{Hey girl what's your name; L-u-v I see your game}
This cafe was her ideal reading spot. It was on the edge of campus, so it was significantly less frequented by the rest of the student body. It was an extra fifteen walk, but in the end the peace and quiet was worth it. There were fewer people to bother her here and essentially that's all that really mattered.
That and she was rather partial to their caffe mocha.
She had come here on numerous occasions, whether it was to escape the liveliness of her dorm or because she dared not intrude when her roommate was feeling rather intimate with her boyfriend. Regardless, it became sort of a habit to come here when she wanted to be alone and escape for a little while, finding no better place to disappear than somewhere that no one cared to notice her.
It was a perfect little hideaway.
Just not today.
She hadn't been reading for very long (her coffee wasn't even lukewarm yet) when she heard a high-pitched squeal off to her left. Startled by the sudden and out of place disturbance, she looked up just in time to find herself being smothered by a pair of arms. She shrunk back and lifted her hands to push the offender away but stopped in her tracks when they leaned down to her ear to whisper,
"This guy won't stop hitting on me please help."
Then they pulled away and Blake found herself staring up at a mass of blonde curls framing a radiant smile and swirls of lilac, looking down on her pleadingly. The girl was clearly a college student, her bag half-heartedly slung over her shoulder and donning a sweatshirt with the university's name and mascot in bright print on the forest green. Blake pondered if she had ever seen the girl before on campus, deciding that she hadn't and, on the chance she had, it had been in passing.
Darting a glance behind the girl she noticed a disgruntled man with his arms crossed over his chest by the counter. He looked only a few years older than them but Blake had no doubt that he was far from graduation and no longer actually belonged on campus. She frowned. He was probably one of those creeps who came to campuses to try and pick up younger girls as a way to recall their youth.
Without a second of hesitation Blake grinned up at the girl. Her shoulders visibly relaxed when she noticed Blake's cooperation and slid into the booth across from her, throwing her bag at the end of the table. Blake set her book aside, playing along with the part of someone ready to give their friend their full attention.
"And just when I thought you wouldn't show up!" she exclaimed, making sure to be loud enough so her voice would carry over across the room so the man could hear her.
The girl shrugged nonchalantly and leaned forward on the table. "Oh you know how it is. Been busy with all sorts of things lately. But I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
Blake nodded in understanding and picked up her coffee cup to take a sip. Just before it reached her lips she hesitated. A sidelong glance told her that the man was still intently watching them, his eyes glued more to the blonde. With that she extended her arm out, shoving the cup towards the girl's face who withdrew in shock.
"You have got to try this! I think they tried something new with their recipe and it is to die for!"
Lilac eyes flicked off to her right before directing towards her again paired with a grin when she realized what she was doing. Plucking the cup from her hands she took a tentative sip, licking her lips and eyes turned up pensively. After a second she nodded with an impressed grin and took another sip before handing it back. Blake accepted the cup but did not drink from it, instead studying the pink lip gloss smeared on the white lid.
A call for an order rang out and Blake watched as the older man snatched his coffee and stormed from the cafe. A sigh of relief whooshed beside her and when she turned back to look at the girl her lilac eyes were filled with infinite gratitude.
"I seriously cannot thank you enough."
Blake waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I was happy to help."
Her hand inched towards her book again intent on picking up where she had left off when the girl interrupted her again.
"By the way what was that?"
The brunette blinked. "What was what?"
She pointed at her cup of coffee, blonde eyebrows raised inquiringly.
"Caffe Mocha," she said. A tilt of the head. "Have you really never had it?"
The blonde curls danced about her head when she shook it. "Nope! I normally get iced coffee. But you were right." She sent her a wink and Blake was not prepared for the fluttering of her heart. "It was to die for."
She hid her giggle behind her hand and her cheeks turned pink as her exaggerated words were thrown back at her. "Well I'm glad you like it. It's always nice to try something new every now and again."
"Yang."
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
The blonde extended her hand across the table, prompting Blake to accept it. She did and they shared a brief handshake. "My name. It's Yang."
Blake nodded and pursed her lips. "Blake."
She began to retract her hand from Yang's grasp but found it held firm and fast, unable to move it. Amber eyes lifted curiously and met a genuinely sweet smile that crinkled the edges of Yang's eyes and brought to life the faint freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks.
"That's a pretty name."
The presence of a blush made itself known on the back of her neck and she ducked her head down as the heat steadily spread to her cheeks. "Thank you." Her hand was freed at last and she immediately put it in her lap, rubbing over the back of it where she could still feel the girl's touch. Her hand was so soft and warm and Blake's own was now clammy. She wiped her palm on her jeans and prayed that the girl hadn't noticed.
She hadn't. Or, if she had she made no comment on it. Expecting that their exchange was once again over, Blake made another reach for her book only to be interrupted once more.
