The Girl with the Bed Head
Yugen finally made it home to Pennsylvania. It was the day after Labor Day and the train ride was chaotic, yet surprisingly uneventful and she was able to doze off. The fall mountainous air was mildly crisp, which left Yugen wishing she had worn a heavier sweater. Needless to say, she was glad to be back in her cozy one bedroom apartment. It was 10:45 and Yugen was kicking herself for scheduling a dog walk at 1 pm.
"Why would I do that to myself?" Yugen thought rhetorically, frustrated because all she wanted to do was nap.
"No time to complain Yugen. You got this!" She clapped her hands together once before she spoke aloud, attempting to motivate herself. "It's just the one and then you can nap!" She said boisterously as she moseyed towards her bathroom.
Yugen decided to head down to her favorite cafe in an attempt to alleviate her mood. She checked herself in the mirror and grimaced at how haggard she looked. She wore a thin white hoodie with the phrase 'I have no idea why I'm out of bed,' black leggings and black and white high top converse. She wore her plain black silicone gauges to keep her ears from shrinking, a sparkling nose stud and a silver circular barbell. Her hair was carelessly thrown up in a messy bun and the bags under her eyes simply matched the outfit.
"Eh, good enough!" She said to her reflection, flipping it off as she sauntered away. She put on her black cropped jacket, threw on her messenger bag and then walked out the door.
It only took about 10 minutes to get to the cafe so Yugen decided to walk, allowing the brisk air to enliven her. She opened the door to the cafe and the smell of coffee filled her nostrils, making her smile in delight. The cafe was richly colored with dark purple, lavender and gray furniture and decor. There were various pieces from different local artists; a birdcage upcycled into a hanging light fixture, different style paintings, pottery and glassware. Plush chairs came in colors of purple, lavender and gray and they were well complimented with small cherry wood tables. She admired the hard work the couple had put into the place and how much it had grown in the past couple of years.
"Hey, sunshine!" A familiar perky blonde barista named Michelle chirped from behind the counter. "How was New York?"
"Oh, it's...New York! It's always busy, it's really expensive, but I was able to hang out in a really nice apartment with a really cute dog aaaannnd…drink all the guys really expensive booze." Michelle laughed wholeheartedly as she slapped the counter and Yugen smiles at her genuine amusement.
"Well, you look hungover. Are you okay?" Michelle asked still smiling.
"Yeah I had to get up really early, so basically I haven't slept," Yugen answered giving a tight smile. "And then I decided to torture myself even further by booking a dog walk at 1 pm."
"Jesus, you just won't give yourself a break will you?" Michelle's asks jokingly as someone walks into the cafe.
"Well, I do thrive on chaos so I'm both delighted and in agony all at the same time!" Yugen states brightly with a big smile on her face as Michelle shakes her head laughing. The man next to her chuckles at the banter before chiming in.
"Now that's pretty clever!" The stranger spoke as he gestured toward Yugen with his index finger, making her smile and blush.
Yugen instantly felt attracted to the strange man. He was good-looking, stylish and had a friendly demeanor. He wore a pair of black tennis shoes with a pair of black skinny jeans, a light blue v neck which complimented his baby blue eyes, a gray beanie and a black hooded coat. His shirt was made of thin cotton fabric so one could see how well built he was.
"Yeah, you have to watch this one she tends to do that!" Michelle retorts to the stranger. Barry looked Yugen up and down briefly before Michelle continued, "So the usual with a double shot of espresso then?"
"Yes, please! And make it a large." Yugen replies as she hands Michelle her card.
Michelle fleetingly glances at the man next to Yugen then back at her. "Oh! I almost forgot to mention..." She cocks her head in his direction as an indication as she continues, "someone bought your painting." She finishes in a sing-song tone. The friendly barista smiles and winks suggestively before saying to the man, "you walked in at the right moment sir! You're welcome to pay the artist directly." Michelle walks off to make my overly caffeinated beverage.
The stranger chortles at Michelle's peppy professionalism then extends his hand to Yugen. "Hi, I'm Barry!" He says with a friendly smile.
"I'm Yugen it's nice to meet you." She says shaking his hand smiling warmly at him.
Barry had been checking Yugen out since he entered the cafe. She looked very casual and a bit sloppy, tired even; which led Barry to believe that she had worn that white top on purpose. Aside from her sharp wit and bold sense of humor, Barry thought she was beautifully unique. It was an added bonus that she was the artist of the painting that the others screamed at him to buy. Regardless of how pricey it was, Barry felt that fate demanded they owned this painting and that he get to know this strange girl as well.
"So, I'm actually happy I ran into you cause uh...I normally don't buy paintings from coffee shops but yours stood out to me." Barry spoke with an open posture that radiated extroversion and effeminacy. His mannerisms and hand gestures drew you into the conversation. He was not intimidating, but he insisted that he be heard. "I would love to talk more about it with you if that's okay?" Barry inquired, barely containing his anxiety. He wasn't used to asking women out and he wasn't sure how some of the others would feel about it.
