A CAFFEINE LOVE STORY [une histoire d'amour à la caféine]

Ryan was a barista at Cuppa Joe. he was a coffeeholic in his late childhood and eventually got into being a barista. He really enjoyed the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans,and the smell of brewing coffee, and he believed that the aroma triggers memories more than any other senses.So he usually spent most of his hours in his coffee shop.He had some regular customers,among most of which where highschoolers. He loved to see those people spending happy hours at his shop.

One day he was so busy with preparing 4 lattes for the Highschoolers.It was a rush hour as it was the lunch break at the nearby High School. and after the students had left, he noticed a girl sitting at one corner of the shop.She seemed to be so engrossed in her book,that she was not knowing what was going around.

Ryan went up to her"hey,i am sorry for being late.It was a rush hour,so i didn't notice you". She looked up from the book and smiled.It was the most beautiful smile ever with dimples.It was like looking at the bright sun in the sky with clouds."It's OK,actually i saw you were busy,and I'm in no rush.so I could wait."Ryan was so engrossed in her smile,It was so difficult to take his eyes off her.She felt awkward."Hey,can you hear me?"She waved her hands,and he came to his senses."oh!I am sorry to keep you waiting.what can i get for you?" "Mm...I will have an Espresso" Ryan was excited"That's great.I'll bring it soon" and he dashed to the brewing station.

Within 15 minutes, he brought a hot cup of Espresso.It was having a powerful and arousing smell that filled the air and satisfied the heart of every coffee lover. She took the cup and tasted the hot coffee."Wow!!!It's really good. Thank you" Ryan was so happy "My pleasure,do you want to have a cake or a pastry?" "no thanks, I don't eat pastry"

She drank the coffee,paid the price and went outside. He wanted to ask her name,but couldn't do so. He knew that,from that day onward, he will surely wish to see her come to the shop everyday. And his wish came true. She used to come there every Saturday. One day, as usual, she was sitting in her usual corner table and reading. She never talked to anyone and never looked up from her book. Ryan went up to her,determined to ask her name. He kept the coffee on the table and cleared his throat" Name?" she looked up and said smiling" Wuthering heights" he laughed" I didn't ask the name of the book, I asked your name" She was so embarrassed that her cheeks became red" Mm...sorry..I am Lin" She was so embarrassed that she couldn't look at my face."That's alright" She never looked at him, even while paying.

He thought maybe she felt so difficulty in socializing and that's why she befriended books. He got curious to know more about her and he searched Facebook. He looked up her bio and saw that most of her posts were related to books. He felt her to be a silent girl and wanted to speak to her more. But every time he asked her something, she just gave him the reply and nothing more. Then he started to get that the only thing that would connect them would be 'Books'.

One day when he searched her page, he saw that she had posted asking if someone had the book" Give and take". Seeing this Ryan called up all his friends,asking for the book. But who would have such a book in an era, where people are into e-books and audio books. Only some rare people who treasure reading books, would have it. So he decided to use this opportunity to get to talk to her.

Next day, he dashed to the nearby book stores hoping to get the book. But it was all in vain. But he couldn't give up. He went to the next town and after much searching and by sunset, managed to get the last copy by bribing the salesman and offering an extra 30 dollars.

That Saturday, Lin, as usual came to the coffee shop and sat at the corner table. She was busy reading a book and was waiting for the rush to subside. After an hour or so,Ryan came up to her with a cup of espresso. He watched her drinking the coffee" Lin, here's the book you have been searching for" he handed her the book wrapped in a gift paper " Oh my God!!! is this 'Give and Take'?" "yes" Ryan said smiling. He had never seen her face blushing this much "You don't have an idea how much i searched for this, Thanks a ton" Hearing this he thought in his mind "even you don't have an idea , how much i searched for this, just to see you smile like this" "Thank you. I'll return it as soon as i finish reading this" Ryan said" No worries, you can keep it" She was so happy, and he believed that her smile was the most beautiful thing in the world. He just wanted to keep looking at her, till infinity. But before he knew, she had gone. But he knew how to tackle her, and he had done it right.

When Lin reached home, she couldn't wait to read the book, she had been searching for ages. So she started reading it right away. She reached the 12th page in a stretch,when she noticed a word 'I' highlighted. She didn't understand what that was. Just an 'I'. What does it mean? But her excitement to read the story didn't let her to bother about it, and she continued reading on. And upon reaching 16th page, again a word was highlighted. It was 'LIKE'. She was confused. What does this random highlighting means?

Then as she reached different pages, she saw different words highlighted. She took a piece of paper and started to write down those highlighted words. And those were...

"I LIKE YOUR SMILE, IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL" " WHY ARE YOU SO SILENT " " I WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU" " CAN WE TALK?"

She was so astonished to see those words starting to make sense. Her heart was pounding and she smiled seeing those words. Also she felt sad for ignoring him,all these times.

Next day,it was a Friday, but she couldn't wait for Saturday. She went straight to the coffee shop and saw Ryan sitting at the counter. Lin entered the coffee shop, her heart thumping and her face blushing. Ryan looked up and saw her. He was so exhilarated that he started to stutter" To..today is Fri..friday" "Yeah..I know" She told him. He was so amazed to see her walk straight upto the counter." Two espresso" He was awestruck, thinking that she had a boyfriend and he was coming over.But he didn't want to ask that. All his happiness had drained and he felt so downcast. He took the espressos to the corner table. He kept the coffee on the table and turned to walk back, when suddenly, she held his hand and asked him to sit. He sat down. Both of them didn't look each other for a long time and didn't speak a word.

Ryan broke the silence " Lin, do you want to tell anything?" She looked up and smiled ,her beautiful smile, which made his heart flutter. "I am sorry Ryan, I am a silent kind, so I don't talk easily. I have been neglecting you, each time you wanted to talk. I don't have any friends. All I have are books. They don't judge me, so I love them. I love them more than humans". Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Hey, don't be sad. I just wanted to talk to you so badly" he held her hand" I know Ryan, I am such a weirdo...". " No, you are not". She smiled" I saw those words in the book, and I am really happy, at least one person in this world wants to talk to me.I am so happy" She burst out crying. "No Lin, please don't cry. Please stay happy and smile" She said "I was a normal kid, like everyone. But life took it's turn on me, and I fell there.

"I was a normal girl, cheerful and happy always. When I was 7 years old, my mom and dad divorced. Both of them didn't want me, and I had to go to the orphanage. My mom and dad remarried, but never cared for me, never called me or visited me. Even the students in the orphanage didn't like me. That was the time i befriended books. After I entered the world, I have never spoken out my heart to anyone. No one had wanted to talk to me, Ryan. No one ever asked to me if I am OK,No one cares for me". She started to cry. "Don't worry, Lin". he wiped her tears and held her close" I want to talk to you. I wanna know if you are OK. I am there to care for you. From now onward, you will never be alone, as long as I am there. I need you, always". He hugged her tightly.He wiped her tears and asked her to drink the coffee. Then they talked for almost 5 hours until it was time to close the shop.

"Ryan, Thanks for being such a wonderful friend". Ryan held her hands "Lin, I love you" She cried in happiness" Ryan, really?" "yes, I have always wanted to talk to you, and now, that I know all about you, I can't stop loving you. I love you more now". She hugged him tight" I love you too Ryan"

Spring came in and Cuppa Joe was filled with more people, But for Ryan his special Espresso is always for his Lin.