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Lydia loved her job, as difficult as it could get sometimes. Sure, rude customers were always a pain in her ass, and bratty teenagers were the bane of her existence, but she loved it nonetheless. She loved learning how to make drinks, making up her own concoctions, dealing with finances and staff, and, as crazy as it sounds, she loved cleaning after a long day, looking around in satisfaction at her small café before she turned off the lights.
But the thing she loved the most, the best part about her job, was people watching. She would spend much of her free time in-between rush hours doing it, and she liked to play a game; a game in which she would make up stories and backgrounds for her customers.
It was fun, it kept her entertained, and recently, she had turned it into a group activity, betting with her co-worker (and close friend, and roommate) about the backstory of regulars, and tipping eachother when they turned out to be right about something. Sure, perhaps it wasn't the most ethical game, but Lydia loved it either way.
The fact she almost always won was also nice.
"Seriously? It's the fifth one you've got right, that's not fair." Suzie, a red-head with wild curls and a sparkling smile sighed next to her as she crossed off a sentence from their list. Atop of the page was their names and a line that divided it in two: each column had the customers name's alongside their guesses. So far, Lydia had five crossed off, while Suzie only had three.
"What can I say? I have an eye for these things." Lydia said, taking a bite out of her bagel. Outside, the air was chill, and she was thankful for the café's ovens for keeping her lunch toasty.
"Yes, but that's just from this month. You already won the last two, leave some to me." Suzie sat down next to her, half-throwing the notebook on the step they were sitting on. She lit up a cigarette and leaned back against the safety back door, closing her eyes. A couple of silent minutes went by before she opened them again. "Do you think she'll text me back?"
Lydia almost choked on her nice, toasty bagel. She turned to face Suzie, who had a genuinely worried look on her face.
"Suzie."
"I know, I'm being dramatic." Suzie stood up and took out her cigarette with the sole of her shoe. She started pacing as Lydia watched her amusingly, taking another bite of her lunch. "But I'm tired of one night stands! I want some real love, ya know? And this girl really seems like she could be the one." The redhead finally stopped pacing and turned to her, nervously biting her nails. "Am I overthinking this?"
"Oh, big time. Like, a thousand percent."
"Ughhhh." Suzie fell back down on the step, groaning as she did so.
"Girl, relax! It's going to be okay, she will absolutely text you back, I saw the way she was looking at you the other day. She's probably just busy." Lydia said, remembering the girl in question; Suzie had met her through a dating app, and miraculously, they were actually hitting it off. She had taken her to the house only once, to pick up the sweater she had left the night before.
Lydia didn't know the girl very well, aside from her big shiny eyes and dark hair, but she seemed nice enough. And the look she had given her roommate?
Suzie Toot had absolutely nothing to worry about.
"What about you though?"
"Me? What about me?" Lydia said, fidgeting with the now empty aluminium foil from her bagel.
"How long has it been since your last romantic endeavour? A year? Two?"
"It's been a while, but..."
"You're going to turn back into a virgin at this point."
"Suzie!" She hit her friend in the arm, making her sway with laughter.
"I'm just telling the truth! It's about time you stop brooding and find yourself a nice girlfriend."
"I'm not brooding, I'm just not interested in dating right now."
"Ugh." Suzie stood up, dusting off invisible lint from her apron. "That's worse; you're not even sad about anyone, you're just boring."
"Oh fuck off."
Suzie gave her a smile and reached out her hand. Lydia rolled her eyes but let herself be helped.
"You know, I could introduce you to..."
"I'm going back inside."
"Wait, no, I haven't even told you to who yet!"
She didn't stay to hear the rest.
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
Lydia's week wasn't going well. That was okay. Or so she tried to tell herself.
It was Friday, and by this point, she had already lost two staff members, a light bulb, the heating in her apartment, and a customer had tried to hurl her coffee at her because it was "too cold." On top of it all, she had woken up with a terrible headache that kept coming and going and made her temples feel like they would burst with pressure. By now, she would've taken a well deserved weekend break, but she was short on staff, which meant working double.
Just great.
