Conan took a walk around the quad after the lesson. His brain was still scrambled from his interaction with the girl he sat next to. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know her interests, her schedule, her lovers… he wanted to know everything. However, Conan also did not want to start stalking her immediately. He decided to simply try to move on with the rest of a typical routine and forget about this random girl.
So, Conan did. He went to the most popular bar where most students accumulated after classes and waited for his chance. He saw a group of juniors walk in, one of them with red-stained cheeks and the others trying to cheer her up, all with petite clothing and rhinestones. Yes, a woman's first outing after a breakup is perfect.
Conan decided to hold back and carefully watched the group from the bar. He had a pour of whiskey neat and was carefully grooming it. He swirled the glass and watched the legs of the amber liquid slide down the inside of the crustal glass. He watched a girl from the group order a round of lemon drop shots and brought the six cups over to the booth where the girls were stationed.
Conan did not particularly like this bar, but it was the easiest way to make acquaintances. It also had a more “antique” aesthetic with dark brown cabinets and accents with dark green cushioned stools scattered about. Only light was emitted from the warm tulip head ornaments from above and old pictures of the town littered the walls. There was a pool table in the back that was always over-occupied and a few booths reserved for groups who got there earlier in the night. Conan preferred the bar as he was friends with most of the bartenders and liked how he could see the majority of the bar from his angle.
He waited for the one who endured the breakup to break away from the group. As she walked past where Conan was seated, probably going to the bathroom, Conan looked up and gave a classic smolder. She looked at him in the briefest of glances with felicity. She ducked her head and continued on her way.
“One Aperol spritz please,” Conan gracefully asked the bartender.
When the girl came back, she looked again at Conan.
“Hello,” Conan said gently.
The girl responded with a faint “Hello,” back.
“I am meeting a friend, but he may be blowing me off,” Conan lied and laughed, “would you like to join me?”
“Oh, that is really sweet,” she replied. “But I'm actually out with my friends tonight. It is a no-boys night. I was dumped a few hours ago.”
“What?!” Conan responded as if he did not already know this information. “Who in their right mind would end a,probably, lovely relationship with you?”
She smiled weakly.
“Tell you what,” Conan insisted. “I want you to have a great night with your friends. This is obviously not a good time, but I would love to see you again. Here is my number, please call me whenever. And I had the bartenders make you a drink. I hope you find the recovery you need.” As Conan finished, the bartender gently placed the wine glass of orange, sparkling liquid next to her with a bright orange centered on the rim.
“Th-Thank you!” she replied enthusiastically.
Conan swigged the rest of his liquor, left some cash with a generous tip on the bar, and winked at her as he walked out the door.
Now, all Conan had to do was wait. He knew her friends would never let her get a rebound at the beginning of her night. So he waited until they would all get drunk and she could sneak away or they would all be on board with the “mystery guy from the bar.”
And sure enough, a few hours later, his phone buzzed with an unknown number.
“Hello?” Conan asked sweetly into the ringer.
“Hey,” the girl slurred from the other line. “I was hoping you would answer.”
“Well, you caught me,” Conan smiled.
“So, do you have any plans for the rest of the night? Because, I think I would like to go out,” the girl said drunkenly into the phone.
Conan laughed into the phone, acting amused. “Well, I can meet you wherever you are headed next.”
“Oh, well my friends are all headed home, but I want to see you,” she whined into the phone. “Maybe I could take a cab to your place?”
She was very forward, Conan thought. He knew he was a rebound and did not care. She was the same as him. Conan remembered when it did not use to be this easy. It took weeks to get a girl in bed, now it took a few sentences.
“Sure love, anything I can do to help you feel better,” he said darkly into the phone.
Conan heard her let out a soft sigh. “Okay,” she faltered. “Just send me your address and I will be right over.”
“Sounds good love, see you soon,” and Conan ended the call.
_______________________________________
Conan leaned against the outside of the old brick building on the north side of campus. He decided last night while trying to drift into sleep that he would wait outside the lab that accompanied the lecture he saw Luna in. He had never bothered to attend the lab as it was usually only a study group for the groups of students exceeding or failing. Conan could not stand spending time with the shallow students as they blabbered on about nothing for an hour. However, he assumed Luna would attend.
Conan decided to devote his day to studying her. He could follow her around, or rather see what her day looks like. Once he had seen more of her, Conan was sure he would find her true self and instantly be turned off. Perhaps it was her distance from him that drove Conan, but he would discover something that would clear his mind. She could be impolite to servers, only shit talk, be controlling or abusive to others, or maybe she was extremely dramatic. There had to be a warning sign.
Conan pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled out a single white stick. He clicked his lighter open and inhaled the deep, dark sweetness. He exhaled and watched the stream of smoke float into the sky. Then, he heard the heavy glass door swing open as groups of students began spilling out. Conan scanned the groups till he saw the blob of long, black hair.
