Llama Latte Chapter 3
“Would you like whipped cream on that?” asked the clerk clothed in a light blue apron, blonde hair pulled back in a messy bun.
“Naw, I’m good,” Changjo responded as he dug in his pocket for the exact change. Permanent marker at the ready, the clerk’s hand hovered expectantly over the plastic cup. “Oh, just ‘CJ’,” he responded as he pushed the change in her direction.
Changjo picked up his gym bag, sliding the strap over his left shoulder. He moved along the queue in wait for his iced coffee. He peered through the Plexiglas sneeze guard and made eye contact with the short female employee standing on tiptoes to use the espresso machine. His face broke into a wide grin and he winked. She made a fake gagging motion and rolled her eyes.
“Teeeeessa,” he drawled while leaning on the counter, battling his lashes.
“Ew, what a greaseball,” she muttered and snapped the lid onto the plastic cup.
“When do you finish up your shift?” he chuckled, reaching for his iced coffee.
“In like, 40 minutes,” she said while handing him a straw.
Changjo resituated his bag and sidled over to a little table in a corner facing the rest of the café. He set his gym bag on the chair next to him, unzipped it and dug around his sweaty workout clothes in search of his sketch book. Successfully locating it he pulled the felt pen out of the spiral coil and flipped past the pages littered with sketches. Drawing his right knee up to his chest, he set to sketching the customers sitting in his vicinity. While outlining a man’s tiny ears, Changjo smirked to himself as the man’s cappuccino foam repeatedly stuck to his bristly mustache. Cappuccino Walrus, he scribbled at the top of the sketch. As the minutes ticked by customers gradually filed out of the café, leaving him short of models to sketch. He considered putting his sketch book away when he heard the chime of another customer entering the café. He glanced over in the direction of the door and saw a slender girl wearing a sock monkey beanie striding over to the counter. Mid-way she dropped her car keys to the ground with a clatter. She stopped in her tracks, shoulder bag brushing the ground as she stooped to pick them up. A fluffy llama plush dangling off of her bag caught his eye as she stood to her feet. Changjo pricked his ears in an attempt to catch her order but her words were drowned out by Adele’s warbles coming through the café speakers. Moving her wavy hair out of the way, she peered into her purse and fished out her wallet; the llama plush wobbled around with the slightest movement.
He waited with bated breath as Tessa prepared the girl’s beverage. The minutes dragged on for what seemed like hours. Changjo tapped his pen on the table top in impatience.
“Venti latte, and here’s your lemon square,” Tessa called out to the girl. The girl accepted them with a gentle “thank you,” and wound her way between the small tables. She chose a seat in the corner opposite Changjo near the window. He resituated himself to sit at an angle so it wouldn’t be too obvious that he would be staring at her. He watched from the corner of his eye as she pulled a thick novel from her bag and began reading. He hunched over his sketch book and started to trace some stray strokes. He leaned forward in an attempt to make out the title of the novel when her gaze made contact with his. He quickly looked down at his sketch book, feeling a blush creeping across his cheeks. Reaching for his iced coffee, he placed the straw in his mouth to preoccupy himself while awkwardly gazing around the cafe. A few minutes passed and he picked up his pen once more. He furrowed his brow, mentally scolded himself for being coy.
Subtle movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head in the direction of the girl and stared at her legs below the table. While her left leg was tucked underneath her, the other was preoccupied with pumping her foot every few seconds; her red Toms slipped off her heel periodically and popped back on. Submerged in her novel, she never made eye contact again, and Changojo was able to finish his sketch within minutes. Next to his rendition of her bag he carefully transcribed Llama Latte in loopy calligraphy. He began to doodle a ring encircling the writing when he was suddenly interrupted by Tessa.
“Hey, CJ! My shift’s ended!” she greet cheerily as she folded up her blue apron and pulled out a chair to sit.
“Good job, noona,” Changjo smiled, returning his attention back to his sketch book.
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Llama Latte was reading Peter Pan this time. The week before had been The Picture of Dorian Gray. And the week before that had been The Hobbit. He coincidently learned that she came to Dripp Café every Saturday around 2PM, and he coincidently made it a habit to grab an iced coffee after his Saturday morning dance practices. Moving his face nearer to his sketch book, he stuck out his tongue as he outlined an intricate battle scene between Captain Hook and the Lost Boys; Tick-Tock wrapped his reptilian tail around her legs as she absentmindedly continued to read. Changjo was beginning the final touches of his drawing when Tessa approached his table and joined him.
“It’s always so awkward when my students are here,” Tessa commented after glancing over her shoulder. “She’s in Mu Alpha Theta,” she added, jerking her thumb at the girl reading by the window.
“Oh.” Changjo nodded while slapping his sketch book closed and tossing it into his gym bag.
“So, how is…everything?” Tessa questioned while threading her fingers together, expression cautious.
“What do you mean?” Changjo tilted his head to the side.
“Well, you’ve been here - what - a month? And school starts soon. Have you like, made any friends?” she asked.
“There’s Niel. He’s okay. A bit goofy, but whatever,” he shrugged.
“Well, maybe you should join a sport or a club or something once school starts up. You know, meet some people…,” she trailed off.
He shrugged again, gaze travelling over Tessa’s shoulder to stare at those red Toms. On, off, on, off, on, off.
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Changjo slouched in his seat, ducking behind the fake shrubbery next to his table to keep his face from view. He craned his neck to look around the greenery, trying to catch a glimpse of Llama Latte. He frowned when he realized that his luck had run out this week. All he could see was the back of her green cardigan, head already bent over a book. Inspiration hit him like a slap in the face and he reached for his sketch book on the table. Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Hobbit, Artemis Fowl. He smiled to himself as he flipped through the many sketches. He turned to a page he had left remotely blank, except for Llama Latte sitting cross-legged in the corner of the page. He retraced the phrase who is Dorian Gray? with his felt tip pen while contemplating what to add. A familiar booming male voice broke his concentration and he cautiously peered around the shrubbery.
“You know I don’t like when you do that. Put me down, Jongin!” Llama Latte teased. The guy she was reprimanding set her down on the ground and pulled on her ponytail, smug grin lighting up the entirety of the dim café. Jongin’s arm snaked around her waist as he pulled her in for a quick chaste kiss. She giggled.
Changjo quickly looked away, blinking back the stinging feeling in his eyes. In a stupor he threw his sketch book in his gym bag, along with his copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray. He threw his bag over his shoulder and dropped his coffee cup in the trash can on his way out the door. The bell chimed as he whipped open the door and sped up his pace, trying to put as much distance between himself and that coffee shop.
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He gripped his iPod tighter while continuing to stare at the tree outside the window. He couldn’t even remember why he was so captivated by it only seconds before. He slouched in his chair, laying his head on his desk. This room was his prison. For once, detention actually felt like the end of the world.