Rush hour arrived without mercy. Lydia was running up and down behind the bar, making drinks left and right and calling out customer's names. The line behind the counter seemed even larger than usual, and the t-shirts worn by both kids and parents let her know this was their after-tournament stop.
Really, just great.
A few minutes went by before the cashier's break came around. No one else knew how to work the registry except for her and Suzie, so Lydia promptly stepped up while her friend continued making frappes.
More customers went by, all parents and kids coming from the tournament. All but one.
A girl stepped up to the counter, smiling at Lydia. She wasn't wearing any paraphernalia, and she looked way too young to be a parent to one of the kids.
"Hi!"
Lydia would normally smile right back; she relished on giving a positive attitude to her customers, specially when she was behind the register, but today was really not a good moment for her. She forced a smile and tried not to look as miserable as she felt.
"Hi, what would you like to order?"
The gril pretended to look at the menu. Lydia knew that look well, the look of someone who already knows what they want but will go to the trouble of pretending to browse anyway. She tried hard not to roll her eyes; the line behind the girl kept getting longer, and the woman behind her didn't look particularly friendly. She wished the girl would just order already.
"Do you have all the syrups?"
Lydia was caught very off guard by that. In her three years of owning a coffee shop, she had never been asked that question by a customer.
The girl cleared her throat. "For the refreshers, do you have all the syrups?"
Lydia didn't even have to look to know the answer, as offput as she had been by the question. "Yes, we always keep stock of all our ingredients."
"Awesome! Can I get a mango refresher please? Large, with extra ice."
"Sure, anything else?"
"That's all. I'll pay with card, please."
"What's your name?"
"Corey."
Lydia was already dialing the number in the terminal, thankful for the moving along of the line, when she was interrupted.
"Actually, can you add something else?"
She tried not to cringe as she saw the exasperated expression on the woman next in line. "Sure, what else?"
"A small cup of milk please. Just plain milk will do."
That certainly was an unusual request, specially paired with a refresher, but Lydia was too busy and too tired to think about it too hard. She dialed it up and sent the girl to the end of the bar to pick up her odd combo of drinks.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, and by the time they closed the shop, she was ready to lay in bed and not wake up for a week.
She and Suzie decided to get take-out for the night, and now they walked home as she held the bags while her roommate smoked.
"Did anything interesting happen to you today? I feel like we barely saw eachother." Suzie asked, looking as tired as Lydia felt.
"Nah, not really. Just the occasional rude parent." They walked a bit further, and an image suddenly appeared back in her head. "Actually, now that I think about it, today I rang up a combo I had never done before; a refresher and a cup of milk."
"Plain milk? Maybe she was giving it to a child, I've had moms ask for milk for their toddlers before."
Lydia definitely didn't think the girl looked like a mom, and there was no toddler in sight, but she shrugged it off either way. Whatever the answer, it was probably very inconsequential.
"Well, today I saw a man pour eight packets of sugar into his coffee. Like, painstakingly slow too."
Lydia broke out in laughter for the first time all day. "People are weird."
"Yeah." Suzie said, giving her a smile. "They are."
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
Lydia didn't expect to see the refresher girl ever again. She didn't even think about her during the weekend.
And yet, here she was.
It was monday afternoon, and the café was a lot slower than the previous week. A couple of people worked quietly on their tables, and Lydia was cleaning up around the registry when the girl walked up to the counter.
This time, Lydia allowed herself to look at her better. She was taller than her, and it looked like she liked to work out. In fact, she was wearing sports attire, and she had a dewey look on her face, like she had come straight from the gym.
She gave Lydia a dazzling smile.
"Hi again!" The girl said, brimming with energy.
"Hi! What can I get you today?" Lydia, feeling considerably better than Friday, smiled back.
"Do you still have all the syrups? Sorry to ask again, but the old place I used to go to never had the ones I wanted."
The return of the unusual question made Lydia grin. "Yes, we have them all. We're careful to not run out of stock."
"Awesome. In that case, I'll have a mango refresher, large, with extra ice please. And also a small cup of plain milk."
Lydia dialed in the order into the register: The same order again, the same request for a cup of milk. Curiosity striked Lydia. It wasn't everyday that people went into a café only to order a cup of milk.
"Under what name?"