His eyes followed her as she was walking with one other girl. The other girl had short, blonde hair and a bright smile. She was laughing as Luna smiled. Conan snuffed the cigarette under his boot and followed from a distance. They continued walking down the winding paths between the main buildings on campus. Conan was not close enough to hear their conversation, but he noticed how often the blonde giggled at Luna. The other girl is Conan's type, but all she seemed to be doing at that moment annoyed him. The girl suddenly began to part along a branch of the main path and waved back at Luna. Luna waved and continued on her way. She seemed to be walking down the main path back to where most of the student-living apartments were.
Sure enough, Luna scanned her ID at one of the building's doors and slid through the opening. Before Conan could catch the door, it latched shut. Luckily for him, another student seemed to have watched him run up to the door.
“Here,” the other attendant said. She slid her badge across the keypad and the door buzzed open. “I forget my card all the time too,” she winked and walked off, glancing back at Conan as she headed up the stairs.
Stolen story; please report.
Conan smiled to himself and pushed the heavy glass door. Now he was a little stuck. He could wait in the lobby for Luna to come back down, but he wanted to move things slightly quicker. He walked over to the front desk of the complex and saw the young staff member focused on his laptop. He seemed to be clicking away wildly with a frustrated pinch on his forehead.
“Hello,” Conan said to the boy. “I sat next to this girl and she left her notebook, could I look at your directory to see what apartment is hers so I can return it?” Conan asked politely.
“Hey man, I usually wouldn’t give a fuck but my boss is here today and I am not about to get fired. Sorry bro,” the attendant said between his keyboard types.
Conan leaned into the desk where the attendant looked him in the eyes. Conan blinked, felt his eyes blaze blue, and asked again. “Can I look at your directory, please?”
The young boy nodded in his daze and stood up. He walked off into the back room. Conan slid around the counter and typed Luna's name into the directory. He did not know her last name, but luckily only two matches popped up. Conan grabbed a pen and wrote the apartment numbers on his hand and deleted his search. Conan walked back to the main entrance and began ascending the stairs.
He decided to check out the lower floor first. She was only on floor two. Conan walked down the monogamous front doors until he found the glittering gold numbers that matched the first penmark on his hand. He pressed his ear against the door but heard nothing. He attempted the handle but the door was locked. Rats, he thought. He did not want to do this, but he did not want to wait around and miss her. Conan focused his energy and felt his head change consistency, and he smashed his head through the door.
Inside, he found a decorated apartment. To the right was a kitchenette with bagels littering the counter and a plethora of empty alcohol bottles lining the top of the cabinets. In front of him was a large, tan leather couch that looked as if it was from the 90s and a TV on a small stand. DIY paintings covered the walls and hundreds of pictures of what looked like four different girls. They were all idyllic and he recognized one of the girls as the blonde Luna talked to earlier. The air was permanently altered by hairspray and vodka. There were pink Christmas lights strung around the room and led down two hallways on either side of the living area. He also noticed from the wall that Luna was in multiple pictures. He had found her.
Conan pulled his head back through and felt a wild headache coming on. He grabbed the side of his head and thought to himself. “What the hell was he doing?” He was essentially stalking this girl. He needed to stop. He took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of himself. Just as he was about to walk down the hall, he heard a familiar sweet voice from the other side of the door. Conan panicked and pushed himself against the opposite wall and turned invisible. He then saw the familiar figure open her door and began descending the stairs and softly hummed to herself.
Luna had her hair pulled back into a ponytail with a few pieces falling and framing her face. She looked down at her phone with earbud cords hanging out and tucked into her ears. She was wearing a green long-sleeve shirt and light blue overalls over top. She had high, chunky socks with some tan clogs covering her feet. Conan watched as her image blurred into the rainbow knight sweater overtop her attire as she continued down the stairs. Her scent lingered, filling the room with gourmand notes of almond, jasmine, and sandalwood. Once she was out of sight, Conan sighed in relief and became visible again. He would not have been able to hold on much longer as he was straining his powers already. Conan inhaled instinctively and began to follow.
She continued down the stairs and out the front door. Conan decided to continue to follow her, but he had to stop his obsession. No more sneaking around. He went out the door and returned to the cloudy day. He watched her walk down the sidewalk and stop at the nearest bus stop. Soon, the bus began to roll up. Conan lightly jogged down the sidewalk and hopped on the bus at the last minute. He hastily walked to the back of the bus, and luckily Luna did not seem to notice him. She was looking out the large window, seemingly lost in thought.
They sat through a few stops and the bus began to fill. Eventually, there were no extra seats. At the next stop, an older gentleman walked onto the bus and looked around. Luna looked up and instantly rose from her position. Conan almost stood to follow, but she waved the man down and gestured to her spot. He smiled as he waddled over and politely patted her shoulder as he sat down. Luna moved to the side and held onto the handrail. Conan could not help but drop his mouth slightly.
