Coffee Conversation

AI Disclaimer: Drafts were entirely human written. AI was used in the proofreading process.

Whoosh

Mark was rudely interrupted from his thoughts as a van sped through the pedestrian crossing. He looked up in time to catch a blur of green and white as the van zoomed past, the side plastered with spray painted symbols from a fraternity he couldn't quite make out. It careened off, veering around the corner before he could even get a thought in.

He took a second, shaking his head in an attempt to regain his composure. No longer lost in his own thoughts, he took the opportunity to double check both ways were clear before crossing. Clear on left… and clear on right

"So, where is this coffee shop, exactly?" Sophie asked as they finished their impromptu game of frogger, apparently oblivious to the near-miss.

Mark, still a little shaken, paused for a second before settling on a direction. "It's just around the corner and down a couple of blocks." He led Sophie around the bend before continuing. "The place is called Express Espresso. I heard a few students mention the coffee was good, but I can only personally vouch for the hot chocolate and blueberry muffins."

"I'm looking forward to it. I've been scraping by with convenience store brews for the past couple days."

"If you'd like," Mark offered. "Centennial Park is close by, we could sit and enjoy our coffee by the lake."

Sophie agreed without hesitating. "That sounds fun." She thought for a moment before asking, "You seem to know the area well. Did you grow up around here?"

Mark chuckled briefly. "No, I live several hours away. Back in middle school, I attended overnight summer camps here. A few friends and I used to explore around." He looked around conspiratorially before whispering loudly. "We weren't strictly supposed to, but we managed to sneak out after hours."

Following the familiar sidewalks to the coffee shop, he turned to approach the door. Sophie continued past, not realizing he had stopped. "We're here!" Mark called out, causing Sophie to abruptly stop. She looked around for a second, then turned and walked in behind him.

It was a bit crowded, but with no line, they walked right up to the counter. Mark ordered first. "One americano with extra cream, please." He motioned to Sophie, curious how she would react to a little flirting, and offered to cover her drink. "And whatever my pretty new friend wants."

Sophie blushed a bright pink. "I... I'll take an iced mocha." She stammered out as Mark moved to pay the bill. She turned to him. "Thanks for that. You said the hot chocolate was good, so I figured I'd try a bit in my coffee."

Mark nodded. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

He looked around, soaking in the scene as they waited for their orders. A full-glass facade allowed the late-summer sun to fill the space with natural light. The shop was adorned with decorations featuring the college logo. A large banner hung from the ceiling read "Welcome Back Students!". The shop was mostly filled with college students, presumably finishing up their summer reading assignments or getting a head start on coursework.

Mark heard his name called and collected their drinks at the counter. He handed Sophie her drink, and motioned for her to follow. They left the store, making their way toward the park with drinks in hand.

"So how was the drive in?" Mark started. "You mentioned it was a multi-day trip?"

"Ooh boy… Yeah, that was quite the trip. Where to start?" She took a minute to gather her thoughts. "I drove in with my sister's friend. She's a junior, renting an apartment on campus this year, so she had a lot more stuff to bring in. She ended up renting a trailer and offered to bring me along." Sophie took a sip of her mocha. "I probably shouldn't have agreed so readily. Sure, it was a free ride, but it turns out she was looking for a second driver so she wouldn't have to stop along the way."

"Yikes. I know those seats couldn't have been comfy to nap on either."

"That wasn't even the worst part. Between her erratic driving, all the coffee and fuel stops, and her insistence on playing rock music the whole time, I only managed to get about four hours of sleep that first night." Sophie took another sip of her coffee. "Hey, this is actually pretty good."

"I'm glad you like it! I've always thought their cocoa was the best in town. How did the second day go?"

"Mostly the same as the first day. Loud music, bad coffee, little sleep. We arrived in town late last night, and I was so tired I crashed on her sofa without unpacking anything. She dropped me off at the dorm building after we caught up on sleep." Sophie turned to look at Mark. "So how about your drive in? Anything interesting happen?"

"Nothing really interesting. I also carpooled with a junior, a guy I knew from high school. It was only about a six hour drive, so we left around four this morning. We didn't rent a van or anything big, so I only had enough room for my backpack and suitcase."