"Kori. It's uh... it's spelled with a k and a i."
"Sorry?" Lydia asked, looking at the C already written in the cup.
"Yeah, so, last time you spelled it c-o-r-e-y, and it's k-o-r-i. Common mistake, don't worry."
Lydia smiled awkwardly, scribbling out the C and writing 'Kori' below it.
"It'll be out at the end of the bar."
Core... no, Kori smiled at her again and walked over to the instructed side to wait. Behind the bar, Suzie gave a side glance to Lydia when she realised what drinks she had to make. She raised a questioning eyebrow, and all she could do was nod.
A couple minutes later Kori walked out, refresher and milk in hand, and as soon as she was out the door, Suzie rushed to her side.
"Was that the girl from Friday?"
"Yes! I didn't think she'd come around again. Certainly didn't think she would order the exact same thing."
"Dude. You know we have to." Suzie pulled out their infamous notebook from under the counter, slamming it onto the counter. "What's up with that cup of milk?"
"Seriously?"
"What? I really think I can win this one, let's see..." Suzie flipped over to their most recent tally page, adding a new name under the list: Kori. "Maybe... hear me out on this, she's going to pick up a kid from daycare and that cup is for them."
"Respectfully, that's a shit guess."
Suzie was already writing it down. "Shush. Oh! Maybe she likes to mix it with her refresher but is too embarrassed to ask us to do it ourselves."
"She doesn't strike me as the type to be embarrassed to ask for that." Lydia answered, taking advantage of the fact the shop was almost empty to sit on the counter.
"Well what do you think? You have to write something down."
She thought about it for a second. It certainly was a weird combination of things, though it wasn't necessarily too out of the box... The answer was probably boring anyway.
"Hmm... I think she's going back to the gym and she wants to do a protein shake, but doesn't like carrying milk from her house so she just buys it here."
Suzie wrote it down on her side of the page. "Aren't protein shakes made with water?"
"Does it look like I know the steps to making a protein shake?"
Both girls laughed. Definitely not.
"Either way, we'll see who's right. We're not allowed to directly ask her though."
"Why not?"
"Ruins the fun!" Suzie closed the notebook, placing it back to its place. "Besides, I have a feeling she's going to become a regular around here."
Lydia wasn't convinced yet.
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
Suzie was right. She did become a regular.
Kori started going multiple times a week, and every single time she ordered the exact same thing: A large mango refresher with extra ice, and a small cup of milk. And every single time she took both drinks to go.
It was starting to drive Lydia insane.
That, and their interactions. Kori talked to Lydia in a way that was bold and forward, and there was something about it that she couldn't quite get enough of. One time, perhaps on her fourth or fifth visit, Lydia was in charge of drinks and not register. As she approached the bar to hand out her cups, she noticed Kori leaning against the counter, a soft grin on her face.
"So... first time being the one to make my drinks. Extra special for me? Since I'm a regular now, and all."
Lydia tried not to stare at the way her cleavage rested atop the countertop, or at the way she was smiling at her now. She tried really, really hard.
"You're not a regular until you come here for at least another week, so... no." She put the drinks down in front of her, trying, and failing, to avoid eye contact.
Goddamit, why did refresher & milk girl had to be her exact type?!
"Ouch, Lydia, harsh."
A shiver went down her spine at the mention of her name. She widened her eyes in surprise, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. "How..."
"Name tag, baby." Lydia looked down at her apron and her anxiety was harshly replaced with embarrassment. She suddenly felt very stupid. "See you around then, since I'm trying to become a regular!"
As Kori stepped out of the store, all she could do was sigh.
The rest of their interactions almost always went the same way, and her days were now sprinkled with Kori all over them; with Kori saying things like 'Hey, love' or 'Good morning, darling' or 'Thank you, dear.' Lydia would patiently wait every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for Kori to show up on her shop, wearing tight gym clothing and showing her a smile that made her weak in the knees. She would wait for Kori to lean over the counter and to maintain eye contact with her, the tension growing between them as Lydia tried not to go crazy over the scent or her perfume, or the way her lips were always glossy, or the way her eyes always shot a quick look at her own when she talked.
