Hot Coffee

A little bell rung its tinny sound as a young man stepped into the quaint little café, looking around with a gaze that was more nervous than he had hoped. Most things did not make Jacob nervous, but a date did. It didn't matter that it was his second date rather than the first. Reflecting on it, he was still amazed that Alicia had agreed to a second date with him. Despite the risk of her bailing on the whole shebang, the dance - AKA the first date - went quite well and was full of dancing and intense sexual tension which totally bleeds over to the second date. She had mentioned coffee when they originally met, and when he suggested it once more and she agreed, he was basically on cloud nine. Cloud ten was occupied. 'Nope, none of that today please, I beg of thee.'

They had agreed upon the time and day, but Jacob couldn't help but to go early, so now he was left with taking a seat at a free table and twiddling his thumbs, trying to keep his breathing steady while his mind ran rampant with random worst-case scenarios. This was so unlike him; obviously dating was to blame. Now his eyes moved up to the door, watching it in the expectation of her walking through it any second now. Still, a feeling of elation was also there, just waiting to burst with just a glimpse of her. Any moment now...

Alicia rubbed her hands together nervously as she tried to avoid the large piles of snow, letting a small, nervous sigh into the scarf that wrapped around her neck. She definitely wasn't in a slick, red dress this time around, not in this cold weather, certainly; though, she did go out of her way to make sure that she looked nice. She wasn't wearing a lot of make-up, as "caking it on" wasn't exactly a concept she was fond of, but wore a light, natural look she was rather proud of - especially since she had done it herself. She's even gone and braided her hair, wearing a dark beanie and a new jacket. Being very bad at fashionable imagery, I can only say she looked "cute and wintery", and I hope that will do.

The fact that she had gotten all dressed up made her even more nervous that she would've felt before. The young woman always made some effort to look nice, but what would he think of her little appearance? Would he notice the difference, if it were even noticeable? Would he like it or would he just think that she was just being weird? With a slight blush and butterflies in her tummy, she thought back to the dance, and the wonderful time they had had. Things seemed nice then, would they still be nice now?
Why was she so uncertain? And nervous? And excited? And asking so many questions? This really wasn't like her.

The Summer slipped her phone out of her pocket, glancing at the time, noting she was a few minutes late. Oh, she would have to apologize for that.

Biting her lip gently, she reached the front door, holding her breath. 'You've been here a thousand times. You're fine.' Alicia thought, trying to convince herself to calm down. With a firm push of a door, she stepped inside, a little bell above her ringing and alerting everyone on the floor of her arrival. She glanced around, finding her... date - sitting at a table a bit away. Alicia smiled a bit and gave him a little wave, walking over to the table. "Hey, Jacob." She said, standing in front of the table. She knew the seat across from his was for her, but felt she should be invited to sit anyways.

The ring of the bell brought a new presence to the café, and Jacob watched as Alicia walked in. Sure, she wasn't wearing some small red number, but she still looked nice all the same. Seeing her look over and wave at him brought a smile to his face, a nice antithesis to the nerves within. She walked over and greeted him, so he responded in kind. "Hey Alicia." The chair opposite him was indeed for her, but he had expected her to, well, sit in it. However, it seemed as though she was waiting for an invitation. "Oh, uh, you can sit down." Wow, that sounded awkward.

Now, he wasn't much of a coffee drinker… as in he had never drank coffee before. Still, he wanted this date to go well, so he would try it for her. But what were they supposed to do exactly? Did someone come to take their order, or did they go up and do it themselves? "So, I hope it wasn't too difficult getting here through all the snow." Riveting. Why was he doing so bad at this conversing thing? It wasn't that difficult in normal situations; why now?

Alicia quietly bit her lip, glancing down at her hands for a moment before nodding and taking the seat across from him. Perhaps it really was just a weird habit of hers, but she had had her reasons to do so, and hoped that he didn't mind any. The young woman smiled at one of the waitors, holding up two fingers as he nodded knowingly and went about his work.

The Summer laughed lightly under her breath, "I managed to get here just fine, thank you." She said, "I'm still not looking forward to the walk home though. I don't think I'll ever be used to this cold weather." She'd grown up on the coast and had been uses to a little chill, but this thick, white blanket that covered the town was overwhelming. "Are you used to it yet?"

When Alicia held up two fingers to a waiter, Jacob figured that yes, you do order from your table, which was something he wasn't exactly used to. Actually, he had no idea what had just been ordered… Probably two coffees, though. Normal or… whatever, he suspected. Looking back at his date, he noticed that the cold outside had given her face a gentle flush of pink, which made him smile involuntarily. It was a nice look, he had to admit. Quite cute.

"Well, I guess I have. It's actually not so bad. Better than scorching heat, anyway." If you had the right clothing on, you could always protect yourself from the cold, but the sun would always burn you.

