Chapter Text
"Down off the main roads there is a small café called ‘The Scratch’. With a goal of helping its customers unwind and let go of their problems, it is a place where you can cozy up with delicious coffee during the day and melt away your stress with relaxing alcohol in the evening. The owner is a gracious host who is more than willing to listen to all your problems, making the café famous as the place to go if ever you seek direction and advice. His name? Why, I am called Doc Scratch! My shop is known for the great services it provides to every customer."
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It is really a shame there are not more customers today. Just the regular, a blond kid in shades, sitting in the corner on his laptop, like he always was.
I pick up one of the coffee mugs and quietly wipe it, watching as people outside the window pass by the shop. One such passerby catches my attention. Why he is wearing such warm clothing on a day that was this hot, it is quite a mystery to me. Perhaps that scarf is just for fashion, but it certainly looks warm.
Oh well, I suppose we cannot attempt to understand all the trends that we might come across in our lifetime. I think there is a name for that style. Hipster? Yes, hipster. I am sure that is correct. People stop in and talk about it sometimes. They like to show me pictures, you see.
But then he walks by a second time. I find myself wondering if he is lost. He walks by once more, then stops to lean against the building, taking out his phone. Perhaps he is waiting for somebody. Well, that would be nice for him.
I put away the mug and start on the next one. They aren’t really dirty, I just like to clean them to make sure they are sparkling for the customer who uses them next.
That is what it takes to be a great host, after all.
Suddenly, I hear the bell chime. The bell from the front door, meaning somebody has just walked in. I finish wiping the mug, then look up as they sit down.
Oh. Well, would you look at that. Mr. Hipster Fashion himself. I smile at him, placing the mug in front of me. He is going to get some coffee. They always do. Even if they don’t order. I can tell right away he is the brooding type, especially by the way he has his eyebrows furrowed above his large glasses.
“What can I get you?” I ask him, already brewing the coffee.
“Uh…” he says. “Anythin’ strong.”
Oh, so he is that type, is he? I have to admit, I am surprised. I expected him to get a dressed up sort of coffee. Something with a lot of whipped cream and milk and cinnamon sprinkled on top. People are like that nowadays. I enjoy making it. It is too bad, really.
I place a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. Black. He wanted it strong.
He stares at it a moment.
“Coffee?”
I laugh, because it is obvious from his expression that he was expecting alcohol.
“Sorry kid, I only serve alcohol past six, you will have to make do with this.”
He stares at it again. “Uh…” he says slowly.
I start wiping down the counter. It is silent for a minute. He hesitates for a moment, then slowly put the cup to his lips. If he took a sip, it was not much of a sip.
“Could I get some cream in this? I uh, usually drink half an’ half.”
“Sure thing.” I place the creamer next to him. “Knock yourself out, kid.”
“Ah, I’m not a kid. My name is Eridan,” he says, pouring the cream in his coffee and stirring. I chuckle.
“I see, nice to meet you then, Eridan,” I say. He nodes, then takes out his phone. He does nothing, simply stares at it. My interest is piqued. After all, not many people just stare at their phones with the screen off.
I turn to empty out the coffee I brewed for him. He has barely touched the first cup, so I highly doubt that he will be having a second cup. I need my coffee to be fresh for the customers after all.
“So you have some sort of romance happening between you and that phone or is it complicated?”
Eridan stared at me for just a moment, then he opened his mouth, “It’s gettin’ pretty complicated.” He smirked. “It seems like it never wants ta tell me if I should call people or not. An’ it never seem to ring.”
He leaned back on the stool. “I’m startin’ to wonder if it’s cheatin’ on me, you know?”
I realize a lot about him now.
“So was it your girlfriend? Boyfriend?” I like to be inclusive with these kinds of questions. You can just never be sure.
“W-what? No I’m uh, waitin’ for a callback from an audition, that’s all. I’m just nervous.”
Well that is obviously a lie. But he does not want to talk about it, so I guess I will leave him alone.
Ten minutes pass in silence. I am accompanied by the sound of Eridan tapping his fingers on the counter and the regular on his laptop. I really enjoy times like these, where it is just quiet and really allows for good thinking. I start putting cups back in the cupboard.
“It was a girl,” came Eridan’s voice from behind me. “A really beautiful, fantastic girl.”
I turn and face him now. I was waiting for him to tell me his story. It only takes a short while before most people tell me their problems. The silence is too much to handle for them.
“An’ one a my friends. Or at least I thought so, he’s called Sol. I thought he was reliable, we started hangin’ around each other and it was entertain’, at least. See, I wasn’t exactly datin’ her, the girl, Fef. I swim with her sometimes, we’re on the swim team at school. I don’t really even enjoy swimmin’. I just like watching her face light up when she swims her laps, or beats her best time. The way she moves so gracefully when she’s in the water is captivating. She’s so cheerful an’ happy all the time an’ seeing her like that makes me happy too.”
He took a slow sip of his coffee. It was probably cold by now, what a shame.
“I told Sol I liked her not too long ago. I told him exactly what I just told you. He didn’t say much in response, now that I’m thinkin’ on it. It was because Fef an’ I had a fight. Because I can’t seem to do anythin’ right around her. Today I went to apologize to her. I brought flowers too, I was prepared to just tell her why I even did stupid stuff like that. An’ why it was cause a her that my heart beats so fast. I had a script but it’s not like it mattered. Sol was already there. He didn’t even have a shirt on. Fef was yellin’ at me so I just kinda stormed away.”
Ahh, so that’s what happened. Eridan put his head in his hands. I cannot do anything to comfort him, but I allowed him a small moment of silence.
“I don’t know what I should do now,” he said finally.
“Well..” I started slowly. “What do you want to do?”