So I won't make you wait anymore, here it is!
It was a cold and frosty
winter’s morning as Charlotte walked along the prom with a couple of
manuscripts under her arm, the waves of Brighton splashing her dark brown leather
boots. She was on her way to her favourite coffee shop, Coco’s Café. She spent nearly all her free time there editing
books.
You see, Charlotte was a
publishing editor. She had come over from the USA two years ago wanting a fresh
start. Within three months she had found herself a small flat to rent, work and
a few friends. Her dream job had always been in the publishing business and she
couldn’t believe it when she was employed!
Charlotte twisted the door
handle and stepped inside the familiar interior, hearing the bell chiming. Her best friend, and owner of Coco’s, was
manning the counter. The recent number one ‘Ruby’ by The Kaiserchiefs played faintly
in the background on the stereo. Charlotte made her way to a booth with a red
velvet seat near the window and slipped into it. She placed the stack of
manuscripts on the table and reached for the one on top, eager to explore
whatever story the manuscript in front of her held.
As soon as she delved into
the stories, she lost track of time. Reading was her passion. It didn’t matter
whether it was an author’s first or seventh novel (well maybe it did a bit
because with a first one it took a longer amount of time to edit, whereas the
more experienced writers knew what to do) , she still loved editing and
suggesting changes to the novelist.
Three hours passed with Charlotte
oblivious to the time. When she glanced up out of her trance to look at the
clock, she was greeted by the second verse of ‘How To Save A Life’ by The Fray
playing on the stereo. As soon as she saw what time it was she decided to call
it a day and go home. She looked fleetingly out of the window to see if the
weather had improved. Unfortunately, Charlotte was greeted by windy rain. She
sank into her plush seat and let out a sigh. If she was going to get through a
twenty minute walk to her flat, she would need a takeaway hot chocolate.
Charlotte walked up to the
counter, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor. No-one was manning
it so she shouted through the back.
“Hello?” she shouted. No
answer. “Anybody there?” She saw a shadow moving and heard something slamming.
“Coco, I know you’re there,” she said this time, a little more impatient.
“It’s not Coco,” a male
voice replied leaving Charlotte embarrassed. “I’ll be with you in second. I’m
just putting a batch of cookies in the oven.” Charlotte stood there waiting
anxiously, rummaging amongst the coins in her flower-printed purse.
A minute later, she could
hear the boy’s footsteps coming towards the counter. When he emerged from the
back, Charlotte couldn’t take her eyes off him. He had blonde hair which looked
like the sand from a Hawaiian beach and brown eyes like milk chocolate. He had
a fairly muscular build and was about 5’10.
“Hi what can I get for you?”
he asked, his strong British accent recognizable.
“A h-hot c-chocolate” she
stammered, losing all of her confidence. What was this effect the boy had on
her?
“Okay. Take-away or sit-in?”
he asked once again, not fazed by Charlotte.
“Take-away,” Charlotte said
softly. The boy put his hand out, asking for the money. Charlotte placed the silver
coins in his hand. He thanked her with a smile. His teeth were as white as
snow!
“I’m going to tidy up my
area, so could you bring it over?” she said, pointing over to the small booth.
“Yeah sure,” the boy
replied. Charlotte walked back over to
the booth. When she was half-way across the room he shouted after her.
“Oh one more thing! What’s
your name?” he asked curiously, black sharpie at the ready.
“It’s um, it’s Charlotte” Oh
this boy was even making her forget her name! He smiled and scribbled it down.
Charlotte continued her walk
back to the booth and then began tidying up. It consisted of jamming some of
the manuscripts into her bag along with her notebook which held her innermost
secrets. It was a short task and after that she put her beige coat on, not
ready to brave the walk home. Charlotte
heard someone clear their throat and whipped around to see the boy standing
there, holding her hot chocolate. “Here’s your order” he said, presenting the
creation like it was the most wonderful creation he had ever made.
“Thanks” she said, taking
the hot chocolate out of his hand. He flashed a smile and walked back to the
counter. She picked up her bag and was ready to head home when she noticed
something. It was a note. She turned the carbon cup around and looked very
carefully at the message
Charlotte,
It
was very nice meeting you. Hope you make this your regular café.
Until
we meet again,
Ollie
Charlotte smiled at the note
and had an idea. She dug out her notebook and a pen. She turned to a blank page
and started to scribble down a reply. When she finished the letter she read it
over. It said:
Ollie
You’ll
be happy to know this is my regular café.
Until
we meet again,
Charlotte
She ripped the page out of
the notebook and headed over to the boy.
‘Thanks once again’ she
said, placing the piece of paper down on the surface. She quickly twirled
around towards the exit with a big beaming smile on her face. Suddenly she was
feeling a bit chirpier about the walk home.
Once again let me know what you think in the box below! See you tomorrow for my third and final piece of writing (for now)
Lucy xx
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