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Author Topic: coffee shop soundtrack | modern au troy snaps  (Read 2003 times)

Joy Detora

    (08/05/2016 at 16:48)
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October 2015
Afternoon

Joy leaned against the counter and flicked through her Instagram feed momentarily (double tap for that picture of her with Ivory, because yes) before hurriedly putting it back in her pocket as the bell over the door rang and someone else came in.

The lunchtime rush of a few hours ago was long gone, and Joy was in the middle of a shift with fewer and fewer people coming in. It wasn't like they were expecting a throng; plenty of students still had classes right now, although she personally didn't. With the cafe's location near the university, pretty much everyone that came was a student.

Honestly, the only people in the front were her coworkers, Cassiel Albear (an annoyingly energetic law student) and Miranda Flutterbush (a journalism major who used journalism as a cover for being a professional gossip), as well as some of her fellow university students desperately typing away on their laptops, abandoned cups of coffee somewhere among the stacks of paper.

Well. Them and this new person. The nineteen year old still hadn't actually looked at them yet, but they were right in front of her now, so she looked up.

And by up, she meant up, because she was now making eye contact with a face that was vaguely familiar but she couldn't place. This face happened to be attached to a body that was ridiculously tall and actually pretty attractive, and Joy assumed that he was just another student that she had seen around, and that was why he was familiar.

A friendly smile slid onto her face. "Coffee?"
« Last Edit: 08/05/2016 at 19:16 by Joy Detora »
i'm laughing, i'm crying
it's my party, and i'll cry if i want to
it feels like i'm d y i n g

Travis Watson

    (08/05/2016 at 21:24)
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"But-" Travis shut his mouth - his phone pressed against his ear, two slender fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, a sigh. "dad I-" For the millionth time since the phone conversation started he was unable to say more than five words without being interrupted.

It was driving him crazy.

"Can't you just let me fini-" He rolled his eyes before glancing at his watch, the coffee shop he usually went to was now closed, apparently the owner had been stupid enough to wreck the bussiness in a record time - with little caffeine left in his body and his father on the phone it was hard to ignore the urge to throw both his backpack and phone away. And ran.

"New York? What are you doing there, weren't you in Paris?" He pushed the door of one of the remaining  coffee shops of the campus. As the door closed behind him he frowned. "Dad?" He blinked, putting his phone down he scoffed. Call ended. unbelievable.

"Coffee?"

 His eyes were still fixed on the phone's screen. "Yes, black please." Travis put the phone inside his jeans' pocket. When he looked he was greeted by the friendly smile of a pretty girl, an awfully familiar girl...

"Detora?"
« Last Edit: 08/05/2016 at 21:25 by Travis Watson »
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Joy Detora

    (08/05/2016 at 22:39)
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"Yes, black please."

Joy was about to detach herself from the counter and drift off to the machine behind her (black coffee; either he was a bitter person or desperately needed caffeine) when the unnamed customer stopped her by saying --

"Detora?"

Joy paused midway through standing up properly, took a moment to actually stand up, and then actually looked at him. She knew him from somewhere, she just couldn't place it. Her mouth quirked to the side for a moment, and then she finally figured it out.

"Watson!" Joy said, grinning. "Haven't seen you in a long time," she tossed over her shoulder as she went to make his coffee. The machine started up and she turned back to face him. "You go to university here too?"

Joy hadn't thought she'd see Travis Watson again after he'd graduated high school three years ago; she had graduated just the year after, and they hadn't been in contact after that. She didn't know how she'd never bumped into him before (she prided herself on extensive connections within the school), but it was bound to happen sometime.

Honestly, she was a little disappointed in herself. It had taken her an unacceptable amount of time to place his face. It was only her second year of university, she shouldn't be losing her memory already.

Maybe all the caffeine was getting to her.
you may be good looking
but you're not a piece of art

Travis Watson

    (08/06/2016 at 12:58)
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She was looking at him, probably trying to figure out who he was he presumed - maybe she did not remember him, although he had graduated less than three years ago, they were not that old yet - but then...

"Watson! Haven't seen you in a long time. You go to university here too?"