The pavement of the sidewalk transitioned to gravel as they passed the Centennial Park sign. The pathway meandered through a grassy field, with bright red benches bordering it on both sides. To the left, there was a large open area with students throwing frisbees back and forth. To the right stood a large pavilion. A mix of people gathered under the shade, reading books and enjoying a cookout. The delicious smell of cheap hot dogs smoking over charcoal wafted through the air.

They continued down the path into a forested area, and Mark could begin to see peeks of blue water poking through between trees. Mark turned off the main path and started down a much narrower, overgrown trail. "The overlook is just up here. It's one of my favorite spots in the park because it's usually really quiet."

They arrived just as the sun crossed directly overhead. The overlook was an old abandoned dock that someone had modified into a fishing pier. It sat at the end of the trail at a corner of the lake, the main trail now hidden through the foliage. The canopy above rustled gently in the breeze as it provided relief from the noon sun.

Distant echoes were the only reminder of being in a city: people moving along the main path, the ticks characteristic of bikes freewheeling down the hill, carried voices of joggers too out of breath to control their volume, and the occasional whoop of an emergency siren.

"I can see what you mean. It is quite peaceful." Sophie found a nearby stump to sit on. "Back to the dorm situation. How did you want to organize the room?" Mark joined her on the stump and Sophie continued. "I didn't bother moving any furniture around because I wasn't sure if my roommate would have a preference. Also, I didn't have any help."

Mark pondered for a moment. "I hadn't thought that far ahead. Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

"I'm thinking that it would be fun to bunk the beds. We'd have so much room for activities."

Mark had an ulterior motive bringing her to a location this remote. It was easier to test his power in an isolated environment, since fewer people around meant less chance of someone overhearing and being affected. He spoke with that same suggestive undertone as before. "You wanted to avoid bunk beds because you're concerned about hitting your head if you wake up suddenly."

Sophie blinked a few times in rapid succession, waking up from a slight daze. "So why did you want to bunk the beds?" Mark asked, wanting to see if his push held.

"I said I didn't want to bunk the beds. I'd be worried about hitting my head." She spoke matter-of-factly, with no indication that she realized anything out of the ordinary with her response.

Success! "In that case, I think the default room layout is fine. It's already split in half, plus we don't need to move any furniture around."

Sophie continued with the question Mark had been expecting for some time. "So… how's this going to work between us? A guy and a girl sharing a room?"

Mark made the mental switch back to his suggestive voice, intending to reinforce his earlier statement in the dorm. "Treat it the same as with any other roommate. New experiences sometimes take some adjustment, and we'll just take it one step at a time."

Sophie appeared to take this suggestion in stride, barely any perceptible reaction on her face. Mark wondered if she was getting more susceptible to the suggestions as he uses them more, or if his power was growing. "I suppose that works. This should be fun."

Perhaps conviction mattered. The less someone is attached to an idea, the easier it may be to change it. Mark decided to wait before testing further. He didn't want to push too many suggestions at once.

"Are you ready to head back? We should probably finish unpacking before the cafeteria closes for lunch." Sophie drank the last bit of her coffee. "Thanks again for the drink, and for suggesting this place. It was a lovely spot."

"Of course! It was fun for me too." Mark picked his empty cup off the ground. "Probably a good idea to get back soon. There's a separate entrance that's closer to the dorm building. It's just a bit further down the main path."

They made their way back toward the dorm building. Sophie followed behind Mark, whistling a pop tune that he couldn't recognize. The quiet rustling of leaves and birdsong faded into the distance as they left the park. Stepping inside, they were once again assaulted by the smell of sweaty students unpacking and moving furniture. They walked past the elevator, now adorned with a printed sign reading "Out of Order - Maintenance Called."

Sophie, keycard already in hand, reached to unlock the door. Mark walked over to the window to open it, hopeful the faint breeze would make the room feel less like a furnace. They both returned to unpacking, with Sophie periodically asking for help moving heavier boxes.

Mark packed mostly t-shirts and jeans. The shirts were easy enough to hang up, and he decided to fold all the jeans into a neat pile in his closet. He folded and tossed his last pair of jeans on top of the pile. Unfortunately, his throw was a bit off, and the entire pile fell down on top of him. One pair ended up unfolding and landing directly on his head, blocking his vision.

As Mark lifted the errant pair of jeans off his head, he locked eyes with Sophie, who was staring at the whole thing. She was clearly stifling a laugh, and the sudden eye contact brought her over the edge. They both burst out laughing.