Alicia decided then shed off her thick jacket and scarf, spinning around to hang the items on the back of her seat. Turning back, she straightened and flattened out her thin sweater with her hands. It wasn't anything fancy, just a thin, black sweater-neck. Although it was rather form-fitting, it definitely wasn't as extravagant as the last outfit he'd seen her in - at the dance. She suddenly felt a tad self-conscious, pulling her hair and sweeping it softly over her shoulder; a bit damp, she noticed, from the snow fall. 'I probably look silly,' Alicia thought a bit forlornly.

She still lightened up a little when he glanced back at Jacob, his confoundedness given away bast his small grin. "I come here a lot. It's my favorite place." The young woman explained, keeping her voice low. She couldn't hold back a curious glance as he contrasted the snow against the blaring sun. Was it really worse? "Is it? I wouldn't know. Where I come from, it's always cold - but never cold enough to get snow. Just cold and wet and really windy." Alicia smiled in sweet nostalgia. Aside from the rain, San Francisco stayed the same pretty much all year round. She hadn't seen snow for herself until she'd come to Beata, and she couldn't imagine any weather hotter than low seventies.

There was something they were waiting for… coffee, he was pretty sure. And they were talking about the weather, yeah, that sounded right. He wasn't really giving these two things much thought though, since his attention was being dragged over towards Alicia. For not being very fancy, that sweater sure looked spectacular on her; simple, yet elegant. Plus, the way she swept her hair over her shoulder was strangely cute, like any small thing she did was captivating. Wow, she looked good. Did he look distracted? It felt as if his eyes were glazing over. It took a great effort, but he was able to pull himself back from the dregs of distraction and take note of the topic at hand; weather, right, weather. He hoped he wasn't blushing.

"Well, where I come from, the sun was always out and burning a lot, even in winter. It's nice to have doe variety here, at least." Weren't they waiting for something? Oh… oh right, coffee. Where was that? "Sometimes I just like to look out a window here and watch the snow fall. It's quite beautiful in its own right." Sure it was, but his eyes were on her own the whole time.

Alicia looked a bit uncomfortable at the mere thought of such constant hot weather. How on earth did someon, anyone, find any bit of comfort in such terrible heat - or would want that in the least? Ironiclly, she shivered at the thought. However, when he mentioned staring out the window and watching the snow, Alicia simply couldn't agree more.

The Summer gently brought up her hand and tucked a few strands of hair gently behind her ear. "It really is," she agreed quiety. "I think the snow is very beautiful, it makes me wonder if winter is my favorite season - though I suppose that would be rather traitorous, wouldn't it?" She giggled quietly to herself, hiding her smile behind her hand. She glanced back up at Jacob, then seemingly behind him.

Jacob hadn't thought about it like that, but were favorite seasons taken into account for where a person would be placed? Well, apparently not. Neither of their favorite seasons were summer, yet there they were, in the aforementioned Summer. Was it really that big of a deal, though? There was obviously more to it than just the weather someone was most comfortable in. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," he responded, laughing and giving her a smile. "My favorite season is fall, so then we'd both be sorted wrong, wouldn't we?"

Leaning back in his chair, the Summer looked over towards the front, wondering once again how long it took to make coffee. Did it take that long? Wait, how long had they been there anywhere? He had kind of lost track of time - if it had truly been a long time at all - while talking to Alicia. "I really like it when the leaves begin to change color, and there's usually a nice breeze outside, so it's not too hot or too cold. There are just those perfect days where you just want to stay outside all day."

Alicia laughed quietly under her breath, "Yes, I suppose so." She quietly agreed. Although Winter might possibly have been her favorite season, she couldn't very well often get along with the people in their house at all. Most of them were often cold, or loners, not very good company. Spring and Autumns were more agreeable, she supposed, but Springs were far more orderly and Autumns too carefree for her tastes.

"That sounds wonderful. It's just a little different where I'm from." She suddenly looked a little stumped. Did he know where she was from? Did she ever ask where he used to live? She felt a little bad when she realized not. "Where are you from, Jacob?" She straight-up asked, her head tilted ever-so slightly in curiosity.

As if on a cue to stop his wondering, the waiter returned with two deep cups of cappachino on his tray, and two bread-like sticks covered in chocolate. "Careful, it's hotter that usual." The server warned, serving them their food and leaving them.

Huh. For some reason, he hadn't expected her to ask him where he was from. Since they all went to the same school in a neutral location, it hadn't seem important where everyone was originally located, though it was conversation all the same. "Well, I'm from Texarkana. The Tex part more than the Arkana side." Hmm, he didn't know where she was from either. Well, since they were divulging this little tidbit anyway… "How about you, Alicia? Where are you from?" It must've been somewhere more similar to where he was from if this was a change of pace.

