The Board
"Who does this guy think he is?" AJ shook her head, looking out the window of her coffee shop, "I bet he's not even from here."
"You're not from here." A short haired blonde woman scoffed from behind the counter, sorting the array of cakes and pastries into their slots in front of the glass window.
"No but I bet I've been here longer than him." AJ nodded, "What does his board say outside? Give me my glasses." She said, watching the tall brunette put out a display board in front of his shop.
"It says…" Lyla ran across the coffee shop and over to the front window where her friend was spying, "Out with the old and in with the new. Cheaper coffee, same taste." She winced as AJ gasped.
"Is that a dig at us?" AJ turned to her with concern.
"We are the only other coffee shop in a ten-mile radius." Lyla said.
"This is not good, Lyla." AJ said.
"Don't be stupid. People will still come here. People of this town are creatures of habit. They have their routines, and this shop is part of their routine." Lyla said, placing her hand on her shorter friend's shoulder.
"We need to strategize." AJ shook her head, "He opens at 8am. We open at 7." She ordered.
"April." Lyla groaned, "I can't get up at that time. That's during the night. No one will be here at 7am."
"They might be." AJ said, sweeping her long dark hair out of her face, "You could go over there as an undercover spy to see what it's like."
"Come on. Isn't there room for two coffee shops here?" Lyla asked.
"He's mocking us on his stupid little board. We need to get a board." AJ realised, "First thing we'll write on it is fuck that guy across the road." She nodded to herself as Lyla chuckled.
"We might get arrested for that." Lyla nodded, "It's been there for a week, and we still have the exact same intake as we've always had. It's not worth worrying about."
"That could change, though." AJ sighed, looking back over to the coffee shop across the road, squealing as she noticed the man now looking over at them, "Duck!" She yelled, pulling Lyla down to the ground.
"Well, that wasn't embarrassing." Lyla scoffed.
"He looks like a rich mama's boy whose gotten bored of sitting around doing nothing." AJ determined, "I could break him." She nodded.
"Don't you think you're being a little crazy?" Lyla asked her, both still sitting on the floor at the window.
"No." AJ gasped, "You won't think me crazy when we lose all our sales to him eventually."
"That won't happen." Lyla said, "You worry too much."
"I worry the right amount." AJ said, standing back up, pulling her friend up with her, "I should go say something to him about that board."
"No. You shouldn't. We open in five minutes. I need help with these cakes." Lyla said, wondering back over behind the counter.
"I'll be five minutes." AJ nodded, leaving the coffee shop as Lyla kept an eye on the window, watching her friend run across the road, picking the board up and running back to their coffee shop with it.
"Oh, you lunatic!" Lyla yelled as AJ sprinted into the shop with the board.
"Quick, let's hide it." AJ nodded, rushing behind the counter and into the back, opening up their staff toilet and throwing it in, "There. Exactly where it belongs." She nodded triumphantly as Lyla shook her head.
"I want no part in this." Lyla made clear.
"Just my usual, April." An elderly man nodded, standing at the counter with his money ready.
"I can't tempt you with a lemon meringue slice, Lou?" AJ asked, setting a coffee cup under the machine to make the man's regular coffee.
"You do too much tempting." Lou warned with a warm smile, nevertheless eyeing up the cake section, "No, I shouldn't." He shook his head.
"Oh, go on." AJ smiled, "They're real good." She nodded.
Her favourite part about owning her own coffee shop wasn't particularly making coffee or wiping down surfaces, baking cakes or cashing up at the end of the day. It was by far getting to speak with different people. Seeing them all come and go from the elderly to the usual office workers on their lunch breaks, to young kids eyeing up all the sweet treats. Their customers were the heart and soul of The Brewberry Café.
"She's not lying, Lou. They're good." Lyla nodded, coming in from the back with some fresh croissants.
"You're both bullies." Lou shook his head, "Give me one." He scoffed as AJ smiled to Lyla.
They had been roommates in college and bonded over their lack of aspiration for the degrees they were studying for. They both dropped out in their second year, moving into an apartment together and working dead-end jobs until AJ realised what she wanted to do with the money she was saving. She'd asked Lyla in for the ride. They worked full-time at the café and had weekend workers to help them for their busiest days.
It hadn't been plain sailing of course. There had been doubts, financial hurdles, setbacks and quiet spells, but over the past five years they had reached the success they had planned for, becoming the one and only coffee shop just outside North Utica in Illinois. That was until a few months ago.
"You have a good day." AJ smiled, handing the takeaway coffee and cake to their favourite regular retiree, Lou.
"You too, girls." Lou smiled cheerfully, taking his things and leaving the shop.
"Who's next?" AJ smiled pleasantly, closing the till and looking up to find the man from across the road standing in front of her. All she could stare at was his lip piercing for some reason.
"Hi." The man smiled with a sarcastic cheer in his voice, "I noticed you looking out the window earlier. I was just wondering if you saw the person who came and stole my board?" He folded his arms as AJ looked at him.
"What?" She laughed nervously, "Your board was stolen?" She asked with surprise.
"Mhm." He nodded, "Sorry, I don't think we've actually formally introduced ourselves. I'm Phil. I own the coffee shop across the road." He said, refusing to hold out his hand to shake hers, keeping his arms folded.
"Ahh." AJ nodded, trying to keep cool and unbothered, "I'm April. This is my coffee shop." She smiled, "I didn't see anyone steal your board. Sorry." She shrugged, watching as he looked around the shop curiously. He was eyeing up the fairy lights and the reading corner by the window. The tables with their candles and fake cacti on them, the plants hanging from the ceiling, "What are you doing?" She demanded angrily.