Almost three years. Which meant that for two years they had been studying in the same place without knowing it - the place was big, it was not surprising that they hadn't bump into each other before. He had never imagined he was going to see her again, in the same campus he studied in - he had lost contact with most of his high school friends, the promises that they had all made to keep in touch with each other  only lasted a couple of months.

"Yes, I am studying Law." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. At first he had been reluctant about it, but his father had insisted, so had his grandfather - most members of his family were lawyers, it was bound to happen.

"What about you?"
 

« Last Edit: 08/06/2016 at 13:01 by Travis Watson »
I'm devoted to
destruction

Joy Detora

    (08/06/2016 at 20:12)
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"Yes, I am studying Law."

The first thing she registered was that he studied the same thing as Albear. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Oh, one of my coworkers Albear does too, maybe you know--?" Her sentence was cut off when she turned to look for Albear and Miranda and found that they had both disappeared, presumably into the back, if the still swinging door meant anything.

"Rude," she muttered under her breath, but turned back to him.

"You loved music, what happened to that?"

"What about you?"

"Criminology," Joy chirped, and picked up Watson's coffee cup, now filled to the brim. "We probably have some classes in the same building," she continued as she fitted a lid onto it with the ease of someone who had done this tedious task far too many times.

Then, she grabbed a Sharpie pen and wrote her phone number on the cup, as well as his name so as to not be too suspicious. She put it on the counter (phone number facing her, of course), then said, "$2.70," with a smile.
i'm laughing, i'm crying
it's my party, and i'll cry if i want to
it feels like i'm d y i n g

Travis Watson

    (08/07/2016 at 22:58)
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"You loved music, what happened to that?"

"I go to the music conservatorie as well." A shrug. "I have a pretty busy schedule." Law during the morning, music during the afternoon - plenty of things to do and study during the evening and night, not many hours of sleep. He only had free afternoons on Fridays (like that day) and Sundays.

The brief conversation he had had with his father just a few minutes ago (more like a monologue if you asked him) had been about that same topic - his father had warned him over and over again that if his grades dropped there would be no more music.

That phone call had been just a friendly reminder.

"Criminology. We probably have some classes in the same building,"

"Sounds interesting. And yes, I think we have them." He knew a couple of persons who were studying it, and while it was not his cup of tea it certainly seemed more interesting than studying Law.

"$2.70,"

As he handed her the money he grabbed the cup - he really, really needed caffeine, urgently. He stood there for a couple of seconds. "So, I have to go, see you around... I guess." He smiled before turning and heading towards the door.

(He realized she had wrote down her phone number two hours later, right when he was about to throw the cup to the trash.)

A week later
afternoon


He hadn't called her.

Not because he had forgotten about it (the cup was still on his desk among piles of papers) but he was not sure wether she had gave him her number because she thought it was a polite thing to do when you came across an old friend or because she had genuinely wanted to give it to him.

He didn't know if she worked all afternoons, or how long her shifts were - so there he was, same day, same time. Entering in the shop he quickly spotted her behind the counter, there was someone else ordering, he waited for them finish before making his way towards the counter.

He smiled sheepishly. "Black coffee please."

YOU'LL MAKE THE FIRE
MY BONES WILL MAKE IT GROW


Joy Detora

    (08/09/2016 at 15:24)
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Watson hadn't called or texted, but Joy wasn't really bothered by it. There were other boys, other classmates, and besides, while their meeting had been a pleasant surprise, they were just former high school friends that had bumped into each other again at university. She had other things to care about; classes and assignments and work and watching TV.

Within the span of a week, Joy hadn't really bothered to devote any thoughts to Watson. It was harshly impersonal, but true.

Miranda Flutterbush was now chattering about someone-or-other's breakup, and while normally she would have cared, Joy didn't particularly enjoy getting her gossip from Miranda Flutterbush, so she heard the basics and tuned out. Joy was busy getting a vanilla latte for the girl who had come in anyways.

That done, Joy moved on to the next customer, who happened to be --

"Black coffee please."

Watson? He was ordering the same thing as last time, she realized as she flashed him a smile. "Back again?" she teased. Moving away to the machine, she asked, "Are you addicted to coffee?" It was possible. She wouldn't put it past him, what with the kind of horrifying schedule being a law student and a music conservatory student at the same time must saddle him with.

