Chapter Text
The wind blew past, the air chilly as it was one of the colder Saturdays of fall in Los Angeles. Cars drove by, though being on the smaller side of town it was quieter, at least much quieter in comparison to the freeway. Leaves of many hues crunched and crackled beneath Marcy's feet as she shuffled down the sidewalk, a messenger bag at her side, the strap going across her chest. She had a dark green coat that stopped halfway above her knee, and wore a brown scarf and boots that complimented the look. Her glasses were that of a similar green as her coat, and her signature hair clip held her hair out of her face.
She always made time for herself on the weekends to stop by the small, local coffee shop nearby, especially during the fall and winter months. Sure homebrewed coffee isn't bad and alot more convenient, but the coffee shop's coffee had its special touch added. Plus Marcy got a lot of her inspiration when she was at the cafe. She never truly knew why. Maybe it was the smell of the coffee and the pastries, or the small talk that she heard, where it wasn't overwhelmingly loud but not underwhelmingly quiet. Or it could've been that she was buzzed off of caffeine and her mind ran wild because of such. Either way it was an entire experience in itself every weekend. It felt as though she were in one of those cheesy Hallmark movies. She was allowed to observe people and their interactions and incorporate some into her written works and even in some of her art, and it gave her a feeling that she couldn't shake. She liked it, though; it was a good feeling.
She eventually walked into the shop, the small overhead bell chiming softly, and the smell of roasted coffee grounds flooded Marcy's senses. She missed this place more than she'd thought, and she just stopped by here yesterday.
"I'll be right with you in a second!" A sweet, gentle voice called right after the bell sounded, and Marcy nodded, walking up to the counter to make her order.
Soon, a young girl, somewhere around Marcy's age, walked up to the counter. Marcy was stunned. The girl had brown, curly hair pulled into a ponytail and she could only assume it was fairly soft just from the look. Her face had softer, friendlier features. Warm hazel eyes, a soft welcoming smile, and her cheeks and jawline were just a little sharp and yet soft at the same time. Her brown skin was smooth and flawless, with pretty freckles scattered on her face.
And she wasn't unfamiliar, not at all. She went to the same preparatory school that she had. Though they hadn't met in person and she was pretty sure the girl had no idea who Marcy was, she knew who they were. Between seeing her in the hall or enacting some prank with the head cheerleader or playing varsity tennis, she's seen enough of her to know who she was. Anne Boonchuy.
"Hello? Are you gonna order..?" Anne asked, waving a hand in front of her before Marcy snapped out of it. "O-oh! Sorry, zoned out for a sec, heh-" she quickly apologized, to which the other was quick to wave it off. "It's fine! What would you like to order?" Anne asked, smiling a bit as she looked at Marcy, who hummed a bit in thought before answering, "A traditional pumpkin spice latte please."
"A person of good taste I see," Anne comments with a grin.
"It's the only time of the year I can get it and this is the only cafe that makes it like I want it, despite it being the traditional recipe with no changes. It's weird. But eh. Rather be in season and support the small businesses on L.A. anyways, right?" Marcy explains, before adjusting her glasses, and the Thai girl nods her head in agreement to the statement. "That makes sense. It just makes you feel more cozy and in the season, y'know?" She adds to the conversation as she turns to make her customer's coffee.
"See? You get it. My parents don't understand why I come here so often, let alone get the pumpkin spices," Marcy chatsizes.
"Well how often do you come? And how much coffee do you actually get?" Anne queries, allowing the coffee to brew, turning back to give Marcy a questioning look.
"Every weekend in the mornings, I order one coffee when I enter and I stay for a bit just as a hangout if I don't have anything to do that day, and on weekdays I tend to go a little after school, after I've finished my homework and chores, and I'll watch my favorite shows on my laptops or cram in a few chapters of a book. Sometimes I cram a study session in there, and on those days I tend to drink 2 or 3 coffees on normal days and may cram a few espressos in on the cram sessions-" Marcy rambles.
Anne's confused look then turns to that of a slightly judgemental and concerned look. "That's why- surely that much coffee isn't good for your system. And why so much coffee on school nights but not on weekends? Shouldn't it be vice versa?" She asks, before turning to pour the coffee and put the add-ins in said coffee.
"Oh boo- c'mon I thought you were one of us," Marcy joked lightheartedly and before Anne has a chance to come up with a quip, she adds, "To be fair I've been doing this for a while now and I'm not dead yet, so surely this is fine."
"Yeah, you make a fair point there," Anne comments, before handing Marcy her coffee in which she gratefully accepts and pays for the drink, before giving the worker a tip. It wasn't too much but it was fairly generous, an extra ten dollars. Usually with other workers she'd be fair and polite and tip them five a piece to keep to themselves, but today was different. This girl was different. She has a different type of vibe from her that she doesn't get from their co-workers.
