Work Text:
There was something about the small town she was raised in that made it so she never wanted to come back. There was something about the way everyone knew her name and knew who she was that sent the worst chills down the spine. They knew the best days, the worst days, they knew the days where she would blaze in glory, and the ones she wanted nothing more than to forget them. They knew about her family, they knew about the things that she loved, and the things she hated. She was a collection of the people, of their hopes and dreams for her. And for the things they never wanted to see in her.
She knew her brothers and sisters would miss her. But yet she promised she would continue to write, she would visit. Talk to them on the phone and whatever else that needed to happen. She knew her parents would call her insane, call her a dreamer. And she knew she was a dreamer, but she was tired of people believing the only time for dreamers was the night where it seemed to be the only time of day. So she grabbed her bags and left. Finding her way to a city where she could start new. A place where nobody needed to know of her past. Not that there was a lot of her past that needed to be held in shame. She was fine, always had been.
21 had been an insane year for her. It was the year that taught her about heartache, happiness, and finding a tribe. Something she hadn't found yet. But she had time. And maybe it was slowly coming together.
There were a lot of days where she wanted to pack things up and head home, where she didn't want to be in this city anymore. But there were four times where it made everything worth it. Where maybe she needed to take a chance at seeing what good could come.
01.
The March weather definitely is pretty. But she finds it to be one of the most beautiful things. That is until she’s tossed and thrown around before she finally enters the cafe. The door slams due to the wind and you find yourself pausing for breath as she finally comes to a stop. “Amy you're late again.” she heard her manager say from the back of the cafe and she knew she was. First her alarm didn't go off so she woke up to her roommate screaming at her to get up. Then the train she usually took didn't come because of an accident. So she had to wait the extra ten minutes for the next train. After that, the rain decided to come down on her and the umbrella she had in her bag wouldn't open. So this all together led to absolute chaos in the frame of a few short hours.
"I know. I'm sorry." She called back and quickly checked in. Logging into the program for work.
"The regulars are here. You might want to go get their order before JJ goes insane.” her manager calls for the back and she laughed a little. Her manager knew her best and knew that these particular regulars were a bit of a handful, it wasn't a bad thing. They just were that pairing.
She had seen the couple who came in almost immediately after she was clocked in before. And to be honest, they were kind of cute. They seemed to be complete opposites. She would see him looking a little grumpy and she would give fun facts to automatically place a little smile that would rise on his face. He never acted explicitly romantic with her, but they have these little intimate moments that made you see them… as them. Hand holding on top of the tables was a common thing. Another common thing was her extending her camera out to take a picture of him. Which would start in a conversation that went like
“Miller let me take a photo.”
“No. no Jess.”
“Why not.”
“I’ll look dumb.”
“You always do. But i still love you?”
“...That's it. I'm taking your phone.
She also knew their orders. She knew that he ordered a black coffee. Which seemed to match his personality. And the girl, her order would change every single time. A few times it had been cocoa, others it had been their special blend of lemonade. It had been teas, to coffees. To which she would ask for extra pumps of vanilla. On the man's cup, she didn't write his name on it unless he was alone. And on hers she would make sure to include some kind of little doodle. As she had requested once or twice. The girl — who's name she learned was Jess, would talk to her as she made the drinks.
"Wait so you're an art student. That's fun. Sounds really fun. So that's why the little animals on my cups are always so cute." She said causing Amy to laugh. "Ooh, one of these times can I get a platypus! Or a kangaroo." She asked, causing the other girl to offer a smile and a nod. “Oooh, kangaroo fun fact did you know they can jump up to thirty feet away. It's pretty great and i -” and she heard as the brunette with bangs got interrupted
"Jess. We should let her keep working."
"I'm letting her work."
"No, you're distracting her. I'm sorry she's not normally like this." He said, but you could tell that part was a lie. She didn't seem like she was absolutely chaotic. But she did seem like she got into her fair share of trouble and issues.
