Caffeine Please

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

The clock never seemed to change. No matter how long it felt, the time remained the same. Ever since Levi attempted to visit his spot he hasn’t been able to sleep well, if at all. It had been a rough couple of days and he didn’t know what to do. He tried everything. He would read, workout, count sheep, listen to soothing music, literally anything he could think of to help sooth him to sleep or tire him out and nothing had worked. It had made his fluid timeline come to a screeching halt. He was now all too aware of the time and days. It was all he could focus on. Although his restless nights were torturous it was the days that really got to him. He was aimless, and not very animated. It was dreadful.

In an endeavor to avoid total loss of function. Levi decided to take a somewhat relaxing walk around town. The fresh air would do him some good. He left his pups at home, not wanting to have to deal with them today. Although, he knew they would be well behaved. He said goodbye to them, and threw his jean jacket over his white t-shirt, making sure to grab his sunglasses on the way out. He knew how tired he looked as he glanced briefly in the mirror. He put his sunglasses on to conceal his weary eyes.

Levi took his normal route towards downtown. His hazel eyes lazily scanning the area. He came across a coffee shop that normally he would ignore, but today it tempted him. The place was slightly irritating. He never thought he would step foot in such an establishment, but he was in desperate need for caffeine. Slowly he walked up to the counter. “Can I get uh, a large black coffee please.” He muttered as he fumbled in his pocket for his wallet. Pulling out some bills, he placed them on the counter and took his coffee and turned, searched for a place to sit.

There was a small open table near the corner away from the window. “Bingo.” He grumbled quietly to himself. He made his way over to his little island, not paying any mind to all the people that filled the shop. He slide into his chair, and placed the coffee in front of him on the table. He adjusted his glasses, and ran his fingers through his hair while letting out a small puff of air. Levi took a sip of the hot coffee, which slightly burned his mouth. He dismissed it, although the pain was there, he was more concerned with his lack of sleep recently. His tired eyes remained hidden behind his shades, and for a moment, he felt the heaviness of his lids slowly come down, until the view of the busy coffee shop faded to black.

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Tag: Beth Young

[Beth Young]

Beth was growing more and more familiar with the idea of having moved back to Kalispell. More days went by between the times she missed New York and she became more and more certain that the idea of moving away was the right choice. After all, staying back there surely wouldn't have helped her and her husband's wounds heal properly. But time heals all wounds, right?

She could only hope that they'd made the right choice. She could only hope that they'd get some sense of normalcy. She wasn't about to quit either. Oh no. Even if it would kill her, she was going to make damn sure that this meant something. That it would all be worth it eventually. That was the least thing they could do. They deserved some semblance of happiness after everything.

Stepping into the coffee shop, Beth went straight for the line that had been made in front of the counter. While waiting, her green eyes moved over the various people sitting around, enjoying their coffee. The line eventually lessened and within minutes, Beth stood with a cup of coffee in her hands, trying to find somewhere to sit.

Her eyes fell upon a nearly empty table and with a slight sigh, she moved towards it. Clearing her throat as she approached the man, Beth's grip tightened awkwardly around the cup she was holding. "Excuse me," she began. "Mind if I join you?"

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Although his eyes were closed, he wasn’t asleep. Damn. He heard everything going on in the shop. The constant opening and closing of the door, with the annoying little ding every time it opened. The bickering of the people around him having conversations either with their company or over the phone. The stream of the coffee machine dispensing cup after cup. The screech of the wooden chairs rubbing against the tile floor as people moved them to either sit or get up. It was so loud. All of it, and he was so painstakingly aware of everything.

It wasn’t until he felt a presence just a few feet in front of him that he opened his eyes. His shades deflected any bright light from directly burning his eyes. It was a woman, and as soon as he had opened them she spoke. His eyes shifted from her to the rest of the shop, it was more crowded than it was when he had entered. He let out a quiet sigh. and removed his shades, placing them on the table next to his coffee. “Please do.” He answered, gesturing to the seat across from him. Levi took a large gulp of his now tepid coffee. With his drink in one hand, he used the other to gently rub his left temple. He offered the woman a half smile, “It’s a bit packed in here today huh?”

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Tag: Beth Young

[Beth Young]

Beth offered the man a warm, friendly smile when he told her that she could sit down. She pulled the chair he'd gestured at out and sat down, putting the cup of coffee down on the table in front of her, wrapping both hands around it, letting the heat move through her fingers. "Thank you." Ah, boy did that feel nice. She looked out over the crowd and nodded. "Yeah," she said in agreement, "I can't remember the last time this place had this many people in it at once."

Then again, it had been quite a shock, coming back to Montana and finding the coffee shops nearly empty when she was so used to the busy street life of New York where all these kinds of places would be packed. It made her both sad and happy. It made her miss New York, but it also made her happy that she and her husband had moved. Turning her attention back towards the man, Beth smiled once more. "My name is Beth. Beth Young."

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi smiled slightly at the woman, and watched her as she sat across from him. His eyes gazed over the woman to the people in the background, then made their way back to her. He shrugged slightly, “I wouldn’t know. This is my first time in here.” He said as he took another large sip of his coffee. The caffeine wasn’t working as he had hoped it would.

After rubbing his temple on last time, he casually rubbed the left side of his face before placing his hand in his lap. The one thing that benefited from this insomnia of his was the fact that his mind was silent. What a relief that was, but at what cost? “I’m Levi. Levi Wolfe.” He said rather apathetically. It felt weird saying his last name. He rarely did. He tried to stay away from doing so. Especially around here. So why did he just say that? He took yet another large sip of his coffee. It was half empty already.

