Lattes and Love Notes

In the middle of a long forgotten forest, far and away from the corruption and development of humanity, lay a quaint village nestled in the middle of an abandoned clearing. The name of this village has long been forgotten to time; its people of here and now have been known to call it Pine Haven. It is home to all manner of creatures and beings, from fairies and gnomes to a very friendly Minotaur that teaches at the only school for hundreds of miles. The calm of the morning was broken as the sky, that was blanketed in thick, angry storm clouds, suddenly opened up. Heavy sheets of warm summer rain cascaded down and soaked into the packed earth of the streets. The denizens previously milling about the town center now dove under shop awnings and into their homes to escape the downpour. In moments the village square was seemingly deserted, save for a young woman walking earnestly through the square.

Olive was a young forest nymph that could easily be mistaken for a child, even though she was approaching her thirtieth year. Her wispy silver hair was just long enough to tuck behind her pointed ears, and her warm amber eyes brought a smile to all who looked upon them. As she made her way down the road, a glorious clap of thunder resounded through the village. Olive giggled as the vibration rumbled up through the pads of her feet into her legs. She loved the feeling of thunder, and she felt refreshed as the rain soaked her to the bone. She tilted her face up into the rain to relish in the unexpected shower, and gasped as a finger of lightning suddenly streaked overhead. Not fancying the idea of getting zapped, she hurried into the cafe that she had been walking toward. The swinging sign over the door deemed it The Cozy Mug.

The young nymph was immediately enveloped in the tantalizing smell of freshly ground coffee beans. The inside was dimly lit with soft hanging lights that swayed gently with the breeze that Olive brought in from outside. There was a large counter made from repurposed wood that spanned the length of the room, separating the kitchen and brewing stations from the seating area. Knick-knacks and paintings of all sizes hung on the walls and cluttered end tables, and there was a long couch that sat beneath the largest window looking out into the empty town square. It was covered in small pillows and fluffy throw blankets, and a few people had made themselves comfy with their respective drinks or books. The cafe was sparsely populated, but upon seeing the cashier Olive suddenly didn’t care about the other patrons in the cafe. She felt rather than heard her racing heart, and she took a deep breath to steady herself before she fell over. The woman behind the counter was a giant compared to Olive’s tiny stature, but she was beautiful. Her skin was the color of coffee with just a touch of milk in it, but her eyes were the deepest chocolate brown the nymph had ever seen. Her hair was a curly raven colored mop on her head, with tight ringlets falling over her forehead and barely concealing a scar that split her right eyebrow and touched the corner of her eye.

Olive remembered to breathe just as she began seeing tiny black spots in her vision, and her head swam as she timidly approached the counter. The barista’s name tag read Willow.

Willow… Olive repeated in her head, enjoying the way the woman’s name sounded in her thoughts. Willow smiled warmly and gave the smaller woman a nod in greeting before motioning to a small sign taped to the front of her register.

I am mute, please speak loudly and clearly. Thanks!

Olive’s heart skipped a beat as she gestured excitedly. Willow’s eyes brightened and she opened her mouth in a soundless laugh. Olive’s cheeks turned the softest shade of pink and she cast her eyes down to her hands that were folded in front of her, thinking she’d just made a fool of herself in front of the prettiest girl she’d ever seen in her entire life. She felt a small jolt of static shock as Willow gently touched her wrist and guided her eyes back up to her heart shaped face. The barista was smiling that same warm smile, and she handed Olive a folded napkin. Olive took the square of paper gingerly and unfolded it.

I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, that was just very cute

Was written in a neat, bubbly hand. Olive blushed a proper shade of pink and grinned like a fool. She searched desperately for a pen and finally found one in a small cup next to Willow’s register. The rest of the cafe was completely unaware of the courtship happening at the counter, Olive was grateful for what seemed to be a slow day.

I was just excited to meet someone that I don’t have to-

Olive ran out of napkin and frantically searched for another. Willow came to the rescue with a discarded receipt. Olive signed thank you and continued her note.

-worry about reading their lips!

The nymph had a brief moment of insecurity as she pushed her notes across the counter and she mentally compared her own handwriting to the goddess across from her. Olive’s handwriting was sharp and narrow-she’d always referred to it as chicken scratch-but Willow didn’t seem to have trouble deciphering it. The larger woman smiled and she looked over her shoulder at a clock hanging on the wall. Her eyes brightened and she enthusiastically signed break!

