*Trigger warning*

This story contains details with mental health

The feeling as the cigarette goes into my mouth, pain and suffering go into a three-way call with addiction, and in this call, more cigarettes come out of the pocket and end up in an ashtray.  I don’t smoke because I love it, but apparently, Lust and Envy need a breather. It gives them “peace of mind,” while I don’t believe in it, I abide anyway.

Soon, my appetite arises. Lust mentions something about a little cafe that she frequents down the way, serves a good cup, and some cheap “Treats” (this is what she calls pastries).  She says she’s going to head to bed a little early, which is odd because we are all night owls.

As I open the front door, slight heat rays can still be felt.  As the day is slowly going dark, I hear a slight but commanding whisper, “Shall I accompany you?” I nod, and our trip has begun.

Envy and I, as a last resort, to pass the time till we arrive at Lust’s cafe, we decide to play a game called Where are they going?  We try to guess where the people passing by us is their end destination will be.

We arrive at Lust’s aforementioned cafe, as we find it sandwiched in between a simple-looking pharmacy and a bank with minimal upkeep done to it, one second into thinking about why we are already heading inside the cafe.

Once inside, we find a smiling barista named Mitch. As Envy and I approach him at the register, small talk ensues. “How are you?”

Mitch’s awkward but calming smile instantly makes me warm. “Mmm, he looks good.”

Envy jeers at my noticeable change in body temperature. “Envy, please be quiet,” I utter behind me while keeping eye contact on Mitch.

“Hmm?”

“Oh, nothing, sorry. May I just get three shots over ice with some Frothed Breve, please?”

Mitch stares, clearly impressed at what I knew. He looks around. He sees that the shop is all but empty, apart from him, me, and Envy. He gestures to me to come over, “I feel like you know how to make this, am I wrong?”.

He’s not. My father owned a coffee shop when I was younger, and I would live with him. I learned how to make most drinks and a simple, special one that I love. This one.

As I bring myself, somewhat begrudgingly, to walk over to the other side of the counter. I notice Mitch has speedily set up the exact things I need to create this drink.

I pull the espresso shots, adding a slight amount of sugar to a blender, then sixteen ounces of Breve milk. Mitch’s eyes light up as I pull the shots quickly, and the blending is done in time. I pull them once I put the Frothed Breve into a medium-sized cup. With my drink in hand, I thank Mitch for this opportunity and drop three dollars in the tip jar.

Envy and I make our escape, but not before Mitch asks us suddenly, “Do you need a job?”

Without knowing if he’s smiling. My body temperature rises once again. Making up my mind in the time it takes to tilt a hat. I’m getting the job, before I know it I’m walking out of the store with a sticky note and a date written on it. The note tells me to come back for five-seven in the evening a week from today. My brain tells me that this is a bad idea and that I should have never left the house in the first place.

Envy, par for the course, tells me how desiring she is of a person who is interested in her.  While in  her shallow party of pity, she reminds me that “People that are interested in another at first glance aren’t likely to come around.”

“Well, I suppose your right, but for some reason, I still can’t shake that feeling.” Without missing a beat.

Envy is quick to add. “Let’s hurry on home. The others are surely waiting for us.”

The shivers she emits, coupled with the goosebumps riding up her skin, tell me this should be a quick trip back home.

Speeding up the pace, I think to myself. “She’s right, there’s not much use complaining or being a worrywart, and the fact that nothing has happened yet that I need to be wary of.”

We arrived home to find that Lust is truly is asleep. Something that neither of us mind as she tends to play loud music till she does. How the others dealt with that, they will surely find out about that in the morning.

They seem to all come to me with problems varying from what vermin they find scurrying about the apartment complex. They say that because my father is the one that had this place constructed, I should be responsible for the upkeep. In all honesty, it is a bit of a drag sometimes, but I don’t mind the work.

With the most helpful Pride, she has a way of dealing with minor situations, so I’m not overloaded continuously with problems.  A true saint she is.

Falling asleep, soft and soundly. I think of tonight’s events, and a slow yet diligent smile creeps over my face.