On most days, people exited the subway station in the morning rush running across the busy road with coats, umbrellas, and whatnot as they stormed either into a coffee shop or their office buildings. The majority decided to go into their offices, and only a few chose to go to the coffee shop today, despite the aroma of the arabica and robusta coffee beans, which created a sense of freshness that slowly wafted around the block. The shop was clean, elegant, and upbeat. On weekdays, customers stopped by this hotspot, which was in one of the craziest intersections in the city to get their drinks, but most of them left in a hurry. However, on this slow, summer, Saturday morning, most people stayed with their families at home enjoying their iced-cold refreshments.

The only customer was a man wearing a light blue dress shirt and a blue suit. He sat near the window and noticed that the storm had passed and that warm sunshine finally broke through the clouds and shone through the window. He was not expecting anyone; in fact, he even had some of his own work he had to do in the office, which was situated a block away. Josh needed to polish up his work, but the lazy atmosphere and mood inclined him to stay for longer than he had perceived. Josh took off his suit jacket and put it on a chair next to the window and headed to the cash register. He noticed that there was a new barista as he walked to the counter to order coffee. “Hello, how are you?” asked Josh as he browsed the menu.

“I’m good, what can I getcha today, you fine young man?” the barista replied flirtatiously.

“I’d like a large, half sweet, non-fat soy latte with an extra shot and cream. And make it quick.” 

“Umm-umm… I’m sorry could you repeat that part aga—”

“A large, half sweet, non-fat, soy latte with an extra shot and cream!” said Josh even faster than last time. 

“Alright, that’ll be five dollars and thirty cents, please. And your name?”

“Josh. Here you go, keep the change. Just make me a good darn coffee.”

Josh returned to his seat just as a woman with long, blonde hair strolled by. Her face seemed familiar to Josh. His heart jumped, but as she walked by the storefront, he realized that it was not Mia. “How can that not be Mia?” he wondered. She had the same long blonde hair, same facial features, and the same attractive legs, which Josh always liked to touch and caress. She also walked the same way with the same energy that continuously emitted an aura of elegance.

 Now that he started thinking about her, he noticed how little he actually remembered about her. He would recognize her if he saw her, but he could no longer paint a picture of her in his mind; her social media usernames, phone number, and the bittersweet feelings were all but forgotten. The only thing that Josh could remember was the last time they kissed. He had felt the warmth and sweetness of her presence. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the barista.

“A large, half sweet, non-fat, soy latte with an extra shot and cream for Josh!” she yelled as she closed the lid and placed it on the counter.

“Thanks,” he said as he took his first sip.

As he returned to his seat, he saw that a trickle of people had started to stream into the coffee shop. Josh wondered if maybe they could’ve all had a break or finished their shift. Some ordered coffee and left in a hurry while others stayed. The sudden bustle helped distract him from his memories of Mia.

As the coffee shop filled, Josh began listening attentively to the snippets of conversations around him that spiked his interest.

“....bombed that test. I can’t believe they would test us on….” 

“A small iced coffee, please.”

“I need to get that portfolio report done by the end of the week, or else my boss is going to throw me right through the office window….”

“The sub-prime crisis is really having an effect on our firm; we need to…”

“... When and where are we meeting tomorrow? The park, the theatre?”

As Josh was tuning in and out of different conversations, he heard someone shouting next to him and turned to the lady.

“I can’t believe this right now! How could you do this to me? Even after I told you… I trusted you, and j…..ju-st left me!”

Josh peeked out the corner of his eye and noted that the woman on the phone was quite tall and had long brown hair with a few blonde highlights. Her eyes were ocean blue, and she was wearing a beautiful sunflower dress. 

“You were supposed to be there with me. And after two years, Steven. Two years! How could you just leave like that? You know what?? You’re just a selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone but yourself!! All this time, I was with the wrong person. I thought I could rely on you to hold my hand, but I was wrong.”

As she hung up the phone, tears gushed down the side of her cheeks. She sat there, and there was a moment of awkward silence.

“Hey,” said Josh.

“What do you want, weirdo?” said the lady as she stared at him.

Josh paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “Well... I’ve been through the same thing, and it’ll be okay.”

“No, it’s NOT OKAY, and it will NEVER be OKAY!!” 

“Just hear me out—”

“No, you don’t even know me, how would you know what’s going on?!”

She stood abruptly and stormed out of the shop with her hands over her eyes. 

As Josh stared at her retreating figure, he realized that all the eyes in the room were on him. He slowly stared down at his coffee, wondering about his own past relationship. Had he been as unreasonable as this lady? That emotional and irrational? He had never realized until this moment what a toll the breakup had taken on him. He no longer was the happy person that he used to be. Was this the life that he really wanted to lead? Working overtime on a Saturday morning because he had nothing better to do?

After several minutes of contemplation, Josh stood up, grabbed his coat, and downed the last of his coffee. As he walked towards the exit, he paused and turned to the barista.

“That was one of the best coffees ever,” he exclaimed. “Hey, what was your name again?”

“June, June Worth.”

“Nice meeting you, June. Say… when do you get off work?”