Most of all, however, Lydia had many questions for the girl, like, why do you only use activewear no matter what time you come here? why do you only wink and smile to me? how do you keep your teeth so perfect? and why do you always order a cup of milk?
Perhaps the most dangerous question though, the one she really didn't like thinking about was: Why am I starting to like you?
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
"You like her." Suzie told her one day, as they cleaned before opening. She was mopping behind the counter while Lydia organised the chairs, and she damn near dropped one when she heard her roommate's comment.
"What? Who?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Kollins. Refresher and milk girl; you like her. And she likes you too."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lydia said, pretending to clean dirt off a chair.
Suzie set aside her mop and crossed her arms, looking straight at her. "Yes you do. I see the little looks and the giggles you give eachother. You blush every time you talk to her."
"I don't blush."
"Lydia, you're the colour of the milk she orders. You literally turn pink, and the copious amounts of blush you wear don't hide it."
To that, she definitely did blush.
"Why are you so adamant in saying you don't? This might be your chance girl, you have to ask her out!"
Lydia rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the chairs. "I don't know that I'm ready for dating again."
Suzie walked across the empty café to her, sitting down on the chair she was about to clean, making her stop in her tracks. "Come on, if not now, when? If I had acted like you, I wouldn't be in a happy, loving relationship now."
"You're disgustingly cheesy is what you are."
"Whatever, my point is, you could be too!" Suzie looked up at her with genuine excitement in her eyes. Lydia grimaced inside.
It's not that she didn't like being in love, or that she had ever been severely traumatized by a relationship, but it was hard for her to open up; to really, genuinely let a person see her for who she was. When she loved, she loved fiercely, and she had to be sure before just giving it away. She did like Kori, a lot, but she needed some other form of confirmation before she decided to give it a chance.
"Also, since we're on the topic." Suzie started, bringing Lydia back from her thoughts. "We still don't know what's up with the cup of milk. That part of the tally is empty and I'd like to cross it off before the end of the month; it might give me the winning points over you."
Lydia rolled her eyes again. "You're not beating me at this game."
"I might!" She walked back to pick up her cleaning supplies, ready to take them back inside before opening. "Point is, try and get your girlfriend to spill the beans about that, okay? I really do want to know."
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
Lydia had made a terrible, awful mistake.
She always made sure to keep stock of everything. Every ingredient, every flavour. Always.
And yet, here she was, staring at the empty container of mango syrup, without a replacement in store.
"Do we really not have another one?" She asked one of her co-workers (employee, really, though she didn't like to think of them that way). The girl shook her head, staring at the same empty container as she was.
"Checked every box, and nothing. I already sent a request for a restock, but it will take at least two days to get here."
Lydia could only sigh. "Thanks, Lana."
"Sure! And hey, don't worry too much, no one really asks for drinks with it anyway!"
No one but the one that matters. She thought.
She was hoping really hard that maybe Kori wouldn't show up that day, although she almost always did on Wednesdays. And sure enough, despite her prayers, she walked through the doors at around 4pm, looking incredible in her gym shorts and tank top.
She smiled at Lydia as she approached, no need to ask for her order.
Not usually, at least.
She tried to swallow the knot in her throat before speaking. "So... you're going to kill me."
Kori's smile immediately faded, being replaced by a dramatic rendition of an offended face. "Don't tell me you ran out of my syrup."
Lydia raised up her hands as if to put handcuffs on them. "I declare myself guilty."
"Girl, I trusted you! The betrayal, the anguish!" Kori said as she clutched her chest in pretend pain.
Lydia laughed out loud at that, joined immediately after by the taller girl.
"Seriously though, I'm sorry. We should get a restock in a couple of days. I could offer you something else in the mean time, though. Literally anything else."
Kori did that thing where she pretended to look at the menu before looking back down at her, a smirk on her face.
"I want you to surprise me. Make me something you think I'll like and don't tell me what's in it."
Lydia was, once again, caught off-guard by Kori. She had already lost count of how many times that had happened.
"Okay... any allergies I should know about?"
"No, my dear, you have free range." Her heart skipped a beat at the nickname, though she tried not to let it show. "I'll wait at one of the tables."