Besides, everyone ended up seeking out caffeine at some point. Maybe Watson was just a secret coffee fanatic as well as a future lawyer and musician.
you may be good looking
but you're not a piece of art

Travis Watson

    (08/11/2016 at 20:56)
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"Back again?"

He shrugged. "Yes, the coffee was great." Of course he was not here because the coffee was of better quality than any other coffee he had tried - actually, while it was possible, it was difficult to make a bad black coffee, it couldn't be anymore simple unlike some of those fancy coffees with pompous names.

"Are you addicted to coffee?"

"I wouldn't call it an addiction." He pointed out. He had never bothered to label his 'relationship' with the hot beverage - it was like commensalism maybe, he obtained benefits from it without harming it. Because it was impossible to harm something that, in the first place, had never been alive.

He grinned cheekily. "I just really need to drink it every day or else I'll probably die, it's no big deal."
YOU'LL MAKE THE FIRE
MY BONES WILL MAKE IT GROW


Joy Detora

    (08/14/2016 at 15:57)
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"Yes, the coffee was great."

"Just the coffee?" she teased. "What about the company?" After all, she was here, and while Joy didn't like to think she was self-centered, she knew she was self-centered. Besides, she was fun to be around. And he had come back on the same day at the exact same time.

"I wouldn't call it an addiction. I just really need to drink it every day or else I'll probably die, it's no big deal."

She returned the grin with one of her own. "Hate to break it to you," she said as she filled up the cup, "but that's pretty much the textbook definition of addiction." She wasn't a psychology major, but criminology and psychology overlapped a bit. She knew what addiction was.
you may be good looking
but you're not a piece of art

Travis Watson

    (08/15/2016 at 11:41)
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"Just the coffee?"

"Of course not, the decorations are pretty nice too. And those chairs... they're just marvellous." A cheeky grin adornes his features as he turned to look at the chairs, plain, usual chairs. Now that he looked at them, he was pretty sure that it was the first time that he had paid attention to the decoration and furniture of the shop.

"What about the company?"

He shrugged. "I guess it's tolerable."

"Hate to break it to you, but that's pretty much the textbook definition of addiction."

He rolled his eyes, waving his hand dismissively. "Technicalities."

Leaning of the counter he tapped his fingers on it."So I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out one day and grab a coffee, but."

He paused as his phone started to buzz inside his jean's pocket, he ignored it. "but then I remembered that you worked on a coffee shop, so maybe you're, well, sick of them."
« Last Edit: 08/15/2016 at 11:43 by Travis Watson »
YOU'LL MAKE THE FIRE
MY BONES WILL MAKE IT GROW


Joy Detora

    (08/16/2016 at 20:59)
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"Of course not, the decorations are pretty nice too. And those chairs... they're just marvellous. I guess it's tolerable."

If she could hit customers, she would have. She settled for a pout instead. Her displeasure had to be known to everyone; or rather, just Watson. That wasn't the point of her question, and he knew it.

Then again, if he hadn't said something like that, she would have been worried. Watson wasn't the type to pull his punches around her.

"So I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out one day and grab a coffee, but, but then I remembered that you worked on a coffee shop, so maybe you're, well, sick of them."

She fitted the lid onto the cup, a smile playing on her mouth, told herself to play it calm, then turned around with the smile fully realized and leaned against the counter. Her face was just a smidge too close to his for propriety.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked. "Because if you are, then I don't mind."


Loyalty, Labor, Love

Travis Watson

    (08/17/2016 at 14:45)
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"Are you asking me out on a date?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." The distance between their faces was undeniably smaller that what he believed to be the appropriate one between a worker of a coffee shop and a customer. Or maybe she always did the same with all her customers, he doubted it though.

That would be creepy.

"Because if you are, then I don't mind."

He grabbed the coffee cup with one hand, tossing the money on the counter with the other. "Good." He brought the cup to his lips, hiding a smile behind it before taking a small sip of it. He would have think of a better plan, but if he was honest, he was a better company when there was caffeine in his body.

"How about next Saturday?"
YOU'LL MAKE THE FIRE
MY BONES WILL MAKE IT GROW


Joy Detora

    (08/20/2016 at 01:20)
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"Maybe."

That wasn't a good answer or a clear one, but she would take it. It had been a long time since they'd actually had a good talk, and it had been too long since Joy had actually been asked on a date. It wasn't nice.

