So I guess, you have to leave?" she asks, once I hang up and I nod.
"Yeah, I´m so sorry! Jess has an unhealthy obsession with these!" I explain, reaching for the headphones. Riley hands me them, the contact our fingers too short for my liking. I notice Riley´s eyes wandering over the pillow mess I made, which starts guilt stabbing me in the lower abdomen.
"I´m sorry for the pillows! Can I make it up somehow?" I ask and scratch the back of my neck nervously. She smirks.
"Well, you can make it up to me by buying me some decent coffee! But for that, you will need my number!" she says, while grabbing my arm and a lonely sharpie from the counter. The sharpness of it inking my skin distracts me from her hand closed around my wrist. "Run now, your friend waits for you!" she sends me to the door and I stumble back outside.
-1st of November-
The next morning I wake up and immediately check if Riley's number is still in my phone and I sigh a breath of relieve, when it is. I open a chat with her and type.
Hi Riley, it´s Carolyn!
Hi Carolyn! How are you doing?
Quite okay, just finished Uni! And you?
Cool, how was it? On my break right now!
How school even is, you know?
Ugh, don't remind me!
You wanted me to buy you coffee, right?
Honey, you only don't know how hard it is to serve this plum everyday, because you don't like it at all! Let me tell you: It's bad!
Okay, okay, let me think of a good place!
Take your time, my break is over anyway!
Oh okay, see you!
Buh bye!
"Jeeeessssiiiicccaaaaa!" I yell through the hallways, while sprinting towards her room. She opens it, once I'm there. Hand up in Salute.
"Best Friend ready for attack! What is the mission, madame?" she asks in a robot voice, which makes me laugh.
"Officer B.F., we have a special mission! I have a date with Riley. Let's find the best coffee shop in this city that also sells hot cocoa!" I demand and she nods dutifully, letting me into her dorm.
"First, we have to look for the good coffee type, thereas it can't be some brand. BUT this means a longer commute, which can cause awkward silence, which we want to avoid and we need Hot Cocoa, not that difficult to make, you would think, BUT oh boy, many coffee shops just fail at it!" she grabs her computer and swoops around, almost crushing it into my stomach
"That sounds about right! How do you intend on finding this place?" I ask while getting comfortable on her bed. She, starting the computer, turns around and looks at me like I'm about to lose my brain.
"Google, duh!"
I laugh and a smile spreads across her cheeks, reminiscing of how lucky I am to have her as my best friend.
"Hey Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"Awwww you're so sweet!" she coos "Come cuddle!"
We cuddle for several minutes while she quietly taps her keyboard.
-3rd of November-
A week later, I flatten my skirt nervously and ring the name R. Hedley at the apartment building. Jess found the best café in our borough but my schedule has been crazy the whole week and even Riley texted me that the boss picked on her forever, which means that we couldn't text as much as my best friend advised would be healthy for a to-be-in-love-couple. But now, this Thursday, Riley could get a free day and we decided to meet up.
The door buzzes, I jump at the quick cut in my thoughts and quickly enter the staircase, practically jumping over stairs.
"There´s someone eager to break into my apartment!" Riley stands at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, an enticing smirk around the lips.
"Well, we can just sing ´Smooth Criminal´ and destroy your furniture. Or I can take you out and buy your coffee first!" I laugh and Riley nods, smiling. We retrieve coat, phone, wallet and I offer my arm. Half an hour later we enter the ´HuggAMug´ Café that apparently is such a well kept secret that Jessica had to dig into multiple forums to find it.
"Wow, this place is so cozy!" she utters and I agree.
"It is wonderful! I could spend hours reading Game of Thrones here!"
"Me too! My goodness; what book are you at?"
"I'm at a Feast for Crows."
"Don't spoiler! I'm still at A Clash of Kings!" she pleas and I give in, laughing.
"All okay, the Targaryens big family secret is safe with me!" she hits me on the shoulder and we both giggle. I step up to the counter and order a Aztec Hot Chocolate while she goes for a Cappuccino and we both step aside to wait.
"You know, as much as I dislike coffee, I can't stop my admiration for how it's prepared!" I comment while my eyes are following the pulver being processed and the care our barista pours the liquid into the cup and curls it slightly around to create coffee art.
"I know, it's beautiful! I was thinking about taking a class to learn how to do it but Starbucks doesn't appreciate individualism and I wouldn't have the money anyway!" she sighs.
"I'm sorry, that sucks! Maybe there will be another time, when the opportunity arrives!" I try to comfort her but she shrugs my hand of her shoulder and smiles at me.
"C'mon, I think our beverages are ready!"
"Did you know that my favorite word in the entire english language is beverage?" I ask, once we are on the way to a comfortable booth on the window. Riley's face lights up and she starts to stumble over her words.
"Yeah, right? It sounds so soft and yet feisty from the B!"
We arrive at our table and I hurry forward, almost spilling over my drink, pulling out the chair for my date.
"Thank you, such a Gentle...woman?" she tries and we both erupt in giggles.
"You're welcome!" I push her in, sit down myself and we continue talking for hours, until it's dark and I drive her home. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and we part ways.
-17th of November-
"You can't be serious!" she exclaims and dives onto my bed, spraying the popcorn everywhere.
"RILEY! The Popcorn! Someone has to vacuum that, you know?"
