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Every morning started off the same.
The blare of her alarm would go off at 5:00am. She’d reluctantly drag herself out of bed, throw on some clothes and a pair of runners before heading out for a jog in the crisp early morning. When she returned she’d shower, change into more presentable clothes and then proceed to dig around the rooming house for every nickel and dime she could find before making her way to the worst coffee shop in town.
“Marley’s Best Cup”
Every time she saw the name, she scoffed.
“Why don’t you stop wasting your money and just ask that girl out already!”
“Stay out of it Connie.” Came Yelena’s quick reply as she slipped on her oxford shoes.
“Hey I’m just saying. You would save us and yourself a lot of money if-”
Yelena whipped her head around to growl at the buzz-cut young man, stopping his words in their tracks before he sheepishly said ‘okay okay’.
Yelena hated Marley‘s Best Cup coffee. It was the worst in town. Yet everyday she scrounged up every dollar, nickel and dime she could find to buy one small coffee just for a chance to see her . The cute Barista.
Yelena was totally infatuated with the short woman. Her lazy smiles and clever jokes made Yelena’s heart stutter. And the way her tied back raven hair stuck out of the goofy beige cap-signature of Marley’s Best Cup- made the blonde swoon. Yelena wanted to know what she looked like without the cap. She was curious how her hair would feel along her fingertips, surely it was as soft as down feathers. And how short was she really? Despite the raised flooring behind the counter, Yelena still managed to tower over her. She wanted to know more about her. Was she a university student? What classes did she take? Was she gay?
The questions were endless.
Yelena had first seen her 3 months ago...
They had run out of coffee at the rooming house -thanks to Connie and his friends' shenanigans conducting some sort of dumb ‘science’ experiment- and Yelena was desperate for her morning boost. Not having time to go further into town before class, she had to settle for Marley’s Best Cup, the only coffee shop on campus.
It was clear from the moment she had walked into the small shop that she didn’t want to be there, a scowl permanently imprinted on her face. She made her way to the counter to order a small coffee to go and that was where she met her,
Pieck Finger.
Yelena wasn’t entirely sure exactly what had caught her interest. Maybe it was the easy smiles, laid back personality or bold teasing. But whatever it was, she had become immediately hooked.
Pieck made some off handed joke about her face (I would be cranky too if I had to come here for a coffee). It was bold and unexpected, and the words came out so easily. Yelena found most people were intimidated by her, especially when first meeting her -despite her best efforts to come off friendly and inviting-. Something about her height and scary eyes. But Pieck apparently wasn’t intimidated at all, nor offended by her obvious dislike of the coffee -she seemed to agree-.
“Is there nothing you can do to make it taste better?” Yelena had asked.
“‘fraid not. I think the company is a front for an experiment to see how disgusting they can make their coffee before people stop coming back. Apparently university students set the bar pretty loooow.” Pieck chuckled as she spoke.
Despite Yelena’s best efforts, her lips cracked into a smile as well.
‘She’s cute.’ Yelena thought, her bad mood seeming to dissipate with Pieck’s radiant smile.
And that was it -Yelena was hooked, returning everyday at the same time just for a brief interaction with her.
Part of her knew it was weird how she ogled the Barista every morning -as her friend’s kindly pointed out on a regular basis-. And she really did intend to ask Pieck out, eventually. She was just so nervous.
But today-
today was the day. She was going to pluck up her courage and ask her.
For real this time, not like those other times, Yelena thought as she remembered her many failed attempts. Every morning for the past couple weeks she told herself today was the day, and every morning, the moment she stepped up to the counter, all her gungho left her like a fleeting wind.
Yelena steeled her nerves before finally entering the shop.
Today was the day.
“She quit?” Came Yelena’s disillusioned voice.
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t she have to like… give 2 weeks notice or something first?”
“Yeah.”
“So she’s still going to be working a few shifts then?”
“No.”
Yelena stared at the blonde haired woman across the counter, who made looking unimpressed look like a sport. Yelena was not quite processing the senseless conversation they were having.
“So she’s not going to be back?”
“No.”
They stood in awkward silence for a moment as Yelena picked up the pieces of her broken heart, disappointment washing over her and draining her soul.
“Are you going to buy a coffee or not?” Annie asked.
“No! Your coffee sucks!” Yelena said with a raised voice only receiving a shrug in return.
Annie peaked around the tall woman yelling, “Next” in an emotionless voice.
This is bullshit. Yelena thought angrily, storming out of the coffee shop past the line of customers. She could hear the groans of the next customer and a faint ‘she quit?’ just before the glass door of the shop closed behind her.
Yelena stood outside in disbelief, staring out blankly at the large campus fields, littered with students making their way to classes and excitedly talking about their weekend.
