Post by chris on Oct 1, 2015 7:50:42 GMT
REPEAT OFFENDER
Snowside was never busy by the standards of your average cafe in the city,
but in Dalton Cove, the standards were different. In its open plan, light streaming
through the windows and quiet music filtered through the chatter of patrons, a
busy day felt manageable. Chris nonetheless felt lucky that he bought his
coffee before the inevitable mid-day line. His self-ordained lunch break just so
happened to run during the busiest time of day this time around, which was either
a blessing or a curse. The only thing he knew for sure is that he wished he'd
brought his laptop with him this time. Skimming the most interesting looking
book on the shelf established nothing but the fact that you shouldn't judge
a book by its cover.
It was this growing boredom, along with a sudden sense of uneasiness, that
led him to shoot a glance up to the rest of the cafe. Mistake number one. His
eyes flitted from one unrecognisable face to the next, taking silent stock of
the place. The other tables were occupied by the usual crowd -- overly cute
pairs having pleasant conversation over their drinks, people working quietly on
their laptops and tablets... He wouldn't remember them by the time he left.
As he took a sip of his coffee, his eyes turned to those in line. And at the
front, ordering?
Someone he didn't think he'd ever see again. Someone he had now met eyes
with, against all odds. The past hit him all at once, a train wreck that crept
its way into his chest and held a vice grip on his throat. It was impossible, to
say the least. To say the most, it was fucking impossible. His mind racing,
his fingers tightened around his coffee. This couldn't be happening. There had
to be another explanation. And if he couldn't focus, he couldn't explain it, thus
couldn't figure out how to deal with it. Shit.
He tore his eyes away from that end of the building, free hand starting to
shake as he stood from his seat. The book was left behind on the table as he
turned and snatched his coat from the back of the chair. The room spun for
a moment. Chris forced past the sudden vertigo, coat draped over his arm
and coffee in hand as he made a quick beeline for the door. Being wrong
about what he saw frankly wasn't more comforting than being right. If he was
starting to see things, he was going to have much bigger problems than the
occasional panic attack.
The cold air, still smelling slightly like the ocean even further from the cove,
would under most circumstances make him regret not putting on his coat. For
the moment, however, it was only more to add to the existing feeling of chill
that had crept from his fingertips to the rest of his body. Tiny pockets of
rationality bubbled up past the frantic thoughts dominating his mind,
reminding him piece by piece of steps to take. Evening out his breathing,
organising his thoughts... He rounded the corner the cafe was on at a faster
pace, not noticing how crookedly he was walking until his shoulder
skimmed the wall of the building and he came to a stop to lean against it.
His coffee was set down haltingly on the sidewalk beside him before he
straightened back up, arms curled around his coat. Every breath stung, despite
the fact that it wasn't cold enough yet to justify that kind of feeling. He'd just
had too much caffeine, or he was tired, or he'd been spending too much time
in front of a screen. Something. Any other explanation for what he'd seen.
Or rather, who he'd seen. But he could figure it out once he calmed down,
assuming that he ever did. For now, it didn't exactly feel likely.
prp josh | para | snowside cafe
edit 10 05 15: changed the title because i'm picky
xx kate
Snowside was never busy by the standards of your average cafe in the city,
but in Dalton Cove, the standards were different. In its open plan, light streaming
through the windows and quiet music filtered through the chatter of patrons, a
busy day felt manageable. Chris nonetheless felt lucky that he bought his
coffee before the inevitable mid-day line. His self-ordained lunch break just so
happened to run during the busiest time of day this time around, which was either
a blessing or a curse. The only thing he knew for sure is that he wished he'd
brought his laptop with him this time. Skimming the most interesting looking
book on the shelf established nothing but the fact that you shouldn't judge
a book by its cover.
It was this growing boredom, along with a sudden sense of uneasiness, that
led him to shoot a glance up to the rest of the cafe. Mistake number one. His
eyes flitted from one unrecognisable face to the next, taking silent stock of
the place. The other tables were occupied by the usual crowd -- overly cute
pairs having pleasant conversation over their drinks, people working quietly on
their laptops and tablets... He wouldn't remember them by the time he left.
As he took a sip of his coffee, his eyes turned to those in line. And at the
front, ordering?
Someone he didn't think he'd ever see again. Someone he had now met eyes
with, against all odds. The past hit him all at once, a train wreck that crept
its way into his chest and held a vice grip on his throat. It was impossible, to
say the least. To say the most, it was fucking impossible. His mind racing,
his fingers tightened around his coffee. This couldn't be happening. There had
to be another explanation. And if he couldn't focus, he couldn't explain it, thus
couldn't figure out how to deal with it. Shit.
He tore his eyes away from that end of the building, free hand starting to
shake as he stood from his seat. The book was left behind on the table as he
turned and snatched his coat from the back of the chair. The room spun for
a moment. Chris forced past the sudden vertigo, coat draped over his arm
and coffee in hand as he made a quick beeline for the door. Being wrong
about what he saw frankly wasn't more comforting than being right. If he was
starting to see things, he was going to have much bigger problems than the
occasional panic attack.
The cold air, still smelling slightly like the ocean even further from the cove,
would under most circumstances make him regret not putting on his coat. For
the moment, however, it was only more to add to the existing feeling of chill
that had crept from his fingertips to the rest of his body. Tiny pockets of
rationality bubbled up past the frantic thoughts dominating his mind,
reminding him piece by piece of steps to take. Evening out his breathing,
organising his thoughts... He rounded the corner the cafe was on at a faster
pace, not noticing how crookedly he was walking until his shoulder
skimmed the wall of the building and he came to a stop to lean against it.
His coffee was set down haltingly on the sidewalk beside him before he
straightened back up, arms curled around his coat. Every breath stung, despite
the fact that it wasn't cold enough yet to justify that kind of feeling. He'd just
had too much caffeine, or he was tired, or he'd been spending too much time
in front of a screen. Something. Any other explanation for what he'd seen.
Or rather, who he'd seen. But he could figure it out once he calmed down,
assuming that he ever did. For now, it didn't exactly feel likely.
prp josh | para | snowside cafe
edit 10 05 15: changed the title because i'm picky
xx kate
