The soft buzz of cars traveling down the endless trails of asphalt drifted lazily past the young woman's ears. Crisp autumn air bit at the exposed places on her creamy skin, leaving a chilled feeling throughout. The earth breathed silently, sending it’s breath through the large city. The leaves were saying their last goodbyes and the skies were tanned from the long summer days. Everything was slowly turning their backs on the warm, leaving behind a light glow. The young woman’s feet were taking her down the cracked sidewalks to the open maze of the cluttered city: Los Angeles. The area was rustic and worn. The old houses signaled memories from a time long before hers. They wore scars of many days out in the sun; aging through the cracks. The colors they bore were now dull and fading into the background. They creaked and moaned; holding many thoughts. The landscape was hunched and rolling. Roads and curbs looked as if they were holding on for dear life. The large palm trees reached for the skies in an endless arms race. Their trunks were peeling and failing due to age. The only youth that sprung from the earth were the weeds growing through the fractured sidewalks. Flowers sought the summers last rays, living out their prime on the endless rows of pots that hung from the porches. The grass was trimmed and under control. A vibrate blue peaked through the clouds and mixed with the brown glow of fall. The mixture left a bronzed hue. It was peaceful.

The youthful woman took her time walking through the neighborhood, listening to each story the matured houses told. She loved it here. The vintage feeling was welcoming and warm, unlike the cold stature her home shed. She was here on vacation, or rather she was here running away. Running away from the responsibilities her age brought her. She was two times the age of a decade, but she was filled with old thoughts. Those thoughts brought her back to the city she walked through now. They were precious memories of childish love, the kind that was only whispered about through the pages she read. Her first love, just like any, drifted away with the seasons. It was a distant thing that withered away in the back of her mind, only now it was asking for one more peek at its past; the place of it’s birth, this city that sat in the shade of summer.

The woman’s breath drifted through her pores and sent a calm through her small body. Her back was covered in the sea of curls that crashed into ripples at the curve of her spine. They matched the toasted tips of the leave; a tanned, brown tint. Her limbs were short accept for the trails of bone that ran down her legs. Her face was round and trimmed with a server jawline. Her cheekbones rested silently under clouds of blush and her eyelashes waved through the air. A distant color of red bit her lips and a soft black line fanned out of her eyes. She wore a loose white button up that clamped itself all the way up to . It was loosely tucked into a pair of blue jeans that hugged her legs closely. Her feet were secured in a pair of red sneakers that mimicked the color of her lips. It was a simple outfit that was mindlessly put together, but it showcased the simple being she was.

Her small hands clenched a small brown leather book at her side. Random bills were stuck in between the pages and a dull pencil was suffocating in the seams. It served as a gateway to her thoughts; the pages containing the dying memories of that first love. She was attempting to give those thoughts the life they need and just by being back in these shabby streets, the thoughts were coming back to life.

The young woman came to a rusty street light and stopped for the nonexistent cars. She looked around her and a soft sigh arose in . She knew where she was, she knew all too well where she was. A warm feeling bloomed in her stomach and a aching pain struck her lips. Her eyes closed and the memories of that summer drift into view…. “It feels like we’ve been walking for miles.” The young women said, resting her head on the shoulder of the tall man next to her. He laced his free hand around her waist, letting her sleepy body relax onto his. The street lights were blinking red, signaling the end of their work. There were no cars in sight, but the two young lovers stood at the street light, waiting for it to turn the color they wished for. “I can’t seem to keep my eyes open… can we just stand here for a few moments…” The sleepy words drifted through . She could have fallen asleep right there if it had not been for the man next to her. She didn’t know when it happened, but the moment woke her up. The tall man leaned in and greeted his full lips with hers.

“Don’t fall asleep on me.”

