"Wait- I don’t think-” Elliot floundered as Maeve and Eden walked off to go about their duties at Julianna’s insistence. He signed sharply through his nose, unsure of how to breech the gossipy topic they wanted him to get more details on. When the smaller twin was close enough, Eli slung an arm around her neck and brought her against his chest in a crushing hug. Julianna pawed and struggled against him, but he didn’t let her go.
“Elliot,” she complained, words muffled against his sweater. She managed to free her face, lifting it upwards so she could at the very least breathe. “What do you want?”
“A venti soy milk double java chip frappe with extra caramel sauce,” he replied without missing a beat, his firm grip on her forced Julianna to follow him as he walked to the other end of the counter which was fitted with the small swinging door that allowed employees to come and go.
“I hate making those,” she reminded him as he released her. She adjusted her apron and bumped the door open with her hip. “Soy milk doesn't whip,” she continued, pushing her hair on top of her head and securing it into a messy bun. “It's not even a frappe. It's just-” she waved her hands around, trying to think of something insulting to call Elliot's preferred beverage before lowering them into the sink to be washed. “I don't know. It's a mess.”
Elliot shrugged his shoulders, his own hands disappearing into his pockets as he made a very obvious and sweeping gesture with his eyes to where Harrison was leaned over the order counter doing something on his phone. Turning around, Julianna followed Eli’s gaze and sighed.
“Harrison. I need a venti java chip. Soy milk. Two shots espresso and caramel sauce.”
Julianna glanced at the clock on the register. “You have like seven minutes before I get really busy,” she informed Elliot, so he leaned close, to speak with her quietly.
“Who's that guy you were talking to?”
She looked over Elliot’s shoulder to Owen, still seated at the table by the window. “That's Owen. He's a friend.”
“Eden said you met him on the street?”
She frowned. “Eden made me sound like a prostitute?”
Elliot now mirrored her expression. “No.”
“I met him at a pay phone, my cell died and he let me have some quarters. Then he showed up here randomly and we've been talking.” She shrugged.
“You seem pretty close for having just met him?”
"Oh?” She feigned ignorance, because she certainly felt close to him already. Inexplicably so. There was something warm and easy and familiar about his company. Pushing her hair back as if they were old friends.
“A lot of touching.”
“Oh.”
Elliot removed his hands from his pockets to accept his abomination of a drink from Harrison. The mocha colored liquid was already mostly slush, chocolate chips had sunk to the bottom, caramel sauce weighed down a heap of whipped cream. “Is there...something going on between you?”
Julianna exhaled a nervous chuckle from her nose. “No.” She looked at the clock again. “You have two minutes.”
Elliot sipped at his drink and rolled his eyes. “How’s Jean?” he pressed.
“Fine, I assume. He's in Prague.”
Her twin hummed in understanding, and the deepening frown on her face had him resistant to ask any more questions. Elliot called his goodbyes to Maeve and Eden, lamenting his return to work before he made an exit from Dolce, just in time for the post-lunch rush.
The shop was busy for the rest of the afternoon and well into closing time. Several groups of students from the nearby university had crammed themselves in, to finish what sounded like an important project with a very close deadline, and that said nothing for the constant stream of patrons that continued to come and go. It was already 7:45 by the time Maeve was able to get them all kicked out so they could start cleaning. It was already 8:00 when Julianna made it to her office to start the closing count and paperwork.
She checked her phone first. Somewhere around 5 she had been able to send Owen a text that she was looking forward to tonight.
No pictures, or anything for that matter, from Jean.
She would have no time to go home and change before Owen would be returning to Dolce to pick her up. She sighed, and started her count over again, because she'd lost track of her five dollar bills.
At 8:50, Julianna locked the door and stood outside the entrance to her shop. She'd let her hair back down, and freshened up her makeup in the bathroom mirror. She had forgotten to hang the blouse she had worn that morning, so it had still been a damp mess when she had gone to change back into it. A clean Dolce t-shirt, a zip-up hoodie she had found stashed in the office. Jeans. Converse. She looked down at the rubber soles of her shoes and frowned.
Great.
“Elliot,” she complained, words muffled against his sweater. She managed to free her face, lifting it upwards so she could at the very least breathe. “What do you want?”
“A venti soy milk double java chip frappe with extra caramel sauce,” he replied without missing a beat, his firm grip on her forced Julianna to follow him as he walked to the other end of the counter which was fitted with the small swinging door that allowed employees to come and go.
