Fleeting Pleasures

The city started to wake up with the first morning buses starting their routes, scarce cars appearing, and a few drowsy pedestrians moving like zombies towards their destination. In the urban buzz, the light turned on in the cafe which was a quiet haven from the growing rush. It provided a moment of tranquility to passersby who entered it to indulge in rich flavours of coffee, tea, or cakes. It was a place where the time slowed down, allowing anyone entering to take a breath of relief. 

The cafe had a decor of deep green and beige, with many plants growing up from the floor to the ceiling. The tables were small with a few decorated chairs around them to allow for intimate conversations. It was a perfect mix of fairytale cottage and French country decor. Opposite the wall filled with leafy plants were bookshelves filled with stories, many of which were fairytales, stories of bravery and adventure.

Jessica, a young woman with brown hair in a tight ponytail, grabbed a few boxes that were just delivered by the front door of the cafe and brought them inside, placing them on the countertop. The fresh cakes and pastry smelled divine. Her stoicism vanished when her friend stepped inside the room.

"Aria!" Jess sprinted towards her friend, another young woman with honey-blonde hair and kind face. "I need your help! I have a date and a gig at once and I can't clone myself so…" she spoke quickly and bounced around. Aria slowly took her coat off not reacting to Jess's level of energy.

"Chill your beans, JJ." Aria smiled hanging her coat in the corner of the room. "Do you want me to cover the date or the gig?" She asked teasingly, knowing the answer.

"The gig." JJ was blushing. Her brown hair started to escape her ponytail falling onto her face. 

"Whose the date?"

"Adam."

"Eurgh." The wave of repulsion went through Aria. "How can you be into someone so boring?" She commented judgementally knowing that her friend could do much better than that. 

"Ari!" Jess was momentarily offended but then she laughed. "He might be boring but he is 6ft2 and has blue eyes."

"Extra shallow." Aria nodded. "I hope that he is better looking without those thick grey jumpers." Aria moved across the room, walking behind the counter. She put her own hair in a ponytail, washed her hands, and put a green apron on with her name embroidered with a white thread - 'Ariadne'. 

"I hope to find out!"

"Good luck. What's the gig?"

"I don't know exactly. It's a waitressing request but the request came through the dance club so I suspect it to be a little bit of a show too." 

"I don't know any recent choreography so don't expect that of me." Aria reminded Jess, trying to recall the last time she danced.

"It's not a dancing thing. More like…" Jess tried to find the right words. "Modelling?"

"I definitely shouldn't go then." Aria scoffed. She didn't need to point out that she was not a modelling material. Her face was kind and her cheeks round, not the stereotypical modelling jawline in sight. Her body was on the larger side with plenty of awkward curves.

"I checked with Sophie and she said that you'd be very welcome to cover." Jess smiled.

"Do I even have a choice?" Aria looked up with a slight irritation at how her friend disregarded her free time but then she reminded herself that Jess knew very well that she had absolutely zero plans, ever, unless it involved working the waitressing side gigs just like Jess or working in the cafe. "Okay. Send the details. I am sure I can improvise." Aria agreed as she started organising the counter and unpacking the boxes of cakes into the display cabinet, taking care in making sure that there was no cross-contamination between different allergens. "I might not be great though. I think it's been a year since I last danced. Waitressing part should be easy though."

"Thank you!" Jess bounced again and pecked Aria's cheek. "By the way, it pays very well. It'll be a good pocket money for you."

"How well?" Aria's eyes glistened with excitement. She was long saving for a new apartment, hoping to finally break free from the renting nightmare.

Jess took her phone out and scrolled through her emails.

"I think it was like £240?" Jess mumbled. 

"That's a fairly good going for one night." Aria agreed. "What time?"

"18:00 until 2:00. More or less." Jess smiled.

"Sounds good." Aria nodded. 

Once Jess finished trying to persuade her to take over, she started to help with the prep for the day. Aria stopped thinking about Jess's request once the cafe was open and customers started to flood the cafe for their morning pre-work coffee.

It was a long day but a pleasant one nevertheless. Aria enjoyed talking with the customers, knowing their few regulars by heart who she adored, learning about their lives in an exceptional detail.

They've passed the cafe to Charlotte, their friend who only recently joined their coffee shop venture. Charlotte was keen to take over for the last few hours.

Jess went to get ready for the date while Aria returned to her apartment to refresh herself and apply some soft make up.

She read the brief that Jess forwarded her and took a taxi to the address.