I woke to the sound of a steady rain on my window. While I might usually enjoy hearing the patter of drops while I dozed, I groaned with disappointment when I remembered that it was Saturday morning. I was supposed to go for a drive out of the city with a few friends to enjoy the fall color in the countryside. Although the forecast showed a chance of rain, the weather had been golden and fair all week and I had hoped we would get lucky. Obviously, the weatherman had it right this time. I peered dubiously out the window of my apartment at the soaked street below as the rain streamed down. It wasn't a day for leaf peeping, that was for sure.
I called my friends to suggest we change the plan to an indoor gathering. To my chagrin, they all decided to cancel outright rather than get together in the city. Now I found myself with nothing to do and no one to hang out with. I'm a social creature and I don't like spending the weekend by myself. I fidgeted unhappily around the apartment. I tried to distract myself with a favorite book, but it was too quiet.
With nothing better to do, I decided to walk down to my favorite coffee shop. Instead of languishing by myself in my empty apartment and staring at the gloomy day outside, I would read a book in a cozy place. I could expect a buzz of activity there. I took a moment to shave and changed into a nice pair of jeans and a sweater. I like chatting up people in the coffee shop, and you never know who you will meet, so I wanted to look presentable.
I threw on my rain jacket, snatched an umbrella from the shelf, and tucked my book and my laptop into a bag. I stayed dry enough as I shuffled down the windswept sidewalk the few blocks to the coffee shop. The rain came with seasonably chilly temperatures and I hunched down into my coat.
From the outside of the quaint café, you would be forgiven for thinking you were looking at a bookshop or an antique store, but for the picture of a cup of coffee etched into the front window. Yellow lights shone through the window into the gray street. Pushing through the creaky door from the wet street, I was greeted by the usual tinkling bell. The inside of the café was warm and comfortable and the dining area was crowded with customers sipping steaming cups at dark wooden tables. The space was lit by the warm light of retro bulbs and a gas fireplace, which provided a welcoming contrast to the soggy and dark morning outside.
There was a steady hum of conversation and a bustle of activity. This was exactly the atmosphere I had been seeking on this lonely morning, provided I could snag seat. I didn't immediately see any openings as I sauntered up to the counter. After trading some friendly words with a familiar barista, I ordered a large coffee and a pastry. A few moments later, I was weaving my way through the dining room looking a place to camp out with my ceramic coffee mug in one hand, a small plate in the other, and my book still wedged under my arm. I finally spotted a seat open by the front window and worked my way over.
By the front of the shop there is a little snug with a built-in table wrapped with benches under the window. There was a young woman about my age sitting on one half of the bench with her back to the dark window reading something on a laptop. If she did not mind, there was a place for me on the other half of the bench beside her. The bench was usually long enough to seat three or four people, so I should be able to share it without crowding her.
When I approached her, she looked up from her screen with some surprise on her face. Her fair skin flushed a little red in the cheeks and she stammered briefly before softy returning my friendly greeting. When I asked her if I could share the other end of her bench, she smiled and answered with a smile and nod that I might. She gave me another shy smile as I came around the other side of the bench to sit, but she quickly broke eye contact and looked back down at whatever she was reading on her laptop.
As I settled in to read my book and enjoy my snack, I cast a quick glance over at my table companion. I immediately decided she was pretty cute. She wore a plaid wool skirt in fall colors paired with a form-fitting gray sweater. Her brown hair was pulled back in a neat bun and she wore heavy framed glasses that contributed to a sophisticated, intelligent, and modest appearance. Next to her in the corner of the bench was a small vintage backpack with a few books that looked like novels sticking out of the open top. A further discrete peek revealed no rings on her fingers.
I thought I might try to strike up a conversation with her eventually, but for now I read my book and sipped my coffee. Based on her greeting, she was either a little shy or busy, so immediately engaging her in a chat might be rude or off-putting. We both continued reading in silence for some time, but I was a little distracted by my curiosity. She was focused mostly on her screen, but she also cast some nervous looks around her. At one point, we made eye contact as she glanced around and I decided break ice with some small talk.
"Isn't this a great spot for a day like today?" I asked a little lamely with a nod of my head to indicate the dark window behind us.
"It is," she agreed softly with a small smile and a nod. She would not hold my eye contact for very long. She dropped her eyes to floor briefly while she spoke.
"It's perfect weather for a good book," I said. I set my book down on the table to signal I was interested in continuing to talk. Her eyes flicked to the book reflexively and her face was inquisitive.
After a considering pause and a glance at the cover of my book, she ventured a tentative question. "What are you reading there?" she inquired after reading the title without recognition.
"It's an old favorite," I answered
"Hmm," she said thoughtful, "I don't know it."
"It's a sci-fi classic."
"Oh," she said with a shrug, "that's probably why I don't know it. I don't read much sci-fi."
"What genre do you prefer?"
She shrugged again. "I'm not too picky about genres," she said. "But I like immersive settings. Fantasy, mysteries, historical fiction. That sort of thing. The sci fi I've tried was too heavy on techno jargon to be immersive that way."