Lydia immediately got to work. Based on her limited knowledge of Kori and her taste for drinks, she came up with a concoction that she felt very confident in: A mix of lemonade, watermelon syrup, strawberry syrup, and orange slices inside. She made sure to add an ungodly amount of ice before pouring it into the cup, and proudly walked over to the table where Kori waited for her.
Since she was feeling brave, and the café was practically empty, she sat down in the chair in front of her, setting the cup between them.
"Your drink is served, madam."
Kori took the drink in her hands, inspecting it as if trying to decipher the taste based on looks alone.
Lydia's heart was on a knot as she watched her take a sip, keep it in her mouth for a moment, and swallow it down. Kori set the cup back down and looked straight at her, quiet.
"Do you hate it?" Lydia asked, her voice faltering just the slightest bit at the end.
"To be fair with you, I'm an incredibly picky eater, so this comes through no fault of yours." Lydia's heart sank down.
Oh my god, she absolutely hates it.
"But! I will drink the entire thing just for you. I'm not about to thow a special drink away."
"No, no, you don't have to drink it." She tried to reach out for the cup, but before she could take it, Kori snatched it away. She stood up, walking to the door before Lydia could stop her.
"Too late darling! Thanks for the drink!"
The door closed behind her and Lydia almost shed a tear.
Almost.
"Oh my god she didn't ask for milk." Suzie spoke from behind her, making her jump on her seat.
"Jesus, Suzie, don't just show up like that."
The redhead laughed out loud before sitting where Kori previously did. "Seriously though, time's running out and we still haven't solved the mystery yet."
"Maybe we never will." Lydia walked back to her station, a weird feeling settling in her stomach.
She was still curious about the milk, of course, but by now her greatest concern was her increasingly growing fondness for her customer. She went to the back to organise supplies and to try to avoid thinking about Kori's smile, and voice, and body. She didn't want to think about the way she leaned closer in the counter when Lydia was behind it, or about how she always used nicknames like "dear" or "love" or "darling" when talking to her.
It was proving to be more difficult than she'd expected.
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
The day she figured out the mystery behind the cup of milk came unexpectedly.
Lydia hadn't seen Kori all day; it was her first monday without showing up since her first visit. She didn't want to get worried, of course, what right did she have? She was just a barista, and Kori her customer, and maybe she just didn't want a drink today. To be worried about her abscence was stupid.
And yet, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing when Kori still wasn't showing up, just two hours away from closing.
She was busy worrying about that, when she felt Suzie's arm touch hers.
"Alright then, I'm off." She looked really done up, her apron discarded in the back and replaced for a nice dress paired with a jean jacket. Her lips were red, and her hair was loose in soft waves. "Promise you won't die being alone tonight, I couldn't bear to know that something happened to you while I was in a date."
"I think I'll manage." She smiled, her problems dissipating for a moment, replaced with happiness for her friend. She had a real twinkle in her eye, that Suzie.
"Great, because I really didn't want to cancel on my girlfriend." She kissed her cheek goodbye and started walking outside. "See you tomorrow Kollins! Thanks for letting me leave early!"
She raised a thumbs up to her roommate and watched her walk outside the café. It was only going to be her for the next two hours, but she wasn't too worried; mondays were always slow.
Two hours later, as she finished turning off the lights, Lydia had to admit she felt very disappointed. Kori hadn't showed up, and as much as she hated to admit it, seeing her had become the highlight of her days.
On top of that, she was to return to an empty apartment. She stepped outside the door, taking out her keys to lock it just as she devised her plans for the night: dwell on her misery, eat some take-out, and probably get tipsy with wine.
Just as she turned to leave, however, she was startled by the sound of her name being called out. She turned around and her heart jumped backwards.
From the other end of the street, Kori was running towards her. She looked, to be honest, a mess. Her hair was wet and dripping down on her shoulders, and her clothes looked messy from running. On her right side, she carried a huge neon pink gym bag that she had never seen her carrying before.
Kori came to a stop before Lydia, breathing hard.
"Hey." She turned to the café then, noticing the light off and the locked door. Her smile fell off her face. "Shit, I didn't make it in time, huh?"
