I stretched my arms and legs, yawning and sighing in relief. I smiled to myself as I gently closed my laptop. My work for the rest of the day is done. That’s ten articles I’ve just written and all done a little after lunch time. Despite my editors’ urging for me to do extra articles today, I was happy that I could relax for the rest of the day.

Working at home sure had a lot of perks. I can get out of bed as late as I want to. Time is always on my side it seems. I can work in whatever state I want to, heck, I can work while slumping down on the couch with music blasting through my speakers.

I can snack while I write, talk on the phone for as long as I want, chat with my friends online while I’m on it and ultimately, take a break whenever I feel like it. As long as I finish my workload, I can do whatever I want and that’s just what I plan to do.

I stood up from my swivel chair and walked barefoot around my flat, working my way towards the kitchen first to check the fridge. I’m suddenly hungry, but when I took a look, I can’t seem to figure out what I wanted.

A frown made its way across my face. I didn’t like anything that was available at my home right now. I sighed and did a quick check of what’s missing. I had to go out anyway, have coffee perhaps and do a little grocery shopping before I get back home.

Deciding to dress up in plain jeans, a comfy V-neck and a cardigan matched with a beanie and pair of flat, calf boots, I headed out of my apartment, grabbing my car keys on my way.

I purposefully left my phone just in case my editors decide to phone me. I have no intention of ruining my little promenade to town with them hanging like monkeys on my back. I’m done with work and I’m not in the mood for further aggravation. This is my ‘me time’ and that’s just how it’s going to be.

I’ve initially planned to head to the city, but as I was taking a shortcut twenty minutes into the drive, I’ve spotted this rather empty street just outside town lined with small shops.

A small clothes store was at the other side of the rather narrow road, just beside a convenience store. A book shop stood between a gallery and a stationery store while a café, looking rather deserted, was at the corner of the street.

I grinned to myself, removing my sunglasses. That’s just the place I had in mind, but before disembarking from my ride, I reached somewhere at the backseat where I’ve remembered tossing my Sun Tzu book the last time I was reading it.

After successfully finding it, I headed to the café, feeling cold with the sudden blast of autumn air tousling my hair. I looked around. The place wasn’t too spacious, but it looked cozy with the pink and cream accentuations. I felt warm immediately.

The furniture in the establishment reminded me of my grandmother’s garden sets at her Markkleeberg home, but here, the chairs were made even more comfortable with cushions covered in knitted cases.

An old man sat quietly, reading today’s paper. A pot of coffee was in front of him. He glanced at me with a smile before continuing with what he was doing.

At the corner of the room, a stylish counter stood. There were only two people behind it, one manning the cash register while the other lady stood by the bar chairs. She smiled and welcomed me in.

I headed straight to the counter, greeting her. “One green tea latte, please, and…” I stepped back and eyed the colorful pastries on the glass case underneath the counter. “Two croissants.”

The lady’s eyes turned to crescents. “Good choice, miss. They’re still warm.”

“That’s nice. They look good, too.”

“Just a moment, miss,” she said and retrieved something from the cupboard behind her and went to do other things for my order.

As I was standing there, the chimes by the entrance rang as the glass door opened to accommodate a tall boy who was wearing a white, knitted number that had a hood attached to it, matched with casual blue jeans.

He rubbed his hands together before heading to the counter. I just stood there, still observing him. It’s something I did out of boredom and for the first time, I didn’t know what got to me, but I found myself amused.

The young man, or I should probably say ‘the boy’, was tall and quite built underneath his stylish clothing and the fringe that was sticking out below the front of his hood was of a light brown shade, but I can’t clearly see his face.

The lady behind the counter returned then, putting my croissants, now lightly drizzled with fine sugar and chocolate fudge, on a tray. She slid it across the Fromica counter, handing me a number for my latte.

“I’ll be serving your tea in a few. Please have a seat, miss,” she said.

“Thank you,” I said and she smiled again. I didn’t know if she found my rather thick, foreign accent amusing, but she keeps on smiling at me. Then again, I guess it’s a part of her job.

Just as I was about to leave take my tray, she asked what the order of the person beside me was but shifted her gaze to my direction again, stopping in mid-sentence.

Confused, I eyed her and then the male beside me. That’s when I saw a fleeting glimpse of his face, but all I was able to see were those rather plump and rosy lips as he faced the woman behind the counter.

I arched my brow, but just ignored it and took my tray, staying at the corner table by the glass wall. I started eating my croissant, surprised when I saw the crème filling inside which was also a very pretty shade of pink.

Is everything in this place pretty?

I took another bite from the heavenly pastries. If I had my way, I would have just horked it down and ordered another platter. It was that good. My latte arrived a few minutes later and that’s when I decided to begin reading, leaning against the backrest of the chair as if I owned the place.

It hasn’t been a minute when I heard the chair to the table next to mine grate against the floor. I was supposed to glance up in momentary distraction, but I lost my concentration when I saw the guy at the counter setting his tray down on the table.

Looking around, I realized that we were the only