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Tag: Beth Young

[Beth Young]

"Oh," the brunette replied, eyes going wide for a brief moment. She thought this was one of those places most locals and teachers around Kalispell went. She'd seen plenty of people hang around and outside coffee shops before. Then again, maybe this guy was new. Who was she to tell, seeing as how she'd just come back herself only a few months ago. "Well, I hope this place is treating you well so far," she added with a warm smile. It was never too late to welcome someone new.

The name sparked something at the back of her mind, but surely, there was plenty of people with that last name, right? It had been such a long time since she had been in Kalispell, that her mind could have been growing fuzzy. Shaking the feeling off, the brunette smiled again. "Beth Young," she said in turn, trying her best to ignore the way the man spoke. Her training wanted to pull his mind out and pick at it, but she'd long since taught herself that it was far from polite.

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

“Eh, it’s alright. I’m not a big coffee guy.” He said flatly with a shrug. He swirled what was left of his coffee around in the cup. He couldn’t help but feel bad about how rude he was being to a stranger, and a nice one at that. He needed to sleep is what the problem was. He was becoming such a grouch, it was unlike him. Yet here he was at a coffee shop he would never enter, to drink something he’d never drink, in order to keep him awake when in reality he desperately needed to sleep? There was no sense in that.

Levi tilted his head slightly. He was aware how out of it he was, but he just had the strangest sense of déjà vu. It was that, or did she just repeat her name again? “Levi Wolfe.” He repeated, confused. “Nice to meet you Beth Young.” He said, trying to be a little less rude. He shifted in his seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable in such a hard chair. Levi took a large gulp of his almost cool coffee, it was disgusting. He gestured towards her cup, “What are you drinking?” He asked, looking back at his cup. “Mines empty, would you like another one or something else perhaps?” He offered. He could most certainly use another coffee.

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Tag: Beth Young

[Beth Young]

"I see," the brunette smiled. Well, she could understand that. It had taken her quite some time to get used to it herself. And now it had become a necessity of sorts. The day wasn't entirely the same without some caffeine. She could easily enough understand why people would stay away from it. It was a nasty addiction that was hard to get rid of, but she also supposed that there were worse things to be addicted to.

There was a strange change in the man's face, which had the brunette's brows furrowing slightly. She couldn't quite shake the previous feeling, but maybe she'd just seen the man around before. Surely, if she knew him, she would have known, right? Ah, she was probably just being silly and over-analyzing this. Why he repeated his name, though, she didn't know. Looking down at the cup, the brunette smiled. "Cappuccino," she replied with a small chuckle. "Fancy, I know, but I never got used to simply black coffee," she shrugged, looking back at the man. "No thank you. I still have quite a bit left to go, but please, help yourself."

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Levi replied with a nod. His eyes shifted from Beth to his practically empty coffee cup than back to her cup. He offered a small smile. He was finding it a bit difficult to be social at the moment, and that made him more annoyed than he previously was.

“Ah, I’ve never had one. But there’s nothing wrong with fancy.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” Levi stood and felt a bit lightheaded. Great. He swiftly made his way over to the counter. The line had died down which was perfect he needed desperately to sit again before he collapsed. He ordered another large black coffee and cappuccino. If the coffee wasn’t working, perhaps the cappuccino would. He paid the cashier, and returned to his seat across from Beth. He sat, and offered a warm smile to her, “I decided to try it. I’m fancy now too.” He said gesturing to the cappuccino with a small chuckle.

He looked over at the woman. A strange sense of familiarity came over him. It was odd. “So, Beth.” He began, while taking a large sip from his searing coffee. That was a mistake. “Ah God dammit.” He yelped, struggling to swallow the burning liquid. If he hadn’t already looked foolish, this would be the icing on the cake.

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Tag: Beth Young

[Beth Young]

"That's true," Beth laughed. The guy had a point. As long as you enjoyed it, that was the important part, right? She surely couldn't argue with his logic.

Offering the man a nod and a polite smile, she followed him across the room with her eyes before returning to her coffee. While she waited, she took a sip from it and swept her gaze over the room, taking notice of all the unknown faces around. When she heard the man's voice again, he almost startled her. Looking up, the brunette chuckled. "Here's to hoping that you enjoy it," she said, raising her cup.

Beth's eyes went wide when the man swore and she reached for a napkin. "Here, take this," she said as she held it out for him. Though, she wasn't even sure if it would help at all... Probably wouldn't. "Do you want me to get you a glass of water?" Maybe something cold would help?

[Levi Alexander Wolfe]

Yes. He was alert, which could easily be mistaken for being awake, but he felt as though he was half asleep. The shock of the hot beverage did nothing more than irate him more than he already was. Not to mention he felt like a complete idiot. His mouth no longer burned. It just felt numb, and every so often a small sting would reverberate in his mouth. Levi waved his hand dismissively at the woman, who offered a napkin and a glass of water. What he needed was a kick in the head perhaps, or some chloroform. Something to knock him out.

“Thank you, but I’m fine. So much for me trying to be fancy.” He said with a half-smile and small chuckle in a poor attempt to forget what just happened. “I apologize. I haven’t been myself lately.” There it was again. Levi sharing personal facts about himself to a complete stranger. Regardless of how vague it may be. It was still more than Miss Young needed to know.

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Tag: Beth Young