Suddenly, their order was brought forth, and it seemed the two had signaled more than just two coffees. Jacob's eyes glanced down in interest at the chocolate-coated breadstick, gingerly picking up one of them and looking over it. "I didn't realize you got these with coffee," he said softly. "What is it, exactly?" Well, he knew what it looked like: a chocolate-covered breadstick, but he was curious as to what exactly it was, what it was called. The scent drifting from the cappachinos was rather powerful. Not exactly enticing, but powerful nonetheless.

can't hold it back anymooooreee

At that moment, she would've been very ashamed to admit it, but it had taken her quite a few moments to really understand what a "Texarkana" was. "I see." Alicia forced a light laugh, smiling and nodding, trying to go along with it anyways. She gently placed her hands around the steaming cappuccino, enjoying the intense warmth it gave off. Before she started speaking, it hit her, "Oh -" Arkansas. Of course. A small blush crept onto her cheek as she felt a bit embarrassed of herself. It was so obvious. "I'm from San Francisco, myself." She said, "The only city where every street you walk is uphill." Smiling to herself at her little joke, she knew it was true. The city itself was built on so many hills, anywhere you went was nothing but a steep climb, or so it seemed. Anyone who had been there knew that.

She gave him a curious look. Maybe it was a bay thing? Did they not have the treats in this Texarkana? Or coffee at all, for that matter. She laughed a bit under her breath as he stared down the biscuit with interest. "A biscotti." Alicia explained gently, "An italian cookie they baked dry twice. It's sweet, but not too sweet. Just like the cappuccino." She picked up a piece of her own, dipping it softly into the cup, through the foamy top and letting it soak for a few minutes before pulling it out and taking a bit. Seemingly satisfied, she shot Jacob a look, encouraging him to do the same.

San Francisco, huh? That must be a tough place to live if all the streets were uphill. He had never been to California, but he had figured it was hot all the time, so maybe he wasn't missing much. "Huh, interesting… Have you ever slipped and rolled down a street on accident?" Reel it in, buddy. I thought we talked about this.

Well, Alicia certainly seemed more versed in all of this stuff than he. Maybe it was a bay thing. He watched as she dipped the biscotti in the coffee, then seemed to give him a book to replicate her feat. Not knowing what else to do, he took the dried bread within his hand and dipped it in the steaming coffee, gazing up at Alicia while he let it soak. "Is biscotti even a word?" He gave her a teasing smile, finally removing the treat from the drink and taking a bite. Mmm, it wasn't bad actually. Just like she said, it was sweet without being too sweet.

The Summer shook her head, a soft grin on her face as she imagined it. An endless cycle of steep hills, rolling on and on forever. It was a funny thought, she wondered why she'd never pictured it before. She paused, trying to think of something decently clever to say, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear again. "If I have, I don't think I'd ever find my way up again." Alicia said simply. With a bit of amusement, she watched him take the biscuit and dunk it into his coffee. It seemed like a completely alien thing to him. "I believe it's Italian." The young woman replied, laughing a bit along with him.

She set her own treat aside, picking up her coffee with careful hands. Alicia felt and new better that she wouldn't have been able to hold it long, since it was so hot, but the aroma was far too enticing to leave it there any longer. She'd near brought the cup to her lips when a waiter behind them tripped, dropping his tray of dishes onto the empty table behind them, making several large crashing sounds directly beside her. The brunette couldn't help but flinch, jumping in her seat and losing her grip on her cup - she nearly dropped it on the table, managing to get it down on the plate, but spilling some of the drink on her shirt. "Oh-" She bit her lip to try and keep from fretting, but the hot coffee spread and seeped through her sweater quickly. "I - uh -" Alicia was honestly a bit troubled on what to do, pulling her shirt out so the coffee wouldn't touch her skin.

Concerning a never-ending street of rolling, Jacob couldn't help but notice a similar cycle wherein Alicia would tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear, which she had been doing the entire time. What a strange thing to pay attention to, though. Trying to take his mind off of that, he nodded at her reveal of the biscotti's Italian-ness, taking another bite of the bread. Suddenly, a loud noise emanated from behind them.

Some waiter had tripped and dropped a bunch of dishes, sending them clattering to the floor and nearly causing Jacob to jump out of his chair. His surprise at the sudden noise increase was soon directed towards his date, who obviously had been rattled by the occurrence as well, since in her shock she had spilled coffee on her sweater. Seeping through her outerwear, the hot beverage must've been staining her shirt, as she had pulled it out away from her skin to avoid what would more than likely be a pretty bad burn. Oh heck, what to do, what to do… Well, she needed to remove the attire lest it burn her skin. Without really thinking about it, the Summer had quickly removed his own shirt and handed it around the table towards Alicia so it didn't knock over any more coffee and make things worse. "Here, put this on. You don't want to burn your skin." Wait, did he just take off his shirt in a public place? And did he by proxy tell his date to take her own shirt off in turn? Wow, self-consciousness happens pretty fast in these situations. "Uh, and… it'll eventually get cold, and you… don't want to be outside in wet clothes." Cheeks flushing in embarrassment, he looked up at the ceiling and groped behind him for his jacket, the thought fluttering into his brain as he pulled it on to cover his bare torso that he could've just handed over his jacket instead of looking like an asshole. That thought would've been helpful fifteen seconds ago. Where were his intelligent thoughts when he needed them?