A light breeze kissed her long locks through the air, awakening her from her dream. The woman opened her now heavy eyes. The green of the stop light greeted them and a small smile was painted on her lips. The memory fell out of sight and the woman began walking forward. Her surroundings began to greet her and she felt a sense of welcoming. The familiar buildings were now giving away too tall brick structures that contained the same aged memories. Shade fell on her shoulders and the sun rose to greet them again. The street life came alive and cars rolled on slowly. The streets were lined with shops, some vacant and others charmed with presence. This was the old part of the city, far away from all the glitz and glamour Hollywood brought. Instead of fancy stores that were priced to the diamond, they were replaced with flower shops and thrift stores that harnessed the attractions of generations past. Every piece of on her sight was filled with character. This was the city she loved, not the one that shined to the penny.

The young women passed through the streets, making her way to the destination that held most of her thoughts. It a small shop on the corner that specialized in coffee, harbored the daydreaming youth like herself. It was a special place that she spent many moments of that summer in. She was finally going to go back to that place and relive those moments through pencil. Her heart ached thinking of only reliving those moments in her thoughts; they were in the past now, far from reach.

She had met him in that coffee shop. It was on a warm summer day and the shop was empty except for the two lovers. They spent their time there, watching each other through sips of warm coffee. Those gazes turned into words and then into touch. Their beings interlinked and they became consumed in each other that whole summer. It was all due to that one meeting in that coffee shop.

The warm glow of the summer began to give way to that sight. The small building at the intersection of two quiet streets lay in wait. It was lined with windows and at the base of them were bright flowers, despite the cooling weather. Small, metal linked tables rested on the sidewalk, paired with chairs. An old couple occupied one of the sets. A red awning hung shielding the brick structure. The scent of roasted beans snuck past the woman, welcoming her back. A small smile was shown through her eyes and she quickened her pace.

Small hands were placed on the door, pushing it open. The soft ringing of a bell signaled her arrival. The sound of steam awoke as she walked into the shop. It was filled with mismatched chairs and tables. Pictures of those that came before lined the walls and a chalk board hung on the wall behind the counter telling the customers what was served there. Not too many people consumed the space, but it look like there were many characters. It was unique and very welcoming; no surprise her first love was born in this shop.

She moved her small feet forward to the counter and rested her hands on it. No one seemed to come and greet her, so she just waited there patiently. She turned to look around the room; her heart was sounding through her ears. Her eyes passed over the few people; studying them. A middle aged woman sat next to the window. She wore a rather large sweater, even in this cooling weather, and her head was buried in a book. She looked like she had many stories to tell. Another couple sat next to her, chatting casually. Their hands were consumer with a big white mugs. You could almost see the coffee stains that brimmed the edges. The young woman continued to study the two groups until a soft cough came from the other end of the room. She turned to look over in the direction the sound came and her eyes were met with a red hat.

A man sat on the opposite side of the room. His legs were crosses and his hands were holding a little red book. His skin was tanned to a light bronze color and his hair was two tones darker than that, from what she saw for it was hidden beneath that red brimmed hat. His shoulders were hidden from sight by a black jacket that hung from them. His pants were rolled just above his neatly tied shoes and he wore all black. The man was just sitting there calmly, reading that little red book. You could hear his fingers grace the pages.

“Excuse me.” A voice said from behind her. The young woman turned around quickly, erasing the thought of that man from her mind. “May I help you?” A plump lady in an apron asked her. Her hair was short and styled mindlessly. There were deep laugh lines running races all around her face and her eyes were soft and welcoming. The young woman nodded and looked past the server to the chalkboard behind her head.

“May I.. um… may I have an Americano.. with cream…” She said stumbling over her words. Her mind was converting her Korean thoughts back to English.

“Yes, you may. Let’s see here… it will be two dollars.” The server said, writing down her order on a notepad. The young woman lifted up her little brown book to the counter. She opened one of the pages and retrieved two bills from its depths. She handed them to the lady and nodded. “Alright, take a seat and your order will be right up.”  