Yelena was shattered. She had waited too long.
Of course Pieck quit the day she was going to ask her out.
Of course.
That was just her luck.
Yelena let out a heavy sigh, her body suddenly feeling incredibly heavy. Now she didn’t get her morning fix OR her coffee.
It was going to be a long day.
---------------------------
It was Friday night, and in an attempt to cheer her up, Zeke and their roommates decided to take -more like drag- Yelena out to a popular bar in town. She resisted, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“C’mon, You’ve been moping all week.” Connie said. He stood in the middle of her room, exasperatedly waving his hand as he spoke.
“It’s getting to be a little pathetic, honestly,” Zeke added, leaning against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest.
Yelena laid face down and sprawled out on her bed, not bothering to look up, “Just leave me alone.” She murmured.
“No, no no! You’re coming out tonight, whether you like it or not, let's go!” Connie shouted, grabbing onto the blonde’s arm to tug her out. However, he was quite scrawny and had trouble getting the dead weight to budge.
Connie was one of those people Yelena imagined she never would’ve become friends with otherwise, had they not been roommates. He was nothing like her or the people she chose to hang around with. He was loud, obnoxious, impulsive, and sorta dumb -in Yelena’s opinion-.
However, over the last 2 years of rooming together, he had grown on her. Despite his more negative qualities, he was also honest, kind and sincere. He cared about the people around him and could be serious when needed. And even though it took Yelena awhile to get used to it, his sense of humor had rubbed off on her, even inciting a laugh from time to time.
Yelena sighed into the mattress as she felt Connie struggle, “You’re going to dislocate my shoulder.”
“Then get UP,” He said through gritted teeth.
Just then Ymir walked by, poking her head in, “So are we going, or what?”
“Eventually,” Zeke said nonchalantly.
Ymir frowned, “If she wants to stay home and mope, then let her.”
“No! She needs to get out.” Connie insisted, “Moping like this is ridiculous. C’mon. We’ll have some drinks, get hammered, have a good laugh. It’ll be fun! It’ll be good for you.”
‘Maybe.’ Yelena thought. But she couldn’t will herself out of bed.
Ymir sighed loudly and with a roll of her eyes, decided to take matters into her own hands. She stepped into the room, kneeling down next to the bed before speaking, “You know, There’s a chance we might see that cute Barista at the baaar~”
This piqued the blonde’s interest. She turned to look at the freckle skinned woman, “You think so?”
Ymir stood up, “Sure! Why not? It’s the most popular bar in town. There’s always a chance . Everyone goes there.”
Yelena mulled this thought over, the gears of her brain turning at the prospect of maybe seeing Pieck again.
What were the chances…
It couldn’t hurt. And it’s not like they were going to leave her alone til she agreed to go anyways.
“Alright, fine.”
“Yes!” Connie said triumphantly, dropping Yelena’s arm to pump his fists in the air, “I gotta go finish getting ready!”
“How are you not ready!? You had all evening!!” Ymir shouted angrily as she followed Connie out of the room.
“I was busy trying to get Yelena out of bed! Maybe if you had helped sooner-” his voice trailed off down the hall.
“You got 30 minutes to get ready,” Zeke told Yelena before exiting the room, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Yelena frowned, not moving from the bed. They really were all so annoying. Yelena thought grudgingly before finally pulling herself up to get ready.
The 4 of them crammed together like a pack of sardines into 1 taxi, Connie stuck between Zeke and Yelena in the back with Ymir in the front.
"Why do I always get stuck between these two?" Connie complained.
"cuz you're the only one that fits," Ymir shot back.
"Bullshit! You would fit just fine!"
"Fight me for it then," Ymir challenged with a devilish grin.
Connie huffed, crossing his arms and slouching into his seat while mumbling under his breath about Ymir being a bully.
"That's what I thought," Ymir said, returning her attention forward. Yelena couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped her throat, earning a glare from the short man.
The group made it to the bar by 9pm, getting a large table with some of their other friends.
By 10pm Yelena was already 3 old fashions in and working on her 4th. She had a pleasant buzz going, mildly drunk but not overly so. She was definitely at a point where she was more chatty than usual, complaining to anyone who would listen about how she missed the opportunity to be with the love of her life. Ymir eventually got sick of her wallowing, leaving to hang out on the dance floor and see about picking up a lady for the night.
Connie was drunk way over his head, egging Yelena on, “I told you- I told you WEEKS ago to ask her out,” He slurred as he shot back the rest of his beer.
“I knowwwww,” Yelena whined, pressing her forehead against the table. Maybe she was more drunk than she had realized.