Except, to her surprise, it wasn't Yang that did so but her own mouth. She blinked a couple of times, trying to register the fact that she had spoken without much thought to it and then internally groaned when she realized just what she had actually said.
Yet Yang didn't seem too fazed by her question. Her smile never faltered and her eyes never wavered. She even leaned back, her posture one of total ease.
"Do I always suffocate girls like that trying to escape a guy?" she repeated. She laughed lightly. "No I'd definitely have to say you're the first."
Oh wasn't she just special then.
"In fact," Yang continued. "I normally don't reach out for help like this. Buuuuuut….I've been trying lately to be 'less violent'," - she made air quotes here with a roll of her eyes - "before I get any more marks. That and I guess you're supposed to draw a line when it comes to arson."
Blake choked. "Arson?!"
The blonde held her hands up defensively. "It was one time! Not my fault that guy was especially douche-y."
Any hopes to having a quiet afternoon had completely been demolished. Honestly, that may have been the case the second the girl had walked into the cafe, but of course Blake would've had no way of knowing that at the time. Either way, she was not exactly prepared for an encounter such as this but decided to quickly adapt to the situation. She reached for her book once more but did not open it. Instead she slid it into her bag that rested at her side. Yang noticed this and, though it could've been a trick of the dim lighting in the room, she could've sworn she saw the corners of the girl's mouth twitch up.
"So do you come here often?" asked Blake.
She received a head shake in response. "Nah. I'm typically too busy to make the extra walk here, but sometimes when I'm free I like to come here. Their cakes are a-maz-ing!"
The brunette nodded. "Honestly I've never tried their cakes. I just come here for the atmosphere and coffee."
Her words triggered something for the next thing she knew Yang had leapt from her seat and slammed her palms down on the table. Their faces were in such a close proximity that there was definitely some personal space boundaries being broken, but Blake figured that Yang was too far gone to realize it.
"You haven't tried their cakes?!" she asked incredulously.
When Blake shook her head the blonde gasped, shrinking back in horror as if Blake had spit in her face. Her hand clutched her chest painfully. The dark-haired girl fought the urge to roll her eyes. Well this girl definitely seemed to have a flair for the dramatics.
Probably a theatre major.
Without a word the girl dove for her bag, digging through it before she procured her wallet before dashing off to the counter, leaving a baffled Blake in her dust. Amber eyes watched in disbelief as she watched the blonde place her order and then walk back minutes later with a tray of cake slices. There had to be at least ten up there, all different flavors with different icings. After Yang reclaimed her seat she handed Blake a fork, urging her frantically to "hurry up and try one!"
She stared at all of the different options and they stared back at her in turn. After a moment she lifted her eyes to find Yang looking at her expectantly, an eager grin on her face. She clutched the fork close to her chest and bit her lower lip.
"Um...which one should I…?"
"Any of them!"
When Blake failed to dive in immediately, Yang groaned and picked up her own fork, scooping up a piece of the nearest cake - white angel cake with pink cream cheese frosting - and shoved it towards Blake who only stared at the utensil.
And when she opened her mouth to question Yang's actions, she was promptly interrupted with a mouthful of cake. Amber eyes opened wide, the surprise action almost causing her to choke on the sugary confection, while Yang withdrew her fork from her mouth, a smile of triumph on her lips.
Deciding there was nothing else to do, Blake chewed slowly, tasting the cake carefully. It was sweet and soft and the frosting dissolved on her tongue. Yang was right. They were amazing.
"Soooooooo….?"
Swallowing, Blake nodded her approval. This led to Yang scooping up another slice of cake - this one pink with white frosting and a strawberry on top. She held out her fork again but this time Blake was prepared and held up a hand to stop her.
"I can feed myself."
"Hm? Oh! Right!" She took the fork away and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry!"
Digging her fork into the same slice Yang just had, she lifted her fork to her lips, taking a small bite. This one was sweeter, the taste of strawberries heavily present, the fine sugar from the frosting sweet enough to give her cavities. Yet still, she couldn't deny the deliciousness of it, so in answer to Yang's expectant look she nodded her approval for this slice as well.
"See? Told ya!"
After that both girls settled in for sampling all the pieces of cake, Yang pointing out which each one was and watching intently each time Blake tried a new one. It wasn't until they were about halfway through all the slices that Blake realized how much sugar she had consumed and groaned audibly.
"There goes my diet."
Hearing this, Yang frowned deeply, her brow furrowed and eyes worried. "What? You're too pretty for a stupid diet!"
Blake smiled and shook her head. "No, not like that. I just meant that I've been trying to have a more balanced diet and...well that was just completely ruined." She picked at one of the half-eaten slices of cake, a sigh wisping past her lips. "I'm going to have to start over."
"A balanced diet in college?" Yang scoffed and scooped another large bite of cake into her mouth, practically swallowing it whole. "Yeah good luck with that."