A laugh almost escaped her lips when she heard the other speak. They definitely had an interesting dynamic. It wasn't one she hated. But it was still interesting. That was the best way to word all of this. "Nick I was asking her a questioning adult to adult." The woman — Jess told to the guy she assumed was her boyfriend.
"Jessica Day we have to meet with Schmidt, Winston, and Cece in twenty minutes. Come on." He said as Amy finished filling their drinks and handing them to the duo. Knowing these two — or at least knowing of them made her wonder. What was the rest of their group like? Were most of them like Jess or were they like the other Nick? Or did they have different kinds of wonderful personalities that made them just click? These questions would continue to fill them until the end of the shift.
02.
She sees them a lot of different times throughout the next few months, one of the best and most memorable moments comes on a Tuesday in September. The college students were back in town after a summer being away. And she had gone home a few times within the last few months. A fight did happen with her sisters. But that was easily resolved as she came back to where she started bright-eyed. Immediately starting classes and getting swamped with assignment after assignment. She did find herself taking fewer shifts. And she wished she could take more. There just weren't enough hours in the day without her feeling completely burnt out.
This particular shift though she has been asked to work the three to nine shift. Knowing damn well she needed the hours. She took the shift and to put it lightly how she had currently been feeling...she felt bored.
The lyrics of Dorothy at 40 by Cursive plays in the background as the setting “Dreams are all you have, dreams have held you back. Dreamers never live, only dream of it.'' The lyrics are a little ironic, but in a funny kind of sense that makes you think. They call her into a trance as she's cleaning one of the tables twenty minutes before closing. She's not sure what it is about Tuesdays but people don't seem to come here on the weekday evenings. And it gives her time to sit down and work for a few minutes on the school work she had let pile up. The crowds had stopped about an hour ago, so as she had been working she watched the door so she could get up to take the orders. The job wasn't bad. It was the typical cliche though. All of the struggling artists, poets, actors and dreamers seemed to work in coffee shops or part-time waiting tables. Each one seems to have a small town they never come back to. That wasn't her though, she loved her small town. Just wasn't as attached to it as before. She didn't get the hatred every single singer had towards small towns though. But she also couldn't say she got why they were the focus of every single hallmark movie. To put it lightly — meh.
Jessica Day, or ‘just jess’ as she had wanted to be called comes in without her normal partner of Nick attached to her hip. She sees her bright colored dress and smiles lightly knowing that she makes this place feel more like home. "Hey, I'll get your drink started. What can I get you today?" She asked as she raised a brow. Happily holding a tall cup so she could get it ready. A normal staple in her order.
"I'm just getting a tall gingerbread cocoa today." She said with a smile. The seasonal drinks were coming early this year. Which brought some newness into an old fashioned routine. But also brought in the crowds obsessed with the holiday season and all things merry and bright.
"Your total is $4.70. I'll get that up for you right now." She offered as she moved over to the milk warmer. She has been pretty focused on the same thing for about a minute or two when she heard a voice call out
"Woah did you draw this?" She heard Jess ask and she looked over. Seeing the drawing of an older pair of regulars. This photo was one of her happy moments and she planned on gifting it to the regulars when it had been finished being graded.
She nodded, walking over and handing the drink to Jess. "Yeah. It's been my artistic love child for about the past three days." She said wiping the cinnamon off her hands and onto her apron.
"Well it's incredible. The faces are so real. And the expressions are gorgeous." The banged brunette stated as she looked at it. Taking a sip of her cocoa. Noticing that cold foam was added to the top so she didn't burn her tongue. Since it had been a regular occurrence.
"Thanks." Amy offered as she sat down. Jess sitting across from her.
"I can see why you're in art school now."
"Oh?"
"Wait , oh God. No no I didn't mean it in that way. I know you're an amazing artist from the little animals you draw on my cup. The elephant for today is adorable by the way. But what I meant was. This is incredible." Jess rambled and it made Amy laugh the slightest bit.
"Thank you. I really do mean it. I appreciate it." She offered after a moment, she was used to compliments. She had always been told she was talented when in elementary school. She just never knew exactly /how/ to respond to these things.