Lydia was in awe, trying to keep her mouth from being agape. She had been mopey all day about her abscence, and now here she was, fresh off the shower and gasping for air. She had, literally, ran to her.
"I mean... I could make an exception for you."
Kori's eyes literally lit up.
"Really?"
Lydia really didn't feel like opening up and having to clean again, but she just couldn't resist the expression on the girl in front of her.
Besides, any excuse to spend time with Kori was a good one.
"Come on."
They walked back inside, and she lit up only the lights behind the bar. It provided the café with a cozy, more intimate vibe that made her heart rush. "The usual, I suppose?"
Kori smiled, and Lydia got to it.
It was quiet now, only the two of them and the subtle sound of ice and water as she prepared her drink. Kori watched from the counter, a soft smile on her face she hadn't seen before. Lydia's hands were trembling slightly as she stirred the mango drink, before closing it and setting it down in front of her.
"Can I also get..."
"The milk?" Kori looked at her expectantly, and Lydia was suddenly reminded of Suzie pressuring her to find out the reason behind the unusual drink. If not know, when? She might not get a better chance. "Not unless you tell me what it's for."
Kori's eyes widened. She clearly wasn't expecting that question. "Seriously?"
"I mean, do you drink it? Do you pour it in your cup afterwards? Is it for someone else?" Lydia asked the last question expecting the worse, but, to her surprise, Kori started to laugh.
A full-belly, genuine laugh.
"Alright then, I'll tell you. But you have to come with me."
Lydia swallowed hard. She hesitated only for a second, and next thing she knew, she was walking alongside Kori, holding the cup of milk while she sipped on her refresher.
She trusted her, of course, but she couldn't help feeling weary as they walked into an alleyway.
Of course, she thought, this is how I die; following a hot, tall girl into a dark alleyway in the middle of the night while I hold her cup of milk. A perfectly fitting scenario for the true-crime podcasts they will make about me.
Finally, they came to a stop. "How long have you been wondering about this for?" Kori asked her, a smirk on her face as she reached out to grab the cup of milk.
Lydia had nothing else to lose at this point. "Since day one."
Kori kneeled down on the floor, and began making a weird noise with her mouth that slightly resembled a "psht" but also kind of like a "peow".
Just as Lydia was starting to think it might not be too late to run, a figure emerged from the shadows. Strutting towards the cup of milk was a grey tabby kitten. The little cat immediately began purring as it drank excitedly from the cup, while Kori pet her head.
As the reality of the situation settled in, Lydia began to laugh. How had they not thought of that before? It made perfect sense, and instead they had spent the last month and a half making up weird scenarios about Kori.
"Her name is Blue." Kori said, as Lydia sat down next to her to interact with the cat. "I found her one day after the gym, and decided I couldn't just walk by and do nothing."
"Blue? Why that name?" There was not a single shade of blue in this cat. Her fur was grey, and her eyes were green. It didn't make a lot of sense.
Kori looked up at her and smiled. "I named her that after you, actually. I couldn't stop thinking about your eyes and the name just came to me. Unoriginal, I know."
Lydia felt herself blushing the way Suzie said she did, and suddenly felt very grateful for the darkness of the alley.
Before she could dwell on it longer though, or say something flirty back (because she was definitely flirting, right?), another truth suddenly fell down on her.
"Wait, so you've been feeding her milk this whole time?"
"Yes, why?"
"Kori. I hate to break it to you, but you're destroying this poor cat's digestive system."
Her smile immediately disappeared. "What? But everyone always shows cats drinking milk, that's like, their thing!"
Lydia laughed at Kori's defeated expression as Blue climbed onto her lap. "Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but media lied. Cats are like, severly lactose intolerant. Trust me, I grew up with them."
"Oh, shit." Kori reached a hand out to Blue, who licked her in return. She really did look devastated. "Am I killing her?"
"No, I don't think it's that serious. But she could definitely use a trip to the vet."
"I wanted to bring her home with me, but I was worried her mom might look for her."
Lydia looked down at the sleepy kitten in her lap, and her heart broke a little. "If she's been in this alleyway for a month, I doubt her mom is still alive."