Anne is genuinely surprised, looking over at Marcy, a small tint of red taking to her cheeks. "You didn't have to," she murmured, about to give the money back but Marcy refuses to take it. "No, it's completely fine, really! You deserve it, honestly, you're really nice!"
Anne smiled warmly after a moment of shock, nodding and stuffing the money in her pocket. "Thanks, much appreciated, uh…" She trails off, realizing she didn't even know the name of the girl giving her the tip.
"Marcy. Marcy Wu," Marcy jumps in, smiling before a look of hesitation spreads across her face.
Surely she wouldn't mind hanging out with her, right? She's made a few friends as of recently and while it was hard it wasn't as hard as this. Why was she intimidated by such a sweet person? Why did this feel different?
Marcy eventually sucks it up, about to ask before-
"Hey, do you wanna hang out? I have a 30 minute break in a moment."
Marcy's jaw drops slightly. Was she genuinely interested in getting to know her more?
"O-of course!" She replies, excited. Anne giggles a bit, before nodding and turning to make herself an iced mocha for the break. "Great!" She smiles, before adding, "The name's Anne Boonchuy by the way."
"On the varsity tennis team, right?" Marcy asks. She's sure Anne's on the team but she wants to be certain.
"Yeah. How did you know?" Anne confirms, still making her drink.
"We go to the same school," Marcy points out, as she added, "I also see you around with the cheerleader, too."
"Sasha? Oh yeah, she's cool," she nods slightly before hanging up her apron, smiling softly, before calling, "Brandon, I'm going on my break! Cover me for a bit," as a gruff voice calls back, "Alright, Anne!"
Anne nods, going and taking a seat at a table beside the window, Marcy sitting across from her, setting down her bag beside her. "So, what's that you got there?" Anne asks, eyeing the bag.
"What, this? This is just my laptop and such, I'm working on a creative writing assignment in hopes of possibly getting a scholarship, gotta start up early, y'know,"
"Ooooh, what've you got so far?" She grins, resting her chin on the back of her hand, her fingers intertwined.
Marcy giggles awkwardly as she scratches the back of her neck. "That's the point. I haven't gotten any ideas yet, so that's why I came here; the inspiration. That, and the caffeine of course," she explained with a wave of her hand
"Oh, well if it's ideas you need I've got quite a few!" Anne grins, as Marcy's eyes sparkle a bit. "Tell me everything."
Anne begins to go on to explain different ideas, Marcy paying close attention. There'd be an idea dealing with dinosaurs or dragons, or a fairytale-esque story with a slightly modern twist, or the standard cheesy Hallmark romance movie plot. While half of these ideas were tossed because of the rubric, she still found it interesting nonetheless. Perhaps she'd make a story based off of them later, just for fun.
Time flies by, what feels like minutes turn into hours. Of course, Anne still goes back to work after her break but she still talked to Marcy in between customers, the two laughing away. Soon enough it was time for Anne to clock out, around 5 in the evening.
"So, do you have any plans for this evening?" Marcy asks curiously as Anne comes out from around the counter, the aforementioned girl pulling her sweater over her work shirt.
"Yup! Going to hang out with Sasha for a bit, she wanted me to critique her cheer routine before my next game. What about you? Got any other plans?"
Marcy sat and pondered for a moment. "Other than come up with more ideas for that assignment, nope," she murmured.
"Well, if you ever need any more ideas, or just wanna hang out," Anne started off before taking out a slip of paper, writing something down, handing said slip to Marcy. "Give me a call," she smiled at her.
Marcy tucked her face in her scarf a little bit in an attempt to hide her blushing face. She'd given her her number, and she didn't even have to ask.
"T-thanks," she nodded before clearing her throat. "I'll keep that in mind," she smiles sheepishly.
Anne grins, before feeling a small buzz in her pocket as she raised a brow, pulling out her phone. Answering it, she murmurs, "Hey, Sash- Yeah I'm on my way now, no need to be so pushy-" she murmured quietly, before hanging up. "That was Sash- I have to go. See you later?"
Marcy nods a bit, smiling. "Of course!"
"Alright, I'll see you around, Marcy," Anne smiled softly as she strides out of the shop with a hum, leaving Marcy with a grin on her face. She waits until she's certain that Anne is out of earshot before heading out of the shop and squeals, jumping up and down with excitement. She's gotten people's numbers before, how else would she stay in contact with her friends?
But this time was different. She felt a little more observant, and far more giddy around this person. Hardly stopped smiling when she was talking to her, even if it was a subtle, simple smile.
She didn't know exactly what this feeling was, but she liked it. A lot.
"I think I'll be coming here more often now," she hums softly as she strode down the street, heading for home.