The delicious taste of toffee slid down my throat as I gulped my coffee, the aroma consuming the crevices of my mouth greedily. 'God, I love this place.' A smile broke across my face as my mind wound itself around that thought.. The Sanctuarium lived true to its name for those who couldn't sleep. I was here almost every night. I could name the staff from memory and most of the regular patrons, too- and that was from before I started working here.

My smile grew at the memory of when Sofie had indirectly given me the application. I found it hard to believe that had been three months ago already. It seemed like that was the turning point for me, and everything started to fall into place like pieces of an enormous jigsaw puzzle. My life had been going rather smoothly since: I would work most nights every week; my gen ed classes weren't all that bad, except for the English one, and Sybil and I were getting along great. I felt like I could handle this. Being an adult wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Suddenly, Sofie waltzed over, breaking me out of my happy reverie, her hand expertly balancing two mugs of coffee and a plate with a large slice of Vanilla Bomb Cake on it. Instead of just setting it before me and sauntering off, she slid into the booth opposite me, shifting the cake towards me and one of the mugs. She kept the other one cradled in her palms gingerly.

"There's your cake, sugar." I shook my head slightly at her. She refused to use my real name. Half the time, I swore she didn't even remember it.

"Thanks, Sofie. On break?" I giggled, my fingers reaching for the fork balanced precariously across the edge of the silvery porcelain. The first bite was heaven, "Mmmmmmmm."

She shook her head in response, "Not officially." Her hazel eyes glittered as she watched me devour the delicious dessert. She gleefully took the bite I offered her, eyes closing momentarily as the angelic flavor lit on her tongue. Then, with a sip of coffee, she departed, on a mission to finish clearing the tables. I watched her in a gentle awe.

Sofie was a bright and sparkling lady who seemed to be in her early thirties. Her long blonde hair was always perfect and done up, and her nails were always flawlessly painted bright colors. Generally, a person like that: with the perfect hair, nails, teeth, and a pretty face accented by a light smattering of makeup, would make me feel intimidated. But Sofie was so sunny and friendly in a down to earth kind of way, that I couldn't find any dislike for her.

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I took another bite of the decadent bomb cake. I unlocked it as I chewed; it was Sybil, asking if I wanted to go out tonight.

'Hey dear! (: If u werent planning anything 2nite, I was wondering if u wanted to go to a movie with me?'

It took a few minutes for the words to come together and make sense. I'd never been good at reading and was diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade. Generally, I needed to have someone help me read, or read to me. Sybil had been doing that a lot lately, and I was more grateful to her than words could describe.

'Um yea. what movei do you want to go to?' I could never remember if it was 'ie' or 'ei'. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I glanced up at the shop window. It was starting to get dark, and the streetlamps were slowly coming to life. I could almost hear the ever present 'buzz' of their electrical life. I focused on the Thai restaurant across the street. A small group of people exited the building, approximately four or five. They were laughing and talking animatedly. One of them caught my eye, a tall guy in the center of the group with pale blonde hair. He looked oddly familiar, like a childhood friend altered by tides of time. I leaned closer to the window, my contacts moving uncomfortably as I squinted.

Then it hit me. Those dark, purple blue eyes, the smell of his coat, cigarettes and sandalwood, all of it. My coffee mug fell from my hands and I drew in a sharp breath.

"Garry…?"

My voice was barely more than a whisper. I could feel my chest tightening, constricting, my lungs caught in a vice of emotion. I couldn't move, even as the searing coffee flooded the table and my lap, the liquid burning fiery holes through my jeans in the forms of stains. Even as molten lava swamped my lower body, the pain in my heart somehow remained greater.

"... IB. Sweetie?"

I jerked my head away from the window, the sound of Sofie panicking above me stealing my attention. I became aware of the agony in my legs and jumped up, a cry of pain escaping my lips.

