Perfect Blend

[vktr]

@Ameythyst


The morning rush had settled into a subdued stream. Customers formed a patchwork of styles and personalities, perching on stools lining the counters in front of the windows and sunk into social circles in the maroon couches. Kaleb didn’t blame those who stuck around to complete work on laptops, the space was expertly constructed to exude well being and comfort. The floors were a medium chestnut wood, matched by the counter space and vaulted ceilings, and the ceiling to floor windows allowed the space to feel open and bright. It screamed rustic cabin meets fashion savvy hipster meets gmo panicked earth activist. Kaleb thought the place tried a little too hard to be hip, but that was a small sacrifice for keeping the doors open.


He was broken from his thoughts by a middle age woman in a jean jacket and glasses who loudly stated her order before bothering with any greeting.


“Absolutely!” He beamed like she’d just offered to pay for his textbooks. “Will that do it for you?”After ringing up her total he packed the coffee, completing the work quickly in time for the arrival of the next customer. He followed this procedure for several hours, working speedily in order to bury the impending exhaustion. One thing he learned from working at The Grind was that there was no magic formula to make coffee extraordinary except to, well, make a good cup of coffee. Superstitious practices like using an exact number of beans at a certain temperature was bogus. Using the right roast and grind for what you needed was sufficient, and the steps beyond that were simply knowing your shit.


He felt programmed on efficiency and friendliness, and was fortunate enough to have the second come naturally. The cleanliness and organization was something he struggled with far more, as he was the type to let items find their own place and not stress over tidiness. Nothing good ever came out of sweating the small stuff, and things get messy again within a few hours, who has the time? Another thing he experienced were the customers that received his customer service skills as flirting. He was literally paid to be nice to them, and although he loved working with people and wasn’t bothered by it, he laughed inwardly when he noticed it. It was a good sign that he was doing his job well, making customers feel special and appreciated.


The regulars were an entirely different story. The relationships he build between those who came in once, or even several times a day were somehow sacred. Pieced together by the small snippets of information he gained through conversation and that he observed, he accumulated friendships. Seeing a regular walk through the door was like being handed a blanket fresh from the dryer, and beyond that, it was a chance to be real for a moment and share how his day was really going. For that reason he often insisted on giving coffees for free or at a discount to the faithful patrons. His manager didn’t mind because it was good incentive to have people coming back.


Reading the clock as noon, he brightened internally at the thought of his shift being over in 3 hours. He had to run to the nearby college to insure he grabbed the classes he wanted and meet with the people in charge of the dorms. The deposit was practically nonexistent but the prospect of having a roommate burned excitement in his chest. Having constant opportunities to socialize and have a potentially close friend would be great, he just hoped he’d be placed with someone he didn’t butt heads with.

 

[amethysty]

Today’s weather was cooler than usual, another sign that summer was finally coming to a close, and in a few days, James would be moving into the dorms, with a complete stranger, just in time for them to settle down before the fall semester started. He couldn’t help the ball of tension and dread that had formed in his chest, mostly stemming from the new changes that was arising in his living situation. He was accustomed to living on his own, he had a system and routine that worked for him. He wasn’t all too worried about being late to class or anything of that sort, since he’d be living on campus now, and, his older residence was only a mile away from the new one.


His lease had ended, and those greedy money leeches, decided to raise the monthly rent for him, again, to a price that was simply not worth it. He had the money, that was never an issue for him, but he also exercised common sense, and he decided the place was simply not worth keeping. It was dingy, with cheap flooring, and nonexistent insulation in the walls, which meant that in the winter time, his power bills skyrocketed. Hot water was shared between neighbors, which meant a lot of arctic water showers, since he learned early on, that no matter how much he banged on the door, they would never learn to think of anyone but themselves. Not to mention, they partied constantly, came home with a new partner on their arms, and had drunken, loud love making sessions, which combined with paper thin walls, meant that James heard every last bit of it. And to make matters worse, in the mornings, they’d throw out said partner, usually naked, and that almost always resulted in screaming matches that would jolt James out of bed.