Onyankopon gave her a reassuring rub on the upper back, “You know, maybe she’s not as great as you imagined her to be.”
Yelena shot up, a venemonous look in her eyes, “How would you know?!”
“I’m just saying, sometimes we over fantasize about people, build them up to be bigger in our heads than they actually are.”
“No no, he’s got a point.” Zeke chimed in.
“No one asked you 4 eyes!” Yelena shouted, shooting back the rest of her drink.
Zeke let out a hearty laugh. He really did enjoy riling her up after a few drinks. The usually calm and collected Yelena got much more testy and emotionally volatile after having a few. It was why she usually chose not to drink, not enjoying the lack of control she felt when drunk.
Yelena clenched her fist, staring down at the table as her eyes began to water, “I knew I should’ve asked her out sooner. I missed my chance.” She folded her arms onto the table, stuffing her face in them.
“Oh c’mon, don’t cry. We’ll find her,” Connie said reassuringly, waving down a waitress for refills.
“Maybe you need to slow down on the drinks,” Onyankopon said, still only on his second beer.
“Maybe you should mind your own business,” Yelena shot back, earning another deep cackle from Zeke.
Onyankopon rolled his eyes. Maybe Ymir had the right idea to peace out before things got out of control.
It was midnight, and Yelena found herself standing in a small bathroom filled with empty stalls, leaning back against one of the porcelain sinks. She suddenly felt a lot of regret for the abuse she had just put her body through. The room was spinning, and she closed her eyes in an attempt to get her bearings. She really didn’t want to puke. Especially in a public washroom.
Disgusting, she thought.
She could hear the loud club music vibrating through the bathroom walls.
When had they left the bar and ended up at a club? She couldn't remember. And why was she here? She didn’t even like dancing, and no amount of drinking would change that.
And how much had she had to drink at this point?
Maybe she should puke, maybe it would ease her queasy stomach. Yelena could feel a drop of sweat slide down her cheek as the hot lights of the fluorescent bathroom bulbs seemed to roast her. She tried to focus on the cool porcelain against her palms.
Why was this place so damn hot? She wondered.
“Are you okay?”
Yelena jumped, startled out of her thoughts by the feminine voice. She opened her eyes to follow the direction of the voice as she spoke, “I’m fi-”
She stopped mid sentence when her eyes fell upon the familiar raven haired woman. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“You don’t look fine,” Pieck said thoughtfully with a tilt of her head.
“I-uh” Yelena stumbled on her words, “um.” she furrowed her brows as her lips failed her.
‘Smooth,’ Yelena thought bitterly, cursing her drunken state.
Pieck smiled, the same lazy smile she had given Yelena a hundred times before at the coffee shop, and Yelena’s heart skipped, a light blush forming on her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, I -uh.” Yelena dipped her head trying to regain her composure, “I just think you’re really cute!” she shouted suddenly, looking Pieck in the eyes determinately. It made sense in her head, but now that it came out she suddenly realized how dumb it sounded. Her cheeks flushed violently as embarrassment took over.
Pieck looked at her with shock, taken aback by the bold statement before the smile returned and a small giggle left her lips, “Do you usually pick up girls in club bathrooms?” She asked, a mischievous twinkle sparking in her eyes.
“N-no, It’s- I- I don’t know!” Yelena fumbled on her words. Maybe Pieck didn’t even remember who she was? She probably sounded like a creep. Who picks up girls in bathrooms!?
Yelena could feel her soul leaving her body as panic flooded every cell of her being. She was messing up her second chance!
Yelena pressed her face into her hands as embarrassment took over. She just wanted to melt away.
Pieck looked at her curiously before speaking again, “There’s some color in your face again, that’s a good sign. You must be feeling better.”
Yelena spread her fingers to look at Pieck, “What?”
Was this woman messing with her?
“You were pretty pale earlier,” Pieck explained before moving to enter a bathroom stall to do her business. Yelena stood in disbelief, watching as Pieck came out and went to the sink next to her to wash her hands.
She really was short, Yelena thought, as she observed the petite woman next to her.
And she really did look gorgeous with her hair down in messy black waves. Yelena’s heart stuttered, looking away as she suddenly realized she was staring.
Ughhh I really am a creep , Yelena mentally cursed.
Pieck glanced up at Yelena, amused by how distressed the tall blonde appeared to be. It was cute. From the moment Pieck laid eyes on her, she thought Yelena was astounding. Pieck had a thing for tall, stoic blonde’s.
She smiled again, “I’ll see you out there?” she asked with a tip of her head towards the door, pleased to see the way Yelena’s dark orbs lit up with excitement at the offer.
And with that, Pieck left the brightly lit bathroom.
