You, On The Daylight's Shade

Introduction

    The warm sunlight passes through the window, as it gently hits Charlotte Avery's face, who is currently leaning into her study table, after falling asleep while studying late at night. The small calendar and post-it notes are full of either her upcoming bills, and tests schedule.

    Being a scholar at her university, she had to maintain her good grades, in order for her to somehow lessen her "to-pay" list. It's just a good thing that the landlady of the apartment where she is currently staying in, was nice, and understanding. She was also given some discount by the landlady, though only works if Charlotte could rank first in her batch, in exams. It wasn't a bad deal, was what she thought, hence, she accepted it.

    Although she admit she is having a hard time, she know to herself that she does not have that much time to whine on it. She has to keep on living, and she will do anything to eat at least two to three times a day. It does not matter whether she was having a proper meal or her usual instant and easy to cook foods. She honestly does not know how she keeps on living, despite not having a single idea how to cook. She only know how to fry some eggs, and other frozen goods, but that's already the limit of her knowledge, regarding cooking. She might be smart, but that's all she is. For some reason, cooking was just definitely not her thing.

    Charlotte, on the other hand, finally moved from her seat, starting to wake up. She almost jump from her seat, when she felt a sudden vibration in her wooden table, jolting her completely awake. It was her from her phone's reminder. She opened the notification, and then groaned, after seeing that she need to pay her bills, first thing in the morning.

    She get up from her seat, silently complaining the pain in her back, after standing up. She was stretching her body, when she heard sudden knock on her door. She quickly composed herself, thinking that her landlady finally woke up from being kind, and decided to change and be a little bit strict, because she might be starting to lose her estimated and usual monthly income for letting Charlotte have a sweet discount of thirty percent.

    Charlotte slowly reached for the knob, and ready herself. However, who was she kidding? This landlady probably was meant to be kind, starting from the day she was born. "Good morning, Charlotte. I take it you slept into your desk again?" Landlady Emilia said, after taking a quick glance at Charlotte. "I should probably get used to it. Anyway, here, croissant for breakfast, from the famous pastry chef in the neighborhood," Emilia added, gently shoving the paper bag of croissants to Charlotte's empty hands.

    The smell of croissants made Charlotte remember her last night's hunger. Her stomach grumbled, as she embarrassingly held her stomach. "Thank you so much, I'll take it. I hope you would not think I'm taking your kindness for granted. This was just perfect, I haven't got my dinner last night, and I'm quite hungry right now," Charlotte honestly muttered, showing a small smile.

    "It's okay, I like doing this every morning, anyway," Emilia said, showing off a gentle smile. "By the way, hurry up or else you'll be late for school." Emilia winked, before leaving Charlotte alone in her room.

    Emilia's on her early 40's. Apparently, the woman lost her kid, before, and was about the same age as Charlotte, if her kid did not passed away. That was the only reason Charlotte could think of, with regards to why the woman was kind to her. Although Emilia seems to be kind to anyone to begin with.

    Charlotte's soft smile lingered on her lips, as she took a big bite on her croissant. "This never changed! Oh man, it still tasted good!"

    That simple gesture made her day more pleasant.

***

     "I should have took Emilia's warning seriously!"

    Charlotte immediately regretted slacking off. If there's anything that made Charlotte look like a normal university student, that is the fact that she occasionally gets late in her morning classes. The main reason for this is, she was way too tired from her shift last night on the coffee shop, that her whole body literally ached in pain. The exam week from her university made her busier than usual. It might be good for the coffee shop, because of the surge of students, but she was starting to think it was not good for her body.

    She took a turn, aiming to cross the pedestrian lane, when she realized it is not yet in the appropriate signal. She worriedly took a glance into the traffic lights almost every two seconds, when she felt someone pat her left shoulder. She turned her head into her left side, seeing a guy around her age, wearing the same ID lace, indicating the university they were attending to.

    "Yes? What is it? How can I help you?" Charlotte asked, as she titled her head into the side a bit, in confusion, while silently checking the guy out if he is to be trusted or not. The guy seems decent, it is just probably his eyes that seems dangerous... yet bored. His eyes looks intense, making Charlotte unable to directly look into his eyes. 

    He was wearing a white long sleeved polo, some parts are tucked in into his black pants, and a recently released white rubber shoes. His jet black hair was covered by a cap, and he is tall. Charlotte's not short in terms of height, if anything, she was slightly taller for an average girl, but the guy's making her look a bit of the otherwise. Of course, she would not deny the guy's fit body, as well.

    Well, isn't he handsome? Charlotte thought, after seeing the guy's face. He has a sharp jawline, and his blue eyes did not escape her vision, despite how scary looking his eyes emits. It's literally making Charlotte freeze in her place. Her gaze landed on his side. She noticed that he was holding a bicycle.