"Good."

That was the answer she'd been looking for, and she grinned widely at him as a reward. Was she being manipulative? Yes. Was there a problem with that? Maybe, but not to her.

"How about next Saturday?"

"At 3," she demanded, and then flashed him another smile. "It's settled, then," she said, and fluidly put the money away.

"See you Saturday."


the day of the date
afternoon

"So, how have things been since high school?"

Joy sipped her coffee (clearly not as good as the coffee she made, obviously) and crossed her ankles under the table. She was a little nervous, despite her usual demeanor. Joy hadn't seen Travis Watson in a long time, still thought of him as Watson in her head; how could a date between them work out?

Then again, when did any of her dates work out?

To curb this line of thinking, she sipped her coffee again.
« Last Edit: 04/01/2017 at 17:50 by Joy Detora »
you may be good looking
but you're not a piece of art

Travis Watson

    (08/20/2016 at 15:04)
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"So, how have things been since high school?"
 
He shrugged. "Okay I guess, well, pretty damn busy to be honest." Law lessons during the morning, violin ones during the afternoon - plus plenty of hours of study, travelling back and forth to France, ocasionally going to visit his dogs to his grandfather's house - and going out and having a social life, because in the end he was just a university student that between stress and exams wanted to have so fun.

Could anybody blame him?

"But that's what coffee is for." To make exhausting and busy lifes bearable. After mentioning the hot drink, he took a sip of the one he was currently holding.

"By the way, the one you make is better." Truthfully, it was difficult to make bad black coffee, but nothing was impossible.

"What about you?" He cocked an eyebrow. "How's the great Joy Detora's life?"
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SLYTHERIN

rise above.

Joy Detora

    (08/24/2016 at 00:59)
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"Okay I guess, well, pretty damn busy to be honest."

"That's to be expected, Mr. Overachiever," she replied, and continued the process of turning all the blood in her body into caffeine by ingesting as much as possible at all times and places.

"But that's what coffee is for."

"Exactly," she beamed, and beamed even wider when he mentioned that the coffee she made was better. Maybe he was buying her affection and goodwill with compliments. She was fine with that. It wasn't anything that had never happened before, and besides, compliments gave her a delightful rush.

"What about you? How's the great Joy Detora's life?"

A shrug. "Fine, I guess," she said, wrinkling her nose. She wasn't sure how to describe it; wasn't everyone's university life mostly the same? You studied, you worked on the side, you tried to have a social life when you could.

"I just study and work, mostly."
you may be good looking
but you're not a piece of art

Travis Watson

    (08/30/2016 at 21:02)
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"That's to be expected, Mr. Overachiever,"

He knew what was he getting himself into since the exact moment he decided to pursue a career on both things. More than once (by that he meant almos every week) he pondered the possibility of quiting one of them.

But he couldn't.

Everyone in his family expected him to become a laywer, it was only natural, they all had studied the same - it was in their blood his father told him. And leaving the violin aside would feel like stabbing himself a million times. So he had no other option but to try his best to cope with both things, at her words, he just shrugged.

"Fine, I guess, I just study and work, mostly."

"I was expecting something more thrilling if I'm honest." Joy Detora, just working and studying - he couldn't quite believe it, his life couldn't be more exciting than hers.

He sipped his coffee. "Don't you have a boyfriend?"
« Last Edit: 09/07/2016 at 22:24 by Travis Watson »
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Joy Detora

    (09/07/2016 at 00:32)
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"I wasn't expecting something more thrilling if I'm honest."

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't know why you would be," she said. "High school's a lot easier than university. You would know." They had had more time to mess around in high school; she'd been well-known for her long list of boys she'd been physically involved with, and her loud, dramatic breakup with Caius Thorne had been a highlight of senior year.

Not so in university. Sure, there had been boys, but not nearly as many.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?"

A snort. "I broke up very dramatically with the last one at the start of senior year." The only one, really. Joy had never been much for dating. Watson knew that. When she'd started dating Caius, he had freaked.

Joy was expecting a smug 'I told you so', honestly. Watson would be justified in doing so. She wouldn't begrudge him that.
i'm laughing, i'm crying
it's my party, and i'll cry if i want to
it feels like i'm d y i n g