Anna and Mia had been dating for months and everything was going incredibly well, but there was one particular thing Anna still needed to do: a cozy coffee date.
Anna and Mia had met in the spring, which meant the time for overcoats, scarves and beanies had already passed. For most couples, this wouldn't have mattered, but Anna absolutely adored the way she dressed in winter.
She thought there was absolutely nothing cuter than a nice scarf paired with a beanie, a sharp coat and even some gloves just for some extra warmth. Anna had no idea why a bundled-up outfit resonated more than the outfits of the spring and summer, but a sleeveless dress never felt as good to her as pairing a sweater with a coat and scarf.
Mia didn't quite understand why Anna viewed the cold as the peak of fashion, but still found her excitement over winter fashion adorably endearing. That meant she fully understood why Anna was treating the weather getting colder with such excitement.
"It's gonna be 31 degrees next weekend, Mia!" Anna beamed like she just learned Santa was real. "It's the perfect time for our coffee date!"
"Works for me, honey." Mia replied with not quite the same enthusiasm but a tone that still showed she was down for the occasion.
Anna and Mia eventually decided to go shopping to make sure they had everything they needed so they could spend a few hours sitting in the cold, but Anna got so excited she bought an entire new outfit for it.
"So we've got a nice camel coat, a cream-colored turtleneck, brown pants, cream booties, matching white gloves and beanie and oh I just love this scarf pattern." Anna explained to Mia, showing her a white scarf with a tan pattern. Anna was so excited that she even got new socks.
"God you really are excited for this, huh?" Mia replied and Anna nodded with a giant grin.
Mia picked up a basic black sweater, figuring it'd be good enough to pair with the black leather jacket she already had.
Mia wasn't exactly a goth, but she was someone who just naturally thought that black clothes looked the best on her. The sweater and jacket would work with some black skinny jeans and black Doc Martens, she figured.
On that Saturday at about 9:15 in the morning, the couple arrived at their local Starbucks in their outfits, ready to enjoy the fresh air and keep warm with their clothes and their coffees.
Once they got their orders, they went to the outside seating which was unsurprisingly empty. Most people don't view 30-degree weather as the perfect occasion to relax outside, but most people also aren't either someone who adores winter clothes or their girlfriend.
After about 10 minutes of talking, a man who seemed like he was in his late 20s came in and Anna and Mia both noticed him staring.
"Is he checking us out?" Anna asked.
"Meh, if he is, we're not interested." Mia replied nonchalantly.
The man got in his car without saying anything...and then parked it in the spot closest to where Anna and Mia were sitting and got out.
"Excuse me ladies, I'd like to show you something." The man declared.
"What?" Mia said with clear annoyance.
The random man then pulled out a pistol and got closer to the couple.
"Get in my car nice and quiet and there won't be any trouble, you understand?"
Anna and Mia both tried to scan for anyone who could save them, but no one else was sitting outside and no one inside seemed to notice anything askew. Anna and Mia could've called out for help, but were too shocked to try to figure out if that was worth the risk of upsetting the stranger with a firearm, so they followed his instructions.
"Toss me your phones, too," he said once they got in the car and they did so, knowing their best chance of getting help was now gone.
Once they were in the car, the man floored it before Anna and Mia could figure out some way to get anyone at Starbucks to notice they were being kidnapped. The car was going far too fast for them to think overpowering the driver would end well, so they just sat in shocked silence for a few minutes until he pulled into the parking lot of a seemingly abandoned warehouse.
"Well ladies it looks like you're all alone with me, a nice gentleman who has a gun. Now I may be a kidnapper, but I'm not planning to be a murderer today, so just listen to me and everything will be just fine. Do you understand?" He said.
Anna and Mia were pretty skeptical of what "fine" meant to someone who kidnapped two women at gunpoint, but neither of them were ready to die in their mid-20s so they just continued to try their best to go along with the situation.
