There was a standing date at a coffee shop about three blocks from the MIT campus. The employees knew it, the regulars knew it, even the old couple that took their afternoon stroll past the windows knew it. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 5 p.m. you could find the pair huddled on a couch that sat just inside the door of the shop and faced the small stage that was frequently used for open mic nights by the local “bohemians”. They were always sat close together and spoke in low tones. If you listened closely when you walked past, you would hear words like “tree-recursive” and “letrec”. You might not know what they meant, but those two most certainly did.
They were visually opposites. One had sleek, blonde hair (sometimes pulled up into a bun and held by a pencil), pale skin, and large blue eyes. The other had dark brown, curly hair, sun-kissed skin, and narrow, thoughtful brown eyes. The blonde was often dressed in bright colors, especially yellow. “For luck you know.” The brunette was more conservatively dressed, often in a pencil skirt and matching blouse as if she had just come from working in academia.
They usually spent about two hours there, with cups of mocha (for the brunette, just so she could get through the rest of the day) and chai (for the blonde, to clear her head of combinators). Some days they talked non-stop, the brunette venting her frustrations with her faculty co-workers and friends. The blonde would listen with a thoughtful smile on her face, never really offering advice, but giving an ear to listen. Then there were the days that they didn’t talk at all. They sat there and read, switching books or magazines when they were done.
After the first month, the coffee shop owner learned their names. Though he felt they were odd, he didn’t say anything. He was just happy to have a names with a faces. The blonde was Alyssa Hacker and the brunette was Eva Lu Ator. Really they were lovely names for two lovely young ladies.
They continued to come to the shop for several months. It was always peaceful and whoever was on duty that day knew to make sure the couch was cleared off by five so the girls had a place to sit. Sometimes the brunette would be late and those would be the days the barista could hear her fussing all the way from the counter. There was never a mess when they left and if they had read books from the “Give and Take” shelves, they were returned and organized neatly, often more neatly than before.
Then one Tuesday, about eight months after they started coming, only Eva showed up. She got her mocha and sat on the couch. She pulled a book from her bag and began to read, a slight frown on her face. You could tell she wasn’t paying attention to the book because she sat there for almost 30 minutes at one point, staring at the book without turning a page. The owner was there that day and asked if she was ok. Eva just smiled tremulously and nodded her head. “Yes, I’m ok. Thanks.” He nodded back at her and left her be. She sat there the usual two hours before returning the book to her shelf, the cup to the counter, and left. Her gait was slow and heavy. The owner was concerned for the girl and said a silent prayer that everything would be ok.
Thursday was the same, except it was Alyssa. She seemed as distracted as her counterpart, barely sipping her chai and not even picking up a book or magazine. She stared at the little stage lost in thought. It was a different person on duty that day and she mentioned it to the owner the following day, he sighed and shrugged. He explained about Eva on Tuesday and now they were both worried.
Saturday came and neither woman showed up. The owner had made a point to be there that day and became more anxious. He had grown to like the women not only for their quiet demeanor but for the love they seemed to share for each other. Oh they never admitted they were partners or anything like that. It was just something they exuded. It was the way Alyssa would just stare at Eva when the brunette was getting lost in a book. Or how Eva would subtly grab Alyssa’s hand and keep hold of it all afternoon. Just the little things.
Neither showed up at all the next week, nor the next. It was nerve-wracking for the staff because they had no idea where the girls lived or how to check on them. Even the old couple who passed every day stopped in and asked about them.
And then they were there.
They burst into the coffee shop on a Tuesday afternoon three weeks after the first time one went missing. They were all smiles and laughter and holding hands. They could barely take their eyes of each other and almost tripped on their way to the counter. They got their drinks and made their way over to the couch to sit. No books for them today. The owner beamed at them as he approached from the back.
“Well, nice to have you back, ladies!”
Eva blushed as Alyssa beamed. “Well,” the blonde said. “We’ve only just come back from our honeymoon. We haven’t even seen our family yet. We knew this would be our first stop because it means so much to us.”
The owner beamed and let them know their drinks were on the house the rest of the week.
They continued their coffee house visits for years. When the owner got on in years and decided to sell, they bought it. It was their shop, their place of peace. And they wouldn’t have it any other way.
** date credit: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15798330