Yelena stood, flabbergasted. Was that an invitation? Was she not put off by her weird attempt at picking her up?
Yelena’s heart was pounding as she gained her second wind, quickly following after Pieck.
The next morning, Yelena woke up in her bed, disheveled and wearing nothing but her panties and a white dress shirt. She groaned in agony as her head throbbed like jack hammers were trying to crack open her skull. The afternoon light seeping in through her blinds were doing nothing to help the assault on her head.
Why was the sun so bright?
And What happened last night? She couldn’t remember. She remembered the bar. And then they were at some club. And then a bathroom… and then...
Yelena’s body stiffened when she remembered the conversation in the bathroom.
She had made a complete fool of herself.
Oh god , she thought, embarrassment washing over her once again, adding to her agony.
For the life of her, she couldn’t remember what happened after that. It was all a blur. Yelena pressed her hands into her face as she tried to quell the ache.
She needed painkillers.
Yelena rolled off the bed, stepping out of her room and trudging to the bathroom down the hall. On the way, she passed Ymir’s room -who noticed the zombie of a woman walk by.
As Yelena rummaged through the medicine cabinet to pop some extra strength Advil, Ymir popped up in the doorway, a shit eating grin spread across her lips.
“Hey buddy, how ya feelin?”
Yelena glanced over tiredly at the dark skinned woman before moving to take a seat on the toilet to do her business.
“I think… I’m going to die.” Yelena mumbled, closing her eyes.
Ymir cackled, causing Yelena to cover her ears in pain.
“You should be over the moon,” Ymir said, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorway, not bothering to give the blonde any privacy.
Their friendship was like that. They weren’t shy around each other, often sharing the bathroom as they got ready. It was just easier that way, as sometimes their schedules clashed and it couldn’t be helped. If anything, Yelena appreciated that Ymir didn’t make it weird.
“What are you talking about?” Yelena murmured causing Ymir to quirk a brow before the light bulb clicked.
“Oh shiiit, you don’t remember!?” Ymir exclaimed, causing Yelena to grasp her head again.
“Do you have to be so damn loud all the time. You and Connie both!” Yelena grumbled with irritation.
“Hey, don’t get pissy at me because YOU drank too much last night,” Ymir shot back defiantly.
Yelena glared at Ymir.
She had a point. But Yelena still didn’t like it.
“ ANYWAYS , a little birdie told me you were caught kissing some fine young lady last night.” Ymir teased.
Yelena furrowed a brow as she got up to wash her hands, “what?” she asked, once she turned off the faucet.
“Oh yeah, you were totally making out with his chick at the back of the club, you guys were all over each other!”
Could it be?? Yelena thought, desperately trying to remember what happened after the bathroom.
“What did she look like? Who?” Yelena asked, voice raising as she spoke.
Ymir laughed, not bothering to answer, causing the blonde to rush up to her.
“Tell me!” Yelena exclaimed, pulling Ymir by the shirt.
“Ew dry your hands off before you touch me! Get away from me,” Ymir exclaimed, brushing Yelena’s hand off and backing out of the bathroom.
“Ymir, Tell me now!”
Ymir let out another cackle at the blonde's distress. She almost felt a little bad for tormenting her so much, almost . Ymir turned heel and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her before responding, “ No. ”
Yelena pounded on the door with one hand while trying to turn the handle with the other -only to find it locked, “Ymir you’re such an asshole!” she complained, still able to hear Ymir’s fits of laughter through the cheap wood. She hit one more hard bang against the door, before turning to head back to her own room, grumbling in frustration.
Why did these assholes like to antagonize her so much!? She wondered.
She flopped face down onto her bed in defeat. She had no idea where her phone was, briefly wondering if she had lost it. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so drunk.
Did she really make out with someone last night? Was it Pieck? She was so curious. But then again, maybe Ymir made the whole thing up just to tease her.
Yelena frowned, turning her head as she brought her arm up to hug her pillow.
After that awkward bathroom incident, there was no way Pieck would make out with her. Ymir was probably just messing with her. Like usual.
Yelena sighed sadly, staring off into space. However, as she stared, something caught her eye. Her eyebrow twitched as she brought up her forearm, allowing her sleeve to slide down from the gravity.
There was something written there. A number and-
Once you find your phone, text me. I’m holding you to your promise
- Pieck Finger <3 The Cute Barista
Yelena’s eyes widened as she stared at the clean black marker etched out on the inside of her forearm. She immediately sat up, excitement welling up in her chest.
It was Pieck! It did happen!
'She doesn’t think I’m a freak,' Yelena mentally sobbed in relief as she pressed her arm against her face.
Suddenly, something occurred to her. She pulled her arm away to reread the writing.
What promise?