"Oh..." A silence fell between them as Blue fell asleep in her legs. Lydia turned her gaze back to Kori, who looked very sad about the whole situation.
"I could... go with you, if you want to take her to a vet."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother you, I'm sure you had a long day at work."
"It's my day off tomorrow, it's really no problem. Unless, you don't want..."
"No!" Kori yelled, startling both of them. "I mean, no. I want you to, thank you."
Lydia smiled back at her, happy to have something to do with her night.
That, and she hadn't forgotten the very important detail that this cat was named after the colour of her eyes. Totally no big deal. She was handling it very professionally, keeping very calm and collected.
She was totally not freaking out inside.
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
The uber ride was fast, and then minutes later Lydia watched as Kori finished out filling the entry forms.
Kori King, she had found out her name was, after seeing her sign it down. Seemed fitting enough; strong, aesthetically pleasing, just a touch of camp. Exactly the things the girl that carried it was.
After signing the papers, they both sat down in the green, plastic chairs that lined up the reception, waiting for Blue's name to be called.
The place was unusually crowded for a monday night, although, then again, Lydia had no idea what the usual crowd for a veterinarian's office was. She looked around at the other people waiting with their pets, and she knew they would be waiting a while.
"So, Kori King." She sat up straighter, looking over at the girl on her left. "You know where I work and spend most of my time, but what about you? What do you do?"
Kori shot another one of her smiles at her. "Well, Lydia...?"
"Kollins."
"Well, Lydia Kollins, I recently got a part-time trainer job at a gym near your shop, which is why I started going. I usually go during my breaks but today's session ran long and I couldn't get out in time."
A nurse peeked out from a door and called for 'Titan', to which an old lady with a tiny chihuahua followed, bringing a smile to Lydia's face.
"And what about your other days?"
"I help a friend of mine, Jane, to manage her own gym. She's a shit boss though, as much as I love her, which is why I accepted the other offer."
"Oh girl, I get you. The café was originally run by three people: Me, Suzie, and another friend of ours, Lexi. It quickly became evident this arrangement wasn't going to work though; Suzie and Lexi bickered everyday because they couldn't agree on a single management decision. Eventually we decided that, if we were to remain friends, we couldn't all work together. Thankfully Lexi got another job at a design house, and Suzie and I kept the café."
"Wow, Kollins, your lore runs deep. Tell me more."
She smiled at her, and before she knew it, the conversation began to flow. They talked for, literally, an entire hour before they finally got called into the doctor's office.
By the time they stepped out of the vet, it was close to midnight. Lydia fought off a yawn, but her eyes were starting to feel a little droopy. Beside her, Kori carried Blue in a cardboard box, courtesy of the doctor.
"Well, congratulations miss King, the cat distribution system worked on you."
"It appears so." Behind them, the lights to one of the stores turned off. "It's getting late now, do you want me to call you an uber?"
"Thanks, but my apartment is like a ten minute walk from here."
"I'll go with you while I order mine, then."
They walked together in silence, both too tired to hold conversation again. And yet, it didn't feel awkward, or uncomfortable, or weird. It was oddly comforting, Lydia thought, to be walking alongside Kori without the need to say a word.
Finally, just as they reached the outside of her building, a car pulled up by the sidewalk.
"Well, this is me." Kori said, pulling Blue's box closer to her. "Thank you for keeping me company tonight."
"Anytime." Lydia said, trying not to sound too eager.
"I'll see you around then." Kori seemed to hesitate for a moment, before smiling and simply getting in the car.
Lydia could only watch as they drove off.
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
"I'm literally so fucking stupid."
"Woah there, let's not ruin our self confidence." Suzie sat down on the step next to the backdoor while Lydia paced around, biting her nails. "I'm supposed to be the overthinker in this friendship, but it seems you're trying to take my job."
Lydia finally stopped walking. Suzie gave a pat to the step next to her, and she sat down with a sigh, her head immediately going in her hands.
"Dude, seriously, relax."
"It's been a week, Suzie. A whole week, and she hasn't come around."
"So...?"
Lydia raised her head again, her hair messy from where she had just been gripping it. "I let her go! She flirted with me all night, walked me to our apartment and I just... watched her get in an uber and leave. I didn't even get her number or anything. And now she probably hates me for being so stupid and never wants to see me again."