So, he decided not to renew, but they knew to make lease renewals at the very end of August, which meant that it was hard for most ex-residents to find new places, since very few would still be leasing at that time. This forced him to enroll in the college dorms, where he would be obligated to have a roomate. Thats how James found himself, at 12 p.m., at the male dormitory, being given a tour by a overly flirty upperclassman, a girl in a skin tight pencil skirt, and a blouse, which from the time he first met her, to the current moment, had magically unbuttoned itself a little more in order to show off her assets. It was really humorous to James how hard she was trying, swaying her hips in an enticing manner, evening going as far as to “accidentally” brush her chest against his arm as she passed him. Had he been a different man, he would have fallen to her ways, but alas, he had no interest of any sort in her gender. Most never suspected it, since he looked like your typical all American kid, blonde hair, light eyes, a back ground of playing sports, and apparently, gay people all looked, talked, and behaved a certain way.


The room itself had enough soundproof that he wouldn’t hear the neighbors flip a light switch, a decent kitchen and bathroom, and most importantly to him, it looked clean. This was definitely nice, nicer than what you’d expect for a college dorm room. Then again, this was the kind of place where a lot rich kids went, so there was more than enough funding to make the place look great. Which he supposed was great for the scholarships kids and those who didn’t have as much money, since they were the ones that occupied the dorms more than anyone, although, clearly, that wasn’t the case for James. He himself came from money, although he’d always been very strict with himself and how much he spent. He liked to make sure he had a nice cushion, since the last thing he wanted to do was end up like his elder sister, who spent frivolously until his parents decided enough was enough, and cut her off so that she would learn to sustain herself. Eventually, she got himself together, and they resumed the cash flow, though perhaps not as much. James knew that at the current moment he would not be able to handle having to pay for himself, not through college, and that’s why he choose cheaper living places over their more expensive counter parts.


They concluded the tour, James bidding the lady good bye, a great look of disappointment on her face at the fact that he never asked for her number. He had only wished that he could have met his room mate before hand, he thought as he was leaving the building in order to face the chillly air. He was very glad that he had checked the weather before hand, and had grabbed himself a cardigan. Once he was outside, he rifled in his messenger bag for the keys to his car, which only took a couple of seconds, since it was in the same place it always was. James was that kind of person, a creature of habit as some would say. He liked things to be a certain way, for things to always be in their place, which was why he always kept a neat and tidy home. It was something that had been ingrained in him, for everything to have its location, and to always be in that location, and in the end, it made things very easy to find.


Once he got into his car, he pulled out, and went to the place he relaxed best in, his favorite coffee shop. He really needed a cup of delicious coffee, in order to relax and free himself from the stress of a big move like the one he was undergoing. The place was a couple of minutes away, and he parked his car in the place he always did if it was available. It almost always was though, since it was no where near the entrance, and people tended to dislike walking too far to get to the door. He didn’t mind, and when he opened the door to The Grind, he instantly felt at home, and his entire body relaxed. The strong smell of coffee was almost overpowering, but there was something else, something that smelled amazing, and was almost addicting, but he couldn’t place his finger on what it was. There was only two people in line, so he went ahead and joined it, knowing that soon, at two o'clock, would enter the lunch hour rush, tired and overworked office workers who needed a cup to get through the day.


James already knew what he wanted, so he pulled out his phone, continuing to read his book, that he didn’t notice he had reached the front of the line, until he walked all the way to the counter, bumping his bag on it. He looked up, surprised and bashful, his eyes meeting that of the cashiers, his fix of daily eye candy. However, just because he found him attractive, didn’t mean he liked him all that much. James spent hours here at time, and he noticed how Kaleb had tended to be a little too nice to the customers, how the female patrons almost always left blushing, and almost always left him a kind tip. James felt as if Kaleb was taking advantage of the women, and it irked him, even though it was none of his business.


“Hello, can I get a medium french roast, with-” James begin in a dry, unamused tone, his mouth pressed into a straight line, as he interacted with the too smiley man, “Actually, I think you know what I want. Its not like I order the exact same thing from you every day. And I know how much it is, 6 dollars and 78 cents right? Here you go,” He said, plopping the exact amount on the counter and pushing it over. James liked to be as to the point as possible, especially with Kaleb, since he didn’t like when straight men, which is what he assumed Kaleb was, flirted with guys like James. Everyone in the shop knew he was gay, at least, they should’ve, since he used to regularly bring his ex-boyfriend to the shop, and he doubted that when the two kissed, they seemed like just friends.