"What?" He turned to her.
"Stop… looking." She said, not being able to help herself.
"What?" He shook his head, taken back by how obscure this woman was in front of him.
"You're clearly looking around for ideas. Stop it." AJ said, "I didn't see who took your board. Maybe it was some kids messing around." She shrugged, "Can I get you anything? Because I have a line of customers." She said.
"No. No, thanks." He shook his head, turning around and walking away with a scowl on his face as AJ summoned the next customer, apologising for their wait.
"Well, she definitely took the board." Phil, or Punk to his close friends and family said, returning to his shop across the road where his employee Daryl was serving a table their coffee's.
"How do you know?" Daryl asked.
"Because she's probably the worst liar I've ever seen." Punk nodded, walking behind the counter.
"I mean… maybe you shouldn't have written what you wrote on the board." Daryl shrugged as Punk turned to him.
"I'm trying to start up a business here. Just because you're… twelve." Punk shook his head.
"I'm eighteen." Daryl scoffed, loading some mugs into the dishwasher.
"Her shop is packed. She had a huge take-away line too." Punk grumbled, tapping his fingers on the counter.
"This is a new place. People around here aren't used to new." Daryl said, "And April is so kind and lovely." He sighed a little dreamily as Punk turned to him.
"You better not be going over there." Punk warned with shock.
"I'm not. My mom used to take me a few years back." Daryl shook his head, closing the dishwasher, "I'd say we're… you're doing pretty well for a new business. We've been busy all morning and afternoon." He assured his boss.
"We'd be busier if people knew we had cheaper coffee. She's got that board somewhere in there. I know it." Punk shook his head, looking out the window with a glare.
He'd only recently moved to the area and invested in a building which used to be a florist. He had passions in life, but none as dear to his heart as coffee. It was the one thing in his life that could never disappoint him. Always there, every single morning. It never asked him to change or ridiculed him for his failures. Only comforted him with warmth and love whenever he needed it.
It was tougher than he thought it would be. Especially since his spot was across from the only other coffee shop in town, which appeared to be ran by the town's local sweetheart. He'd pretty much built the business on his own. He'd even painted and built furniture and equipment himself. He'd only hired Daryl recently, a teen with no career or life aspirations, to help out now that his shop was getting a little busier.
"Maybe you could take a different approach." Daryl said, "I know April holds book clubs every Thursday night. She charges entry but there's free bottomless coffee and pastries." He nodded as Punk turned to him with confusion, "My mom goes." He shrugged.
"You want me to host a book club here? That's the lamest fucking thing I've ever heard." Punk shook his head.
"No." Daryl said with frustration, "No, I'm saying maybe we do something smiliar. A quiz night. Or an open-mic night. A live singer?"
"This is a coffee shop, not a bar." Punk shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. It's different." Daryl said.
"You said this town doesn't like different. That's why I'm trying to be as simple as possible." He said, "And she just can't stand that there's another place for people to get coffee now. I mean… her claws were almost coming out when she saw me there. What happened to businesses supporting businesses?"
"Is that the first you've met her?" Daryl questioned.
"Yeah, formally." Punk said, "I've seen her across the street, but she looks at me like I've just spat at her." He shook his head, "Childish behaviour." He muttered.
"We have a customer." Daryl told him as Punk turned around to see the small line gathering, causing him to smile with hope.
"Hey, what can I get you?" Punk smiled brightly to the woman coming towards the counter.
"What's your plans for tonight then?" Lyla asked, standing outside The Brewberry Café whilst AJ locked it up and pulled the shutters down for the night.
"Making dinner, going for a bath and then going to bed." AJ said, "My feet hurt." She pouted.
"Mine too." Lyla said, "At least Becca is coming in tomorrow for a shift. We might actually be able to have a lunch break." She gasped sarcastically as AJ chuckled.
"I wouldn't speak too soon." AJ smiled, "What are you up to tonight?" She asked.
"Just as exciting as you." Lyla admitted, "I'll see you in the morning." She said, giving her friend a hug before heading off down the street.
AJ carried on locking up the shop, putting her keys in her bag, turning around just in time to crash into a large, solid chest, stepping back a little and immediately scowling.
"Why are you creeping up on women when it's dark?" AJ scoffed, "Gave me a heart attack." She pressed her hand on her chest.
"I'd like my board back now. You've had your fun." Punk nodded bluntly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." AJ said.
"Yes, you do." Punk tutted, "Come on. We're grown adults, aren't we? This is silly. Battle of the coffee shops? Last coffee shop standing? It's so… small town and weird." He said.
"Then go back to the big town." AJ said, "I have enough coffee for everyone here."
"You're kinda sad." Punk realised as AJ folded her arms, "Everyone I've met here so far have been nothing but welcoming and kind. Someone even baked me a pie? Weird, but I'll take it." He said, "But you're just sad."
"Go away." AJ nodded simply.
"I want my board back." He pointed at her.
"Don't point. It's rude." She said as Punk rolled his eyes, "I don't have your stupid board!" She yelled as he walked away down the street.
A/N: Well, look what we have here. Something new? Who would have thought? Honestly just got some inspo from nowhere and getting back into this writing thing. Anyone who is a fan of enemies to lovers might just enjoy this one. Let me know what you think. Hope to post again soon. Much love.