Luna continued to watch out the window as the world whizzed past. She leaned heavily into the bar as the bus jolted. But the bus began to stir slightly as it slowed. The vast majority began to stand and Luna looked forward to the next stop. When it halted, everyone escaped out the main openings into downtown. Luna followed suit.
Conan stood and waited for the last trickles of the group to leave and he hopped off the bus. He watched Luna turn left and continue walking and humming to herself. She then turned down a side alley between the old, tightly woven buildings.
Conan walked down the street and turned down the same alley to find her going through an “Employees Only” entrance. He walked back around to peer at the front of the building. It was a coffee house called “Bottle and Brew.” He had heard of the little tavern, but never really had a chance to go in. He usually avoided this area as it was always swarmed with tourists and college families.
Conan pressed his palm against the thick, oak door to hear a small bell jingle. His eyes adjusted to the dimly lit cafe to see a nearly empty shop. There were a few small tables placed around with mix-matched chairs, all in varying shades of wood. Candles were willowing on tables creating a warm light. The gray walls guided Conan’s eyes to the coffee bar. A long, wood panel held a sterling gray espresso machine with multiple handcrafted mugs and ceramic cups. The air stunk of coffee beans.
Luna walked from the back room, tying an apron tightly around her slim waist. She went directly to the espresso machine and began handling the portafilters with grace. She fell into the dance of making a latte with, what looked like, years of precision. She watched the espresso machine hum as she watched the amber, creamy liquid pour into a ceramic cup. As the shot pulled, she began pouring whole milk into the pitcher and purging her steam wand. She lifted the cold milk and a paper ripping sound rattled the air as she carefully steamed the milk. By only using her palm, she was able to settle the temperature of the milk as the shot finished pulling. With precise wrist movements, she began pouring the milk into the cup. When she finished, she smiled and set down the ceramic mug with a light clink. On the surface was a feathered swan.
“Beautiful,” Conan breathed.
Luna started and apologized. “I’m so sorry, I didn't see you there.” She walked over to the register and looked up at Conan's face. He saw immediately that she instantly recognized him as the asshole from class.
She plastered a tight smile and in her light customer service voice asked, “What can I get started for you today?”
Conan then realized he had no idea what he wanted. He knew he needed to be genuine during this interaction. He did not want to scare her away again.
“I now know why you turned down my coffee date offer,” Conan laughed. “I would as well if I could make my latte like that.”
Luna sighed with relief. Conan knew she was expecting the dick, but he wanted to be himself. She laughed, “Yeah, I have gotten pretty picky when it comes to coffee. I refuse to pay anyone else for it when I know I make my favorite stuff.”
“That’s fair. So, if you are a coffee expert, then what should I get?” Conan asked.
“Well, I usually play this game with myself when it's slow where I try to guess the customer's order when they walk in. Some people just give off the look of their order,” Luna responded.
“When was the last time you were wrong?” Conan pried.
“Yesterday, I got a black coffee ready for a buff, bald guy who wanted an iced salted caramel latte. So I am obviously not very good,” she smiled.
“Well, pretend I just walked in, what would you make me?” Conan tried.
Luna gave him a good look up and down. She smirked as she thought. “Okay, I got it.” She turned around and began working.
Conan stepped back and watched as she grabbed an opened bag of beans with a blue label from a shelf. She freshly ground the beans and set them in a filter over a pour-over pot. She placed the pot on a scale with a timer and began blooming the cup with certain grams of water and pausing every so often. After a few minutes, she finished and watched the rest of the coffee drip into the glass pot.
She grabbed a paper cup and filled it with fresh coffee.
“Take a sip,” she implied as she handed it to Conan.
Conan smiled and took the hot cup into his cold hands. He blew slightly and took a long sip of the dark liquid. He sat in deliberation for a second. He had been making coffee every morning for the past 50-plus years and he was picky as well.However, she must have added magic to the grounds.
“This may as well be my first cup of coffee. It's incredible,” Conan remarked.
“Luna smiled brightly. “I knew it,” she exclaimed. “You definitely strike me as a black coffee kind of guy, but I also sensed you needed something better than just the usual crap on drip. Damn, I'm good,” she smiled brightly.
Conan smiled back. He then reached into his pocket to find his wallet.
“Oh no, please,” Luna remarked. “This one's on me. Hell, you didn't even order. Just enjoy it.”
Conan looked up at her but continued pulling out his wallet. He took out a 20-dollar bill and placed it in the tip jar.
“Thank you,” Conan responded with a smile.
Luna looked back up at him, a bit of disbelief across her face. Her eyes showed a newfound sweetness towards Conan that was not there during their first interaction. Conan exited the shop and could not help taking another long sip of the delicious potion she had made for him.