“I hate making those,” she reminded him as he released her. She adjusted her apron and bumped the door open with her hip. “Soy milk doesn't whip,” she continued, pushing her hair on top of her head and securing it into a messy bun. “It's not even a frappe. It's just-” she waved her hands around, trying to think of something insulting to call Elliot's preferred beverage before lowering them into the sink to be washed. “I don't know. It's a mess.”
Elliot shrugged his shoulders, his own hands disappearing into his pockets as he made a very obvious and sweeping gesture with his eyes to where Harrison was leaned over the order counter doing something on his phone. Turning around, Julianna followed Eli’s gaze and sighed.
“Harrison. I need a venti java chip. Soy milk. Two shots espresso and caramel sauce.”
Julianna glanced at the clock on the register. “You have like seven minutes before I get really busy,” she informed Elliot, so he leaned close, to speak with her quietly.
“Who's that guy you were talking to?”
She looked over Elliot’s shoulder to Owen, still seated at the table by the window. “That's Owen. He's a friend.”
“Eden said you met him on the street?”
She frowned. “Eden made me sound like a prostitute?”
Elliot now mirrored her expression. “No.”
“I met him at a pay phone, my cell died and he let me have some quarters. Then he showed up here randomly and we've been talking.” She shrugged.
“You seem pretty close for having just met him?”
"Oh?” She feigned ignorance, because she certainly felt close to him already. Inexplicably so. There was something warm and easy and familiar about his company. Pushing her hair back as if they were old friends.
“A lot of touching.”
“Oh.”
Elliot removed his hands from his pockets to accept his abomination of a drink from Harrison. The mocha colored liquid was already mostly slush, chocolate chips had sunk to the bottom, caramel sauce weighed down a heap of whipped cream. “Is there...something going on between you?”
Julianna exhaled a nervous chuckle from her nose. “No.” She looked at the clock again. “You have two minutes.”
Elliot sipped at his drink and rolled his eyes. “How’s Jean?” he pressed.
“Fine, I assume. He's in Prague.”
Her twin hummed in understanding, and the deepening frown on her face had him resistant to ask any more questions. Elliot called his goodbyes to Maeve and Eden, lamenting his return to work before he made an exit from Dolce, just in time for the post-lunch rush.
The shop was busy for the rest of the afternoon and well into closing time. Several groups of students from the nearby university had crammed themselves in, to finish what sounded like an important project with a very close deadline, and that said nothing for the constant stream of patrons that continued to come and go. It was already 7:45 by the time Maeve was able to get them all kicked out so they could start cleaning. It was already 8:00 when Julianna made it to her office to start the closing count and paperwork.
She checked her phone first. Somewhere around 5 she had been able to send Owen a text that she was looking forward to tonight.
No pictures, or anything for that matter, from Jean.
She would have no time to go home and change before Owen would be returning to Dolce to pick her up. She sighed, and started her count over again, because she'd lost track of her five dollar bills.
At 8:50, Julianna locked the door and stood outside the entrance to her shop. She'd let her hair back down, and freshened up her makeup in the bathroom mirror. She had forgotten to hang the blouse she had worn that morning, so it had still been a damp mess when she had gone to change back into it. A clean Dolce t-shirt, a zip-up hoodie she had found stashed in the office. Jeans. Converse. She looked down at the rubber soles of her shoes and frowned.
Great.
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you.
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Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-16-2017, 01:38 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-16-2017, 01:45 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-16-2017, 03:06 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-16-2017, 03:27 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-16-2017, 04:10 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-16-2017, 07:17 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-16-2017, 09:07 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-16-2017, 09:56 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-16-2017, 10:45 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-17-2017, 10:01 AM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-17-2017, 11:15 AM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-17-2017, 11:54 AM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-17-2017, 12:46 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-17-2017, 01:17 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-17-2017, 02:05 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-17-2017, 02:53 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-17-2017, 07:15 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-17-2017, 08:43 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-20-2017, 11:21 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 04-21-2017, 04:37 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 04-23-2017, 02:50 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 05-07-2017, 05:14 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 05-13-2017, 09:26 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 05-15-2017, 01:48 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 05-16-2017, 12:44 AM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 05-21-2017, 12:54 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 05-24-2017, 12:10 AM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 05-29-2017, 04:50 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 05-30-2017, 07:51 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 06-24-2017, 09:38 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 06-28-2017, 07:39 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 07-31-2017, 11:09 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 08-29-2017, 12:16 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 09-29-2017, 07:04 PM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by saronym - 12-01-2017, 01:17 AM
RE: Variations on a Theme [Closed] - by megs - 08-04-2019, 12:06 PM