Yugen smiled and blushed at his question, secretly hoping he wasn't gay. "Of course! We can do the exchange, get our coffees and have a chat. Sound good?" She asked as she beamed at Barry.
"Sounds great." Barry grinned down at the cute girl with the bed head in utter adoration. His heart fluttered at how easy it was to make her blush and smile.
"Large Cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso!" Michelle announced from behind the counter.
Yugen turned to grab her beverage and Barry took a quick peek at her backside, before Yugen turned around and added, "I'll grab us a seat."
"Sure," Barry stated as he watched Yugen walk to the opposite wall and grab the painting.
Michelle stood behind the counter with an eyebrow cocked and her arms crossed before clearing her throat. Barry averted his attention to the barista before going red in the face.
"What can I get you lover boy?" Michelle smirked teasingly at Barry.
Barry chortles awkwardly at Michelle and replies, "uh large cappuccino please."
"Hm, another cappuccino...sounds like a perfect match," Michelle comments without looking up from her screen. "$5.95," she says.
"Are you always this direct?" Barry questions curiously as he pulls out a $10 bill and hands it to her.
"I have 3 teenage boys and an iron-willed husband so, yes!" Michelle says with enthusiasm as she pulls out Barry's change. She walks away suddenly, leaving Barry aghast.
I don't like her. One of the others commented. Barry ignored it, thankful that his head was a bit quieter for a change.
Yugen watched Barry grab his beverage then looked away as he began to walk over. She shifted nervously in her plush gray chair as she holds the painting in her lap. God, he's cute! Yugen thought as she carefully looked him up and down, making sure he didn't notice as he set his beverage down and pulled out a wad of cash from his back pocket.
"$350 right?" He asks as he counts out the money.
"Correct," Yugen responds plainly as she studied the painting that took her a little less than 5 minutes to do. It was a painting of a fashionable, retro woman with a barcode over her mouth and across her chest it said, 'Property of Society.'
Barry and Yugen made the exchange then Yugen checked her phone. 11:38…
"Do you have someplace to be?" Barry wondered with an eyebrow raised.
Yugen snapped from her thoughts and kicked herself for being rude. "Barry, I'm so sorry! I should've told you sooner but I'm a dog walker and I stupidly scheduled one for 1 pm even though I just got back from New York around 10:40 and I've gotten literally NO SLEEP!" Yugen rambled anxiously as Barry sat cross-legged, clutching the painting across his lap as he holds his cappuccino with his other hand.
Ask her out! Maybe she'll let you walk the puppy with her!
Too soon Hedwig…
Barry ignored the chatter of the male and female voices and said, "that's fine, what time do you need to head out?"
"It's just near the square so maybe...12:30?" Yugen responds.
"I'm okay with that as long as I get your number afterward," Barry stated bluntly as he took a sip from his cappuccino.
"You barely know me!" Yugen laughed lightly, amused by his directness as she leans forward and rests her arms on the table.
Barry mimics her posture and without wasting time asks, "What's your full name?"
"Yugen McAvoy." She replies
"Yugen McAvoy...that sounds familiar." Barry looks at the cherry wood table in deep thought as he rubs his chin with his thumb and his index finger.
Yugen thought of her next words carefully in order not to appear too full of herself. "I'm sort of known in Pennsylvania and New York...Philadelphia mostly! I play at weddings and venues, occasionally I play at the museum of art on Fridays, I've played at the Philadelphia zoo..."
"See, that's where I know you from! I work at the Philadelphia Zoo. You played at October Fest a couple of years in a row. Last year you wore a uh...a cute little black tutu with glittery fairy wings." Barry cut Yugen off with his sudden realization, smirking with fond remembrance.
"Yes, I did! I dressed up as a Gothic fairy and played for a bunch of drunks." Barry and Yugen laugh in unison and talk for a good 20 minutes about Yugens various hobbies and side gigs.
Barry finally asks, "so, what inspired you to paint this?"
"Well I used to weight A LOT and for a while, I thought the only way to be valuable was to look valuable. Then one day, I guess I woke up and realized that I was allowing society to determine my worth." Yugen explained.
"If you don't mind me asking, how much did you used to weigh?" Barry carefully inquired before he took a sip of his cappuccino.
"Nearly 300 pounds!" Yugen replied.
"Holy shit, are you serious?!" Barry exclaimed nearly spitting out his drink.
Yugen laughed at his reaction to the revelation. "I know it's so bad." She says before drinking the last bit of her cappuccino.
"No baby girl! You should be proud of yourself you look amazing!" He says noticing her insecurity.
Yugen smiles, looking down and then blushing. She looks back at Barry and says, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Barry retorts with endearment.
Yugen cleared her throat and looked at the time on her phone. "Oh! It's 12:32, I better get going!"
Recommended Song: Aesthetic Perfection-Inhuman
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