"You continued watching the episode without me? You heartless devil!" she overrides my sentence and gestures towards my laptop. I shrug and steal the bowl of popcorn from her.
"I can wind it back"
"You better will!" she pouts and disappears under the blanket. Her small frame nudges against my side and I giggle, enveloping her in a cuddle. We have been dating for exactly 2 weeks now and decided to celebrate that by skipping college and work and retreating into my dorm and watching Game of Thrones together.
"You're the first person I ever watched this with." she says, deep in thoughts and lets her head rest on my chest.
"Just so you know: You're the only person I will watch Game of Thrones with. We just went into a commitment together!" I say and her eyes light up.
"Uuuhhh we have to make a pinky swear!" she exclaims an tangles her hands out of the blanket and claps.
"Okay, let's make a pinky swear!" I fall into her enthusiasm and we both sit up.
"Let´s go!" Riley clears her throat, we hook our pinkies and she starts talking, "From this day forward, the present Riley Hedley and Caroline Macer will only watch Game of Thrones in each others presence and should one betray this swear, so shall she never ever get Coffee or Hot Cocoa again. FOREVER!" she ends and we both say simultaneously "I swear!" before kissing sweetly and settling back against my bed, continuing our episode.
-18th of November-
"CAROLIN COME OUT OF YOUR CAVE AND GO TO YOUR CLASSES!" an oddly familiar voice rips me from my dreams and Riley´s blue opals blink sleepily across from me.
"LEAVE ME ALONE JESS!" I yell back and cover my eyes with the blanket, eliciting a small laugh from my companion.
"WAIT DO YOU HAVE COMPANY?" she yells and I groan, throwing the duvet away, leaving my warm heaven and opening the door, looking furiously.
"Good morning Jessica; Yes, I have company; Please could you let me have half an hour?" she just nods and I close the door. Then I turn around, my eyes zoom in on the beauty stretching in my bed and grin.
"Good morning!" she says.
"A good morning starts with a good view!" I answer and sit back onto my bed and start stroking her hair and cheeks.
"You´re the sweetest!" she grins and kisses my palm, "But you and I know that we have to get up!"
"Ugh don't remind me!" we get dressed anyway and I walk her out, where we kiss goodbye.
-21st December-
Shortly before Christmas, Riley and I take a stroll down the lake as we can't be with each other on the day.
"I will really miss you!" I say and put my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She laughs and squeezes my ribs.
"I will toohoooo!" her overly high pitched voice echoes through the water. I groan and she releases her hold on me, which makes me bend down and hold onto my tummy.
"Babe, for someone who just makes coffee the whole day, you're freakishly strong!"
"I'm not just making coffee, beloved one! I also carry bags of coffee beans, handle heavy water cans and you have not seen our kitchen yet!" she laughs excitedly and we fall into a comfortable silence until we arrive at a small café that plays Christmas music.
"You want to have something?" I ask and Riley nods, although she's eyeing the long line.
"C'mon waiting is funnier together anyway!" I pull her behind a old couple, giggling. We wait and entertain us by playing 'I Spy'. Suddenly, Riley stops from looking for a white-red object and she gets a twinkle in her eyes.
"Ohhhhhh, Carolyn! That's my favorite song! Dance with me, pleeasseeeee!" I hear up in wonder, not even having noticed that "Baby. It's cold outside" came on.
"That's your favorite song?" I wonder but she already got ahold onto my hip and grabbed my hand, swaying us in the melody.
"This evening has been… so very nice!" she sings and I roll my eyes, playing annoyed but being secretly fuzzy on the inside. "My mother will start to worry…"
"Beautiful, what's your hurry?" I answer her beginning and she starts to glow in happiness, as I respond.
"My father will be pacing the floor.."
"Listen to the fireplace roar!" our swaying extends to full on halfway-waltzing on the grass area before the café.
"So really I'd better scurry!"
"Beautiful please don't hurry!"
"But maybe just half a drink more!"
"Put some records on while I pour!" I twirl her around and catch her again, this time leading and dancing bigger circles.
"The neighbours might think..."
"Baby, it's bad out there!" I remind her and slide my hand further around her back, bringing us closer together while the people around us slowly disappear, leaving just Riley in my primar sight.
"Say what's in this drink?"
"No cabs to be head out there!" I notice something cold on my hair.
"I wish I knew how.."
"Your eyes are like starlight now!" White dots appear on her shoulders and I start to notice the world around us again.
"To break this spell…"
"I'll take your hat; your hair looks swell!" she now starts to turn her head and her mouth opens unbelieving.
"I ought to say no, no, …" she stops her singing and removes her hand from my shoulder, catching one of the fluffy flakes in her palm.
"Carolyn, it's snowing!" she says and shows me her hand, where the snowflake is slowly starting to melt.
"Yes it is!" I grin and break apart from her, twirling in the light snowfall. She joins me and once we stop, we are dizzy and fall back into the snow that is now covering the ground.
She rolls on top of me and I sling my arm around her waist. She supports her elbows next to my head and we look into each other's´ eyes.
"I love you, Carolyn!" she whispers and my lips quirk up into a smile.
"I love you too, Riley!" her face lights up and I catch Riley´s lips in a sweet, ice-cold kiss in the winter wonderland.