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He drummed his fingers on the sticky oak counter that he leaned against, waiting for the familiar gentle ring of the bell above the door to signal a new rush of mothers and young children in pushchairs entering for a cup of coffee and a rainy Tuesday afternoon gossip.
He felt a bit embarrassed really, being 24 and still spending his days cleaning down the stained wooden tables of the same cafe since he was in college, whilst other people his age were getting married and having children, but at least Sal knew he could make a good coffee. Over the years he’d come to the conclusion that having a fucked up face and one, half-working eye made this it only somewhat suitable job for him, despite his many close-calls with being fired.
It seemed to be an exceptionally quiet day, as opposed to the usual hustle and bustle of the little green shop, but today there was only a group of elder women sitting by the front window and a student at a corner table, eyes glued to a withering textbook, with faint music spilling from their headphones. Sal decided to busy himself by restacking the shelves of coffee beans behind the counter for the eighth time today, hoping none of the customers could see him using a mini step ladder to reach the top shelf. Being five-foot-six really did not help his case in convincing every new person he met that he was in fact , an adult man, not a fourteen year old girl.
He let his mind drift away as he continued his stacking, thinking about the reunion with his highschool friends that was coming up in a few weeks. Some of them he still saw often, like Larry, obviously, his brother who he shared an apartment with on the outskirts of the city, and Chug and Maple with their adorable little daughter, Soda, who he saw every couple of weeks everytime he and Larry visited their parents back in Nockfell. The others, he did not get to see at all, save the biannual meet-ups and the occasional surprise visits. After college, Todd and his boyfriend Neil moved out of their shared house with Sal and up to Washington, as Todd had taken up some secretive sciencey job for the government that no one really understood, giving the two almost no time to visit their friends. Ash had gone to an art college two cities away straight after highschool and made the decision to continue living there after she finished her course. Sal was looking forward to it, the friendgroup’s reunions almost always ended with the seven of them blackout drunk, and he was in need of a good drink with his favourite people.
The blue haired man was so deep in thought he didn’t hear the door to the cafe swing open, or the little tinkling of the bell above it, he didn’t feel the gust of wind swish around him and neither did he hear the footsteps clicking against the wooden floor, but he certainly heard the awkward cough and the deep, stammered “Hey.. excuse me-”.
Sal could recognise that from anywhere. He swallowed thickly, turning around to face the figure stood at the counter, eyes unblinking under his mask, and sure enough, stood in front of him was Travis Phelps.
Travis had the same reaction as the man opposite him, his beady black eyes were so widened that he was sure they were going to pop out of their sockets.
Sal was the first to speak, his Jersey accent clouded with shock. “Holy shit- um- Travis?’ He paused. ‘Sorry, God, um, can I take your order?”
The man just stood there momentarily, blankly staring. He looked quite different to the last time Sal had seen him, he was a little less gaunt-looking than he remembered and there was a lack of bruises on his face, which made Sal sigh a little bit in relief. The curls on Travis’ head were soft looking and better cared for compared to the brushed out bush that he used to walk around with, though they were still clearly bleached blonde. He was still dressed fairly smart though, a blue and white pin-striped shirt paired with a grey tie and slacks adorned his body, perhaps he’d just been at work.
Travis snapped out of his trance after a few seconds and cleared his throat. “My apologies.” His voice was significantly more quiet. “I’ll take an americano with hot milk please.” The man asked, reaching a hand up to nervously play with the golden cross necklace on his chest, looking at Sal intently, seemingly having several different emotions flowing through his face.
The blue haired man turned around to start making the coffee, eternally grateful for his prosthetic mask that was hiding his reaction. He could still feel Travis staring at him as his back was turned, making him feel all the more uneasy as he took his time making the drink. Sal finally finished, placing the lid carefully on top of the hot paper cup, before spinning back around to give it to the tall man.
That was another thing new about Travis, he’d grown into his height, no longer looking like the gangly awkward mess that he was back in high school, Sal noted.
Travis swallowed, mumbling some sort of thank you before pulling a brown leather wallet out of his coat pocket and rustling through it before placing $2.50 on the counter. He still stood there for a few seconds, clearly debating what to say in his head, before settling on a quick “Bye.” and speed walking out the door, hot coffee spilling a little on his hand as he picked it up, leaving Sal to feel whiplashed as the bell on the door signalled his exit.
All he could do was stay still, confusion swarming him. They hadn’t properly talked since the bathroom incident, or seen eachother since the older one had graduated high school for that matter, if he was entirely honest with himself, Sal had somewhat forgotten about Travis Phelps.
He only moved once he could sense his manager behind him. She was leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen, her eyebrow raised quizzically.
“The fuck was that about?” She asked, tucking a loose strand of her ginger hair behind her ear.
Sal turned to face her, a grimace settled on his lips behind his mask. “Dude I don’t fucking know. I mean I went to high school with him but-“
She nodded slowly. “Poor guy looked like he’d seen a ghost, were you guys friends?” She asked.
“Nope.” He said blankly.
“Huh..” The woman still looked at the man curiously, before changing topics. “Anyway, it’s a slow day today and respectfully I don’t wanna pay you anymore than I need to. You can go home now, I can handle any more customers if we get them.” She suggested, patting Sal on the shoulder.
He grinned and chuckled a little at her honesty. “Aw sick, thanks Kate!” He exclaimed, taking his apron off to hang on the wall before pulling out his flip phone.
‘Hey Lar.. Finished early today plz come pick me up.. 2 cold to walk home :( + have crazy shit 2 tell u!’ He messaged his brother.
Sal’s mind returned to Travis Phelps as he walked out back to grab his stuff, the interaction playing over and over in his mind as he slipped on his jacket, scarf and earmuffs, bracing himself for the cool late September air. Despite how awful Travis had been to him in high school, Sal couldn’t help but want to see him again.