Café Encounter by Selena Thomason
The café is noisy and crowded, but I don’t mind because it’s good for people watching. I settle at a table and sip chai tea as I scan the room for today’s most entertaining subjects.
By the window there is a young girl, about twenty-five. She’s lovely. Her long hair is tied up in that haphazard yet stylish way that only the young and beautiful can pull off. She sips a huge frozen coffee with whipped cream on top. I can tell by looking at her that she has never had to watch her weight.
The girl is reading a book, but it’s a little while before I can catch a glimpse of the cover. Then I see it. Ah, it’s chick lit. Of course. Her cell phone rests on the table as she sips and reads.
It’s not long before her phone blares a couple bars of a hip-sounding song. She answers it without drawing her attention from the book. But then her voice softens into a coo. It is obviously her boyfriend on the line.
“Hey, baby,” she says. “Just sitting here at Mancini’s, having one of those coffee slushy things, you know.” She pauses, her face scrunching slightly. “Of course, I’m alone. Who do you think would be sitting here with me? No, I’m not doing anything, just sitting here reading a book.” She finally sets the book down and picks up the cup with her right hand. After taking another slurp of the icy, thick beverage, she asks, “So, what are you doing?”
The disapproval that appears on her face is evident from across the room. “Why do you hang out with that loser? He doesn’t even have a job. He’s so lame.”
Another pause. “Honey, I know you’ve been friends since junior high. But can’t you see how different you are? You went to college. You’re a successful businessman, an up-and-coming marketing whiz. What is he? Just unemployed, fat, and stupid.”
Her irritation shows in the way she starts bouncing her leg up and down on the footrest of the stool.
“Fine, whatever. You boys have fun then. Do you want to get together later?” She sets the cup down too harshly, causing slush to escape the lid and make a small puddle on the table. The girl’s smile twists into something not happy. “Oh, I didn’t realize you guys would be out so late. Well, maybe Jewel and I will get together, see a movie or something.”
“Okay, maybe I will.” It’s clear she doesn’t want to talk to him anymore. “Alright, Ben. You have fun with that loser pal of yours. I’ll talk at ya tomorrow. Okay, fine. No it’s cool. Everything’s cool. Have fun. Yeah, I love you too. See you tomorrow.”
She snaps the phone shut and grunts, “Huh.” She’s too annoyed to start reading again. Instead she drums her fingers on the table.
Then she notices the suited hottie a couple tables away. Her agitated movements stop and she is perfectly still as a smile blooms on her pretty face.
Following her eye, I note that he has dark hair, a fancy Italian-looking suit, and an iPhone prominently displayed on the table in front of him.
Their eyes meet. He wraps a hand around his coffee mug. He doesn’t bring it to his lips though. Instead he says, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replies, then coyly sucks icy beverage through a straw.
In that moment I know Ben is history.
Selena Thomason writes mostly science fiction, but sometimes feels called to other genres. She has had more than twenty stories published in magazines such as bending spoons, Every Day Fiction, Anathema, The Literary Bone, AlienSkin Magazine, and VerbSap. Selena is also Managing Editor of MindFlights magazine. Her published works are available at http://selenathomason.com/.