    "Want to ride with me?" He asked, jerking his thumb into his bicycle. Charlotte suspiciously looked into the guy, slightly squinting her eyes. She was starting to doubt whether the guy is really decent or not. She believed that in the society that she is living in, only a few are to be trusted. It is fine to be skeptical, once in a while. Although she also consider the fact that the guy must just be trying to be nice to a person who attends the same college.

    Charlotte slowly shook her head. "No, it's okay. Thanks for the offer, though," she casually replied, giving him a short smile. As if a cue, the lights finally turned into her most awaited color. The busy people beside her rushed into the other side, including her, and the guy with bicycle. After crossing, she saw him rode his bicycle, in full speed. She seriously thought to herself that riding the bike with that guy will give her a heart attack. That was fast.

    She run into the direction of the university. After passing through the gate, she immediately enter the building, and ran full speed towards her class. Fortunately, she was able to sit on her seat first, before the professor came. She took a glance into the window beside her, and noticed the guy from the pedestrian lane, silently walking into the hallway.

    Her mind started to wonder. I wonder who is he. She decided to shrug it off for a while, when the exam paper reached her hand. "Alright, Charlotte. You can do this," she said to herself, before starting to answer the paper.

***

    The aroma of coffee shops were actually her favorite smell. For her, it's both relaxing and comforting. It was actually one of her reasons why she decided to take a part time job in a coffee shop. The work was just something she wasn't expecting, though. It was always busy. She has the position of barista, and it sure take a toll on her body, due to pain. She works eight hours a day, and only take a few breaks, but she was honestly glad that all her efforts were appreciated, and everything paid off.

    After taking the exams, Charlotte went straight to the coffee shop. She was slightly early, hence she decided to order a latte first, while waiting for her shift. Since all her requirements are done, she had a few minutes to relax. Ethan, the male barista in the morning shift, took a glance at her, before giving her a gentle smile. Ethan is her bestfriend. He was also the cute barista that almost everyone from the university, especially the girls, topic of gossip. They were not spreading bad rumors; if anything, they were always complimenting him for being a gentleman. Charlotte, being his bestfriend, knows that trait of his more than anyone.

    Ethan was the coffee shop owner's nephew. He was not particularly financially troubled like Charlotte. For Ethan, being a barista is more of a hobby and passion, instead of work. He just loves doing it, quite different from Charlotte's reason, which was to gain money for living. Although she admits that being a barista for two years and a half already, starting from her first year, up to now, whereas she is currently on her third year of college, she began enjoying her work, too.

    "Hey, Charlotte! How was the exam?" Ethan asked, as she reached the counter. Being the last person on the line, Ethan decided to talk to her first. Charlotte simply sighed in exhaustion. In that simple gesture, Ethan already know the answer. "You're worried. I told you, you do not have to worry that much every after exam. You're always the top in our batch," Ethan said, flicking her forehead. Charlotte held the same spot, frowning.

    "I know, I just cannot be confident about it." She sighed. Ethan just smiled at the sight of his bestfriend.

    "Well, I'll just brew you the best latte, and take a sit there, babe," Ethan said, winking at her, as he pointed at the empty seat. Charlotte laughed in amusement, before following what her bestfriend said. She sat on the nearest chair, and patiently wait for her order. Although she cannot help, but worry for her bestfriend. Ethan has insomnia, which was the reason why he decided to take night classes. At morning, starting from 4 AM to 12 NN was his shift. In the afternoon, he mostly sleep. She was worried, that he might not be getting enough sleep.

    However, these past two days was an exception, since their shifts was moved. The barista in the afternoon shift mentioned about taking a few days of breaks, because of an emergency and family problem. To cope up with the lack of barista for a while in the afternoon, Ethan's shift started at 8 AM to 4 PM, while Charlotte's shift will start at 4 PM to 12 AM. The coffee shop would not be open at early mornings for a while. Normally, Charlotte's shift starts at 8 PM to 4 AM. Most of her classes were in the afternoon, but some just happened to be a little bit early, including today, because it was exam week. Most of the time, she does not worry about the lack of sleep, and being late.

    "Charlotte, here's your latte," Ethan said, placing the coffee in her table. 

    "You don't need to bring this to me, you know?" Charlotte muttered, laughing at her friend. "Thank you, though," she added. Ethan just smiled, before ruffling her hair.

    "Just wait a bit here. My shift will end soon," he said. Charlotte nodded, before he went back into his spot behind the counter.

    Charlotte was silently sipping at her coffee, when someone speaks to her. Her gaze landed on the familiar guy. "Can I sit here with you?" The guy from the pedestrian lane asked her. She took a glance at the coffee shop, confirming that there is no vacant seat anymore. She nodded, while he sat in front of her. 

    They were silent the whole time, enjoying the somewhat comfort they feel towards each other's presence.

***