"Nick can't even draw a hand turkey." She said with a laugh. And the artist found it kind of sweet that Jess brought up her partner. "He tried to help me with a lesson for my students and his thumb was crooked and his pinkie didn't even appear." She continued to say with a laugh.
The other girl turned around. Stopping what she was doing with her drawing. "You really do love him … don't you?" She asked with a light knowing look on her face.
“Is it cheesy for me to say that I think he's what my heart has always wanted? She asks, and it wasn't that Amy had never fallen in love. She had crushes here and there. She just never had someone she thought immediately was her soulmate… things were not that easy. “I think part of me knew it when I met him. But it took me a little while longer to act on the feelings because I was so scared.” she shakes her head and the other brunette nodded along. Listening to what she had to say. She understood it. Understood all of these things. Fear had been the reason she knew she didn't do a lot of the things she had wanted to. She was a flight risk with a fear of falling straight in.
She hadn't realized how long they had spent talking, but as she looked at her phone she realized it was 9:20 and they should both get home. "I should go. My train takes off in ten." She said and sighed. Not wanting this conversation to end yet.
“Can I offer you a ride home?” she heard Jess ask, and usually in horror films this was the time she would run in the opposite directions, where against all odds she would leave and fight to be the last one standing. But the woman in a yellow sweater and rubber ducky skirt didn't exactly scream ‘murderer.’ did she?
“I would actually… love that.” she smiled after a moment. Sitting in the car the first thing she realized was what a pity Los Angeles skies were. There was so much room for stars, yet the building and smoke made it so you couldn't see too many. It looked so lonely. Growing up she had wanted to be an astronaut to see what was up above, so the lack of stars made her heart hurt. It made her wonder about things. The ride in the car didn't take too long. But once she got home she thanked the girl a good ten times over. Seeing the car drive off as she walked into the complex. Her roommate did ask where she had gone, and she wanted to tell her roommate about the girl made out of stardust and her boyfriend who would hang the moon for her if she asked. But that was a story for another time.
03.
It's a Tuesday evening the next time around. The midday rush was given to JJ who had a dinner event for her classes. That girl was like lightning in a bottle. And she wondered how she still was up and running. But that's not important. She's given the evening shift. But thankfully not until closing. She's wrapping up her shift this time around.
She meets Winston, Schmidt, and Cece on this day. She's not sure what she's expecting but each of them looks like they were raised to be in LA. for the lights and everything in between. And she notices that each of them truly is completely different. Winston is definitely charming in an odd way. Schmidt is … Schmidt and Cece is elegant and bright. And their drink tastes totally fit them.
Winston likes the birthday cake cocoa, which is popular amongst the younger (10 and under) crowd. Schmidt likes his coffee dark and has to know where the beans come from and when they were brewed. And Cece is one that likes teas. She has a regal appearance to her. One that's almost as if she floats above everything else. But not in a bad way. They're discussing the events of a TV show and she can't stop but think. This is the group where Nick and Jess belong.
"I'm just saying, MILLER . Unlike everyone else. I don't think it's a good idea to sit my grandmother next to my childhood dentist."
"Schmidt. Why are you inviting the dentist anyway?"
"To thank him for giving me this perfect smile."
"It's a wedding. Not — nevermind."
And she also realizes three different conversations are happening — at the same time. Nick and Schmidt are being… them. Cece and Jess are discussing bridesmaid dresses. And Winston keeps asking her about his cat and if she can draw Ferguson the cat for him. Winston also talks to her for a solid twenty minutes about always feeling like a fifth wheel. And she understands. It's easy to feel like that in a group like — this.
She's cleaning a table a few feet away from them when she gets tapped on the shoulder. Seeing the bright blue eyes of Jessica Day — sorry 'Just Jess' standing there. " Gang This is Amy the barista. Amy this is the gang." Jess offers with a smile introducing her to the rest of the group. "She's the best barista. Always knows exactly what Nick wants." She says and Amy thinks 'it's a black coffee. It's not rocket science.' but it's sweet that she's doing this.