Suzie gave her a knowing smile, and scooted over closer, rubbing her arm. "Listen, I know there's a thousand different scenarios going through your head right now, but I really don't think that girl hates you. It's my turn to tell you that maybe she's just been busy and hasn't had time to come around."
Lydia sighed again. Anxiety was eating her alive, yes, but freaking out about it was useless: it didn't change the fact that she hadn't seen Kori again since that night.
After a few minutes she got up, dusting off her apron and combing her fingers through her hair.
"I'm going back inside then. See if I can distract myself by cleaning."
"That's my girl." Suzie said, moving aside to let her through the door. "I'll catch up in second!"
Lydia went back inside to find a calm atmosphere in the café. There were a couple tables quietly drinking from their cups, as their only other employee for the day finished washing a blender.
"Take your break Lana, I got it covered."
"Thanks Lydia." Lana smiled at her before disappearing in the back, which made her grateful to have a moment alone.
No more than ten minutes had gone by when she saw the door open and her heart felt like it stopped beating.
From the door emerged Kori King. It was the first time Lydia saw her without activewear; instead, she wore a simple striped button up and some black jeans as her curls flew freely behind her.
She walked straight to the counter where Lydia stood, an apologetic expression on her face.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't come all week, I got terrible food poisoning." Lydia was barely paying attention to her words though; she was too captivated by how beautiful she looked in casual attire. Her shirt hugged her figure just right, and her makeup accentuated her features, while her hair framed her face in such a beautiful way that... "Moral of the story is, never buy anything from that restaurant."
Lydia had to blink to bring herself back to reality.
"Oh, uh... yeah. I won't." She smiled at Kori, hoping there would be no follow up questions about the story she hadn't really heard. "Do you want your usual, then? Large mango refresher, extra ice?"
"You know me so well." Kori crossed her arms atop the counter, leaning slightly into it.
"I'm assuming no milk this time?" Lydia asked, a sly smile on her face.
To that, Kori let out a laugh. "No more milk."
Lydia prepared the drink, and just as she poured the last bits of ice, she decided she wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Here she was, Kori King, on the other side of the counter awaiting her drink.
She wasn't going to let her go again.
She turned around to set the drink in front of her, and before she could think about it twice...
"Can I get your number?"
"Do you want to go on a date with me?"
A moment of silence. Two very shocked expressions.
Finally, Kori began to laugh. "Shit, wait, we talked at the same time. You first."
Lydia laughed as well. "I asked if I can get your number."
"Well, only if you agree to go on a date with me."
Lydia could feel her blush creeping up her neck. "I do."
As kori reached out to grab her drink, she let her hand brush deliberately against her fingers, which sent a shiver down her spine.
"I'll see you tomorrow at six then."
"I can't wait."
Kori winked at her before waking out. Just as she closed the door, Lydia heard a very enthusiastic Suzie Toot yell out:
"Finally!"
- - ✿ - - o - - ✿ - -
Four months later.
There was 80's pop on the speakers as Lydia finished stirring up the drink. Next to her, Kori stirred onions on a pan. Her kitchen wasn't as big as the bar of the café, but Lydia didn't mind the crammed space. Not if she was with her, at least.
She shimmied up to kori, resting her chin against her shoulder as she placed the cup in her hand.
"Your refreshments are made, my chef."
Kori looked back at her and smiled before planting a kiss on her nose.
"Whatever would I do without you?"
"Die of thirst, probably."
As one of her favourite songs started to play, Lydia danced around the small kitchen, getting a laugh out of Kori.
"What are you doing, my love?"
"I'm getting energy out before our guests get here. Suzie and Jane combined are more than enough." Lydia danced her way out into the living room, where she was met with a warm pressure against her leg. She looked down to see a familiar pair of green eyes looking up at her. "Well hi there, Blue. Come here."
She picked her up in her arms, and swayed back inside the kitchen with the purring creature. Kori reached out to pet the cat's head as she smiled to Lydia again; a soft, genuine smile.
"I love you." She said, softly, only for her to hear, despite them being alone.
"I love you too."