Calliope - Summer 2021

Page 26

Parker

Gabrielle Marques

I take a deep breath, trying to submerge myself in the spicy scent of my latte. Its warm aroma settles in the air, mixing in with the coffee shop’s gentle ambience. The foam of the coffee is light, but fluffy, and its overwhelmingly sweet flavor allows me to indulge. For a new shop, this place already makes me feel at home. They’ll be seeing me here more often. Besides, I just know Parker would love this place. I should probably bring something home to him, considering how he always goes on about how he wanted to visit all the cafés in our little town. I place an order for an iced americano and a scone, and read a few pages of a new novel, Fractured Reality. It’s from an author that I really like, and the story is about a girl who’s trapped in a false world and struggles to find her true identity. I can’t seem to take the plot seriously. I mean, who could be stupid enough to lose her reality? After a few minutes, the barista delivers Parker’s latte directly to my seat rather than having me get up to receive it from the pick-up station. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” I say. He smiles. “It’s not a problem. Besides, I was hoping to talk to you over here.”

“And why is that?”

His face turns red. “Uh, it’s just that I think you’re really pretty and I wanted to ask for your number?” I smile at him politely. Sure enough, he’s cute. His chestnut brown hair is swept back under his little barista beret and he has some stubble on his chin. However, he’s nothing compared to Parker. “Sorry, I have a boyfriend.” I say. His facial expression turns to one of complete embarrassment, and I struggle to keep in my laughter. He mumbles an apology and leaves without another word. I’m definitely going to tell Parker about this. 26


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