Blake shrugged. "Just trying to get into healthy habits."
The blonde brushed her comment aside. "The way I see it, I can be healthy later. For now I have no problem in indulging a little bit." Forking the last morsel of devil's food cake on one of the plates, she held it up at eye level. "Orrrrr a lot."
Blake giggled and lay her own fork down, deciding it was best to quit now before she did something she really regretted. "Well I think I've done enough indulging this afternoon to hold me over for the next year or so."
Yang sat up and finished chewing her bit of cake before putting her fork down too. "So then I guess ice cream is out of the question?"
She nodded solemnly. "Afraid so."
The blonde snapped her fingers. "Damn! There goes that idea."
A raised eyebrow. "Pardon?"
Instead of answering her question however, the blonde only leaned forward, her face lit up anew. "Oh! I know! We could go bowling!"
"Bowling?"
She began nodding enthusiastically, a wide grin splitting her face in two. "Yeah! A couple of friends and I go every other Saturday! 'Course...not this Saturday, but I figure it could just….I dunno….be you and me."
Her previous energetic demeanor toned down a bit as nervousness slipped in, her lilac eyes avoided staring at her for too long, and she had sat back down normally in her chair, teeth gnawing on her lip. She wondered what had sparked the sudden change when she herself had said nothing so far, but then the developing blush tipped her off.
Oh.
Ohhhhhhh.
Blake cleared her throat. "Are you….asking me on a date?"
The blonde began scratching the back of her head. "Wow. That obvious?"
Blake smirked. "Just a little."
Still chewing on her lip, Yang reached for her bag, bringing out a pen and tearing off a piece of paper from one of her notebooks before scribbling something down with shaky hands. Once finished she handed it to Blake and upon taking it Yang stood up, bag slung over her shoulder. Looking down Blake discovered that it was the girl's number with the words "Call me?" written underneath.
"I'll let you think about it. And if you wanna go with me (and totally get your ass kicked by my awesome bowling skills) then you can just call or text me later. But if you don't want to you can totally forget this ever happened. Hell you can even throw my number away!" Lilac eyes flickered down to look at Blake whose gaze was still glued to the piece of paper, her face pensive.
"Just, uh….promise me you will at least wait to throw it away after I leave?"
For a few seconds she didn't respond, eyes looking at the paper but seeing something else far beyond it. Yang shifted in her spot, watching her carefully but not so intently that it was weird….at least she hoped. Her hands went back up to her hair, pulling it back and smoothing out strands before letting it fall around her shoulders again then combing it out with a her fingers. A nervous tick.
Not wanting to make the girl more uncomfortable than she already clearly was, Blake looked up, her expression neutral. She pressed her lips together and nodded.
"It was nice to meet you, Yang."
The blonde bit her lip, shoulders deflating slightly. "Yeah...yeah, you too." And without another word she turned and walked briskly out the cafe tossing back a wave to the boy behind the counter who called out her name. Her lustrous blonde curls followed behind her, gliding on air, the sunlight shining through the window setting them on fire. A couple of male gazes were drawn to her departure, tongues in cheeks and eyebrows raised.
And then she was gone.
After she was out of sight, Blake looked back down at the piece of paper with her number on it. Her handwriting was curled and neat even though she had scribbled it down in a hurry. She traced her thumb over the letters and pressed her tongue against her teeth in thought.
She seemed nice enough, and she was certainly not lacking in the looks department. It wasn't often that Blake got out and talked to other people. In fact that was the whole point of these cafe excursions. To get away. Somewhere that she was less likely to be uninterrupted and left to her own devices.
So naturally that's exactly where this girl found her.
Amber eyes swept the cafe, noticing a few familiar faces that had been here as long as she had. She wasn't the only girl here sitting alone. Yang could've picked any one of them to help her out.
So why her?
Fingernails tapped against the polished wood of the table, eyes tracing the lines and curves of the numbers etched in blue ink over and over. Her golden eyes glanced over to her coffee cup with the smear of bumblegum lip gloss on the lid. Well...there was only one real way to get answers.
She was going to have to get some white shoes.
With a resigned sigh (and a small smile that she would never fess up to if you called her out on it), Blake stored the piece of paper in her bag carefully before pulling out her book and continuing where she had left off. The atmosphere was peaceful once more, the low tone of chatter a drawl background noise. Everything was as it was before, the only signs that her afternoon had been anything short of eventful were the leftover cake, the foreign piece of paper tucked away in her bag, and the lip print on her cup.
And the blonde girl who stood outside the door to the cafe, peeking at the reading brunette and cheering to herself when she saw that she had decided to keep the paper.
A/N: ...I don't even know. The bees have consumed my life. I haven't even been tempted to write angst in awhile. I'm suffocating on fluff. someone send for help
also bowling is awesome. too bad I suck at it