Mina rushed off stage, her smile plastered to her face until the last second. She let her breath out upon exiting, politely smiling and pushing past everyone who congratulated her, saying that she had to use the restroom. Hurriedly, she locked herself in her own designated room which she was allocated beforehand. Turning on the tap, she gently scrubbed her hands until the makeup came off, watching as the swirls of foundations mixed with the cold clear tap water. Lightly, she touched the faint scars on her hands, tracing her thumbs over each scratch. Her eyes laid on the dark patches of her skin, ones that looked like burns as she stared wonderingly at them before applying a cream that was left on the countertop.

She continued to fix herself up, washing her face and ridding the light makeup on her face. Mina changed out of her outfit, taking a quick rinse as she put on some simple jeans and a jacket with a shirt and overcoat.

The other performers were too caught up with their own issues to mind, stressing over hair, makeup, dances, whatever came to mind. Leaving through the back door, she has realised that she was still clad in her ballet shoes. Shrugging, she left, not bothered to change. The pair was old and damaged anyway as she planned to get new ones. Her eyes darted back and forth, sighing as she noticed how practically no one was around to mind her shoes or notice the secret entrance/ exit to the show.

Her eyes fluttered lightly, adjusting to the sunlight. Unconsciously, she smiled as she walked along the streets. It was probably noon by then, the sun was strong, there were people walking by, but it wasn’t crowded. The weather had just started warming up lately but Mina could still feel the evident breeze in the fresh early spring days.

She made her way down to the coffee shop, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash by as she heard a familiar ring to the bell and bustle of the cafe. She ordered herself a latte and a small muffin as she sat herself down in a chair and waited for her food to come

________________

Momo glanced at the clock, sighing as she realised that it was still ages away until her shift ended. She felt herself wake up from her trance as she heard a soft thud on her table, another order placed in front of her. Reluctantly she picked it up and started on it, grumbling about how ‘stupid this flipping job is’ and how that ‘if I didn’t need cash, I’d be using this time to sleep’.

She worked her way around the cafe skillfully, preparing orders quick and fast, occasionally messing up one or two but she had been running off 4 hours of sleep so who could blame her. Finally, it was her break and she happily just collapsed on the sofa at the back. Lately, her feet and legs had been killing her, she was starting to wonder what exactly her soulmate did in her free time. She took her shoes off, noticing the bruises and not so appealing blisters that had formed as well as the slight swelling. Sighing she applied some cream that she always had in her bag and placed a heat pack on her swollen foot.

She relaxed on the sofa, taking a bit of time to do some thinking. She was 25 now, how much longer was she going to spend in the coffee shop as a simple barrister until she decided it was enough. There was no job satisfaction, little pay and it was way too far away to where she lived. Perhaps the only thing that was keeping her here was that she was actually decent at her job and her favourite customers. There’s always a lady in her early 30s with a stroller and her 9-month-old baby girl who comes in every Tuesday and Thursday. ‘T-Days’ she calls them, which is ironic because she always orders a nice steam coffee to go. Then there’s the busy college student who pops by now and then, her orders varying, often trying out the new special drinks before going back to her trustworthy cappuccino.

Of course, there was the new girl she had been seeing lately. Or maybe she had only noticed her lately. Who knows, certainly not Momo. She’s made her order a few time, often something strong like an espresso or an Americano but she had occasionally served her a latte once in a while. She was really pretty, carrying an elegant and majestic presence that seemed to entrance Momo. 'I mean, how can someone look so pretty in a low ponytail? I look like an old HAG and sh