Willow motioned for Olive to follow her, and on her way to a table in the back corner she picked up a small notepad and a pen that had been discarded on the counter. Olive’s heart was in her throat as she watched Willow sashaying in front of her. She was wearing tight black pants that clung to every curve, and her pale blue t-shirt had ridden up to expose a strip of her lower back. Olive spied the top of a flowery tattoo, and she chewed on her lip. Willow pulled out the other woman’s chair before taking the seat opposite her, and Olive resigned herself to being a permanent blushing pink. Willow smiled and the nymph decided she would be any color in the world as long as she could keep looking at this woman's smile.

Name? Willow signed.

It was clear that, like Olive, Willow only knew a few words in sign language. Olive smiled and took the pad of paper so she could pen her name on the line at the top of the page. Willow’s mouth formed Olive’s name and Olive felt her stomach flip flop around in her abdomen. The nymph moved her hand down to the next line and wrote

Are you from here? I feel like I would remember seeing such a beautiful woman milling about this small town.

Willow shook her head and slid the pad in front of her to scrawl,

We just moved a few days ago. This is actually my first day.

Olive’s heart sank as she flipped to a new page and wrote,

We? You and your partner?

Willow threw her head back in another one of her silent laughs. Olive loved how it broke open her entire face with light and warmth. She was still giggling as she responded,

No, not my partner. My parents.

Olive didn’t try to conceal the sigh of relief that escaped her chest, and that made Willow laugh again.

The pair sat at that table and passed the pad of paper back and forth as the rest of the cafe went on without them. Olive told Willow how she had been born in the forest outside of town and that she basically hadn’t seen anything other than this village in her entire life. Willow told Olive that she was born in a human city, and how pleasantly surprised she was by the people that lived here. That made Olive smile, and she enthused that all of the people and creatures that lived here were the warmest beings she’d ever had the pleasure to know. Willow’s eyes got sad then, and she opened up a window into her past.

I’m actually relieved there are no other humans here. The only other humans I’ve ever known were my birth parents, and they abandoned me when I was barely a toddler because they couldn’t get me to talk. Thought I was broken.

Willow’s hand grasped the back of her neck and Olive saw the muscles of her throat expand and contract as she swallowed hard. There were unshed tears in her beautiful eyes, and Olive’s heart hurt. She took Willow’s free hand with both of hers and squeezed gently. Her skin was surprisingly soft, almost like a lamb’s ear. With her free hand she took the pad as she tried to distract the other woman,

Will you show me how to make a latte?

Willow smiled softly and nodded, giving Olive’s hand a squeeze before pulling them both to their feet.

Olive caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye and she noticed the last of the customer’s leaving the cafe. To her delight, it seemed the pair was alone. The barista grinned wickedly and pulled Olive with her behind the counter. Olive studied Willow’s hands as she went through the motions of brewing a pair of coffees. She showed Olive where the milk was kept and how to steam it. When it was ready to combine, Willow stepped behind Olive and put her hand over the smaller woman’s as she guided her to pour the hazelnut blended java into two paper cups. With her other hand she expertly poured the steamed milk, and Olive was mesmerized by the artistry of the white cutting through the black and blending into a beautiful mocha swirl. Willow capped the cups and with a sharpie, she quickly jotted something down the side of the drink before handing it to Olive.

The nymph’s face screwed up in a look of confusion. It was a string of ten numbers broken up with short dashes. Willow saw the question in her face, and a dawning look of understanding fell over her. Olive had never been outside this forest, never encountered the human world. She hadn’t the slightest idea what a phone number was. The taller woman put her palm to her forehead in a motion of disbelief that she could have forgotten so quickly. She fetched the pad of paper from their table and jotted a message as she walked back over to Olive,

I guess I spaced and forgot you would have no idea what a phone number is. I wanted to be able to talk to you even after you left.

Olive laughed, and Willow’s eyes lit up at the sound the other woman couldn’t hear. The nymph’s laugh was like a chorus of bells that needed a bit of tuning-beautiful and deep. She found the last fresh page on the pad and wrote,

Maybe you can show me what this phone does later, unless you’re kicking me out?

Olive smiled coyly, and now it was Willow’s turn to blush scarlet as she adamantly shook her head and penned,

Not at all. I’m not done giving you the grand tour.

Willow winked and practically leapt over the front counter to flip the sign on the door from ‘open’ to ‘closed’ and she locked the rest of the village out. They eyed each other from across the room for a moment as the storm raged outside. Olive could feel the subtle vibrations of the windows shaking in their panes with each rumble of thunder, and her arms came alive with goosebumps. Willow came slowly around the counter this time, never taking her eyes off the beautiful nymph in front of her. She took Olive by the hand, and as she led the pair farther into the back of the cafe, Olive forgot all about the thunder.