String and Clay Beads

I stepped off the Subway and squished through the crowd of fellow work-goers. I made up way up the steps and into the fresh air, not stopping as person after person shoulder past me, knocking a curly blonde hair into my face. And I'd just gotten it to sit right too!

I walked a hundred yards down the sidewalk before reaching my destination: a small café in the centre of Manhattan, just around the corner from Times Square. I was wearing skinny jeans, a loose fitting grey t-shirt with an owl in the centre and tall, black high heels.

I walked through the glass door of the café, little bell ringing announcing my entrance, and made my way up to the back of the store, waving at a few regulars as I passed them. Walking through a narrow hallway marked 'Staff Only', I go into the break room, chucking my bag down on a sofa, grabbing a bright pink apron, pulling it over my head and tie it up behind my back.

'Hey Piper,' I chime to another girl who was in the room, taking her break.

'Hey, Annabeth,' she smiled, looking up from her Vogue magazine momentarily. 'There's a cute guy out there.'

'Really? I didn't notice on the way in,' I said, twisting my hair up with a pencil I'd pulled out of the apron pocket. 'Well, you know how I love cute guys; gimme a bio.'

'Black hair, green eyes, buff,' she said, not taking her eyes off the magazine.

I shrugged, 'Good enough for me.'

I walked back to the sofa, fishing around in my bag for a pad of paper and pen, then went back through the hallway into the store.

I flew through the small bat-wing door to get behind the counter, stuffing the notepad into my apron pocket. Staring at the list of orders I could hear a voice trying to grab my attention.

'Just a second,' I said, starting to turn a bunch of knobs and levers and starting machines up. I walked over to the ordering counter, where an old lady was standing on the other side.

'What can I get you this morning?' I asked, removing the notepad from my pocket and pulling the pen from where it was tucked behind my ear.

'Skinny flat white,' she said, but I found her voice to be very certain, not like a typical old lady's. Then again, there weren't many old ladies wandering around busy Manhattan.

'Sure thing,' I replied, jotting the order down and leaving the pad and pen on the counter to get the finished coffees.

I pulled a full coffee cup out from underneath the nuzzle and looked for a corresponding receipt. When I found it, I called out, 'Order Fifteen: Skinny Flat Black with Marshmallows.'

Marshmallows? Did I read that right?

Next thing I knew, I was being approached by a tall, tanned man in a grey business suit. He was holding a briefcase in his left hand, and had his right hand outstretched, to take the coffee.

'Your order, sir,' I said, handing him the coffee. 'Marshmallows?'

'Yeah,' he smiled, Sea-Green eyes gleaming. 'I need a little kick in my coffee.'

I smiled back, 'Don't we all?'

He turned and left, but as he got to the door, something fell out of one of the pockets of his briefcase.

'Uh, sir, you dropped something,' I called from behind the counter. He mustn't have heard me, because he continued out the door and kept walking, in the direction of the subway.

I came out from behind the counter and went over to the item he dropped, ignoring the other customers who moaned angrily. Thinking back to the appearance of the man, he matched Piper's description. Damn it, I thought. I had an opportunity right there.

I bent down and picked up what appeared to be a necklace.

A piece of String with six Clay Beads on it.

Should I make this multi-chapter?

~FanGirl2412