Somehow she finds herself getting roped into helping Winston pick out a sweater for his cat. And she's not sure why he needs one in … Los Angeles? But she doesn't question it. The guy seems nice enough. And he's harmless enough. Not what you imagined a LA PD officer to be like on his day off. But she's still here for it. "I'll text you the different options. Thank you." He says with a wave. And she finds herself ending up seeing Winston a few more times in the cafe. He somehow becomes a friend in the middle of the crazy lonely world. So she thanks Nick and Jess for that too.
04.
The winter carnival wasn't her favorite shift to work, often enough it was drunk men stumbling out of bars and women with screaming kids. But hey, it got her decent tips. So she really wasn't the worst thing. She was at the cash register when she saw a familiar face enter. Walking up to the counter with a look on his face. She wanted to say it looked happy, but content was more a word for it. She smiled lightly and got her screen up to take the order.
“Hey, Amy.” he offered and she looked a little surprised at the fact he could remember her name. It wasn't that she penned him as being the kind of person who was bad with names or faces. She just didn't know what to expect from him.
“Hey Nick, what can I get you two tonight?” she asked ready to take the order.
“A peppermint bark cocoa -.” she was ready to type in his black coffee but a look of surprise hit her features when he looked at her and stated “Actually, make that two. I hear great things about the cocoa here from a certain blue-eyed school teacher.” and she nodded, though surprised.
He kept looking back through the window which made her wonder. Was he looking at the lights or was the blue-eyed girl out there waiting for him. She always seemed like the kind of person who loved the holiday season. Who loved the lights and the beauty that consumed it. This area especially was gorgeous during this time of year. Which was something she loved about the little corner store. Sure there was plenty of other beauties, but this corner of the world was hers. And it was one she wouldn't change for the world.
"So changing your drink on me?" She said with a playful tint to her voice.
"Sorry. Didn't know you'd be so upset."
"Well I'm hurt. Completely hurt."
"I'll keep that in mind next time I order." He said with a shimmer of light in his eyes.
She had seen Nick change a lot over the past year. And sometimes people changing because of a romantic partner isn't the best thing. But other times. Especially in a situation like this. They both changed each other. He's more open, less scared of these things. And she's more willing to fight. She had seen it and she was proud.
"So did you get Jess anything for Christmas that you can tell me about?" Amy asked, curiousness filling her as she did so.
"This is going to sound super middle school of me. I got her a necklace." He pulls the box out of his pocket. It had two little hearts and it looked perfect. Jess was going to love it.
"That doesn't sound like middle school at all. My first and only boyfriend got me a ring pop." She admitted and he looked at her.
"You'll find someone. Dude or dudette. Either would be lucky. And you're going to tell me so Jess and I can talk to them." Nick said and she felt a little honored.
"Oh…" she replied as the drinks came up as ready. "Here are these. Have a good night." She offered and watched as he walked away. She watched as he gave her the cocoa, and the mistletoe kiss. It seemed like an intimate moment. But the way they acted so comfortable around each other made her feel like they were magnetic. And there was nothing else to it.
On her way home these events took a lot out of her but the train gave her a lot of time to think. It gave her a lot of time to look around and see the world as they were.
She was heading home for the next two weeks so she wouldn't get to see the usuals. And though a lot could happen she was hopeful this wouldn't.
As she opened up the notebook she had on her lap, she noticed receipts fall out each one a different day from the coffee shop. And she thought. For a place that brought a lot to her life. She never properly thanked it. Because even though she wasn't born in the area. In a lot of ways this was one of the places that raised her. That raised her way of thinking.
And in a way, Jessica Day and Nick Miller were some of the people she could thank. So maybe for now she didn't want to pack it up, and maybe she wouldn't want to for a while. As the train passed some apartments. She thought about the couples that lived on the inside and maybe one of them had a love story as great as the love story she had seen. The story of Jess and Nick.
And that made her a little more excited for 22.