She smiled and turned around again. With the red hat out of sight, she choose her seat. There was a small little book case in the back that was accompanied by a lumpy, patterned chair. The woman choose that spot to sit, far away from the red hat. She took a seat in the oversized chair and put her book on her lap. Crossing her legs, she opened the scattered pages. There was a skew of notes all around the tattered edges. Whenever one of her dying memories of that summer came into view, she had to write it down; big or small, it was found in the book. Her eyes glanced over the little passages and a distant smile graced her lips. It was hard to believe a thing like that ever existed.

“Here is your order, Miss, an Americano with extra cream.” The plump server said, bringing over an enormous white mug that was filled to the top with creamy clouds. She set it down on the table before her, “Is there anything else I can get you?” She asked, placing her hands on her hips. She seemed like a person who had many stories to tell.

“No, thank you.” The young woman said, closing her thoughts and reaching for the cup. The plump server retreated with a nod. The white mug required two hands to pick up, she could feel the warmth of the brown liquid exerting itself through the thick walls. She brought it up to her lips, blowing away the steam that rose from it. The strong smell of coffee lifted from the cup and traveled up her nose. She closed her eyes and took in the aroma. … “Just try it, trust me. You won’t find anything like this back home.” Came the voice of a mysterious lover. “It’s not as bitter as you think. Add a bit of cream... savor it.”

The white cup met her lips and hot liquid pushed its way through the mountains of cream. The bitter taste was prominent, but it was washed away after the sweet showered down on her tongue. How could something be so bitter and sweet at the same time? The black coffee left a bitter taste in , much like how everything else did in her life. She placed the white mug back down on the table before her, breathing in air around her to stunt the bitterness.

The young korean sighed softly, leaning back in her chair. She put her head back, closing her eyes for a moment. The harsh flavor lingered in , the sense of sweetness erased. ‘Why am I back here...’ She thought bringing her eyebrows together. In the pit of her stomach, a strong pang went out. Returning here was meant to bring back memories, but this was bringing too many back. Her heart felt like it was being thrown around in an endless battle with the memory of that man, that summer.

The warm rays of the sun looked over fare skin; brushing shoulders with its stinging kiss. The light peeked through the few clouds as it descended into the sea. The waters calmly laid in their depths, surrounded by sand and endless roads of piers. The warmth was soaking into exposed skin, but the real source of heat came from the contact of limbs. Two young beings sat huddled within each other. They both looked out over the distant skies, watching the faraway light sink back to night. Cold pebbles conformed themselves to their toes as they dug themselves into their graves. The day was fading before their eyes.

A thin blanket was thrown around the two. A man sat with his arms around his prey; his knees made a prison as she leaned back into his hold, a chin rested on her shoulder. Their thoughts were filled with each other, each writing a story with each touch. Life was released from lips and the man turned his cheek, meeting his lips with the nape of her neck. “Tell me it will be like this endlessly.” He said in a deep, transcending voice. “I can’t let the skies take you away. Stay.” His words floated up up into her ears, forever entering themselves in her memory. “I just found you, I can’t let you go. You've embedded yourself into me; I need you to get through this tedious thing they call life… I’ve dreamt you up in my mind for so long, now the real image has spilled from my eyes into air. You’re real. I’ve waited for you… don’t go.” His lips pleaded with her mind; bringing it pain.

The young women closed her heavy eyes as they filled with water; toppling it over in the process. She knew that there were going to be many more tears like this one. It traveled from its pool down her cheek. The air caught sight of it and turned the warm liquid into cold, biting ice. The trail led itself to the lips that never wanted to part with the skin it caressed.

    With a blink of an eye, the memory erased itself from her mind. A bottomless pit had formed in the base of her stomach, the coffee falling into nothing. The woman lifted her hand across her chest and rested it on her shoulder, she could still feel the weight of his lips on her flesh. Eyes closed and a deep v was formed by the greeting of her two eyebrows. ‘I should have listened to him…” She thought, letting the far away memory sit with her just a moment longer.

    Soon the sounds and smells of the lonely coffee shop drifted back into her clouded mind. She opened her eyes, the light from the windows blinding her already distant look. A red hat came into view.