Chapter Text
The day had not started well.
You had moved to a new city just yesterday, and the chaos of unpacking left you drained and irritable. The new apartment, while quite charming on the listing, turned out to be smaller and colder than expected. There were still boxes stacked in every corner, and you had spent the night tossing and turning on an uncomfortably stiff mattress.
You had promised yourself that today would be different– a fresh start. A chance to explore the city that would soon become your home. With a week left until your new job as a professor at a prestigious university began, you planned to spend the day wandering, getting your bearings, and finding small comforts in unfamiliar places.
But even that had gone awry.
Your alarm had failed to wake you up when you had intended, and by the time you managed to leave, it was already mid-morning. The walk to the train station was chillier than anticipated, and now, as you stood in the long line of an unfamiliar coffee shop, you felt your enthusiasm for the day fleeting.
The menu wasn’t anything special, but the bustling energy of the shop and the way the baristas moved with practiced efficiency made it clear this place was treasured by locals. It could be a good sign, you told yourself. Maybe this could become your coffee shop, a small anchor in this unmoored city life.
When it was finally your turn, you stepped forward and rattled off your usual order: “Earl Grey tea, with a splash of milk, please.”
The barista told you the total with a distracted smile.
You fumbled with your bag, fishing out coins as a voice behind you sliced through the hum of the café.
“Earl Grey with milk? Really?”
You froze, the coins in your hand slipping back into the depths of your bag. Slowly, you turned toward the source of the interruption. The man behind you stood out immediately, dressed in a tweed blazer that practically screamed academia. His sharp green eyes were narrowed in what could only be described as thinly veiled disdain, and his expression suggested he’d smelled something unpleasant.
It looked as if the scowl on his face had been there permanently.
“Excuse me?” you said, straightening.
“Milk in Earl Grey,” he repeated, his voice clipped. “You might as well pour syrup into champagne. Some things simply aren’t meant to be defiled.”
You blinked, a mix of irritation and disbelief bubbling to the surface. “I wasn’t aware my tea order required your approval.”
The audacity…!
“It’s not about approval,” he replied, shrugging lightly as though his words were harmless. “It’s about taste. Or, in your case, a lack thereof.”
The barista handed you your tea, but you barely noticed, too busy glaring at this pretentious stranger. “Maybe next time, you should mind your own business.”
“Perhaps if your choices weren’t so loud, I wouldn’t have to,” he retorted, already stepping forward to place his own order. “Black tea, no milk, no sugar.”
Of course.
You turned sharply and walked away, muttering under your breath. Outside, the brisk morning air hit your face as you clutched your cup like a lifeline.
It bewildered you that some people still had no concept of personal boundaries– or basic manners, for that matter.
Unbelievable! Just who did this man think he was? Some sort of tea connoisseur? Pfft…
If this was the kind of character the city attracted, you weren’t sure you were ready for the week ahead.
The scent of tea wafted up from your cup, warm and familiar. You took a steadying sip and shook your head. “He’s probably just some insufferable snob I’ll never have to see again,” you reassured yourself.
But the city had a funny way of proving you wrong.
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END