"Ow! Oh, I'm sorry Sofie. I didn't mean to make a mess for you." I frantically grabbed one of the rags she held in her hand and began wiping up the spill. My arm moved sporadically, bumping into the plate of cake, almost knocking it off the table. I was only making it worse.

"Ib. Ib. Ib! Sweetie, it's alright!" Sofie's delicate fingers pinned my shaky hand to the table. She used my real name, her tone flooded with concern. I realized how strangely I must be acting, how I must look right now. My numb fingers slowly uncurled from around the now sopping, rough fabric of the rag. I stumbled back a few steps, my mind whirling.

He was here, just outside. I had found him. I wanted to see him. I didn't want him to see me. Not like this. I couldn't breathe.

'My chest… It's so tight…'

"Ib, are you alright, honey? You look like you've seen a ghost." Sofie's velvety voice floated through again, but it seemed so far away. My eyes jumped back to the window, my irises straining to pick him out of the evening crowd again. Nothing. He wasn't there.

A ghost. Yeah. Of course. It couldn't have actually been him. There was no way. I shook my head forcefully, attempting to bring my mind back to full capacity. All the motion managed to do was make me dizzy.

My pocket buzzed against my leg, no doubt Sybil replying with whatever flick she'd chosen for the night. I didn't look.

"...I have to go…"

"Sweetie, are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should sit down. You look pale." Sofie grasped my arm lightly, the motion pulling me back to reality slightly, anchoring me.

I shook my head, causing the swirling inside it to increase in ferocity, "I've gotta go. Put it on my tab." With that, I pulled away from her, pushed through the door, and out onto the street. I dazedly made it to my car before I realized there was a warm wetness on my cheeks.

'I'm crying…?'

I leaned my head back against the rest behind me, my tear brightened red eyes squeezing shut tightly.

"What's happening to me?"

I chuckled warmly as Cyprus attempted to be funny, a bad joke slipping from his lips easily. A smile broke across my face. Shaking my head a little, I inhaled a long drag of my cigarette, the smoke burning the back of my throat pleasurably. I knew that the burn was affecting my lungs as well, but, at that moment, I didn't care. I'd cut back considerably, and was almost done with them completely. Might as well enjoy it while I still could.

The cherry burned brightly with each drag, and I felt my body relaxing into the toxins soaking my mouth. 'Why does everything bad for you have to feel so damn good?'

All of a sudden, I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched. I cast my gaze around the block, searching for the source of the sensation. My gaze landed on the window to the cafe across the street. Swirling neon letters labeled it 'The Sanctuarium,' the glowing lights an appealing mix of red, blue, and yellow. The small corner shop felt almost homey even from the other side of the road.

I looked back towards my cigarette, the growing ashes calling my attention. My eyes scraped over the window to the right of the door, and I did a double take. In the booth just shy of the door, almost hidden by the trim, sat a beautiful girl with long, dark hair. What caught my attention though was her eyes. They were red. Something about them pulled at my mind, tickling the back of my memory. They were...familiar somehow.

As I watched, a waitress rushed over to the girl, looking somewhat frantic. But her eyes never left me. Only after the young woman had shaken her and said something I couldn't make out repeatedly did her gaze tear from mine. She jumped up and disappeared around the corner.

I came back to myself as the contact was broken, suddenly aware of my cigarette reduced to nothing but the butt in my fingers, limp and lifeless. I realized that the group had moved farther towards the cars, and I quickly dropped the butt, ground it into the sidewalk out of habit, then bent down to retrieve it. When I returned to standing upright, I couldn't help myself when I looked back towards the cafe. The girl was still nowhere in sight.

"Garry! Quit stallin', mate!"

I shook my head as Cyprus's obnoxiously british accent cut through the din of the night. "Yeah, yeah. Be right there."

Shrugging, I deposited the dejected butt in the garbage can near the door of the restaurant, then jogged to catch up with my friends, bright red eyes haunting my mind as I headed off into the night.