Cafe Luna: Chapter 3 (The Fool)

“Aaaaand, there we go!”

I wrote the last word of my precious love letter and placed it back in its envelope.

Tomorrow’s the day I’m gonna give it to my crush!

I hope she goes out with me.

I’m so nervous!

***

I suddenly found myself sitting in front of a counter inside a cozy cafe with coffee in hand.

“I see, you’re finally awake.”

The barista smiled.

“Oh shit, it’s Skyrim.”

I retorted

“Nah, I’m just kidding.”

He laughed.

“Welcome to Cafe Luna. A bastion for people with problems and for people who just want to relax.”

“Where people can just relax?”

He answered with a nod and pointed to my coffee with an upturned palm.

“Take a sip!”

He smiled and I took one.

“Ooh, damn, that one’s nice.”

“Glad you like it.”

“What’s the name?”

“That’s just normal coffee.”

I raised my eyebrow and smelled my cup.

“What? For real?”

“Yeah.”

… If this is normal coffee, what the hell was I even drinking? This changes the whole coffee game!

“Can I at least see the beans?”

I put my cup down on a small platter in front of me.

“Sure.”

He grabbed one coffee bean behind him.

“Here you go.”

He put it on the counter and it already exuded copious amounts of odor. It wasn’t very strong, nor was it weak. It was just right. Perfectly in the middle.

What’s more, is that the shape of the bean isn’t… bean-shaped.

It’s like a crescent moon.

“I got sweets too.”

He placed a small plate of cookies beside the bean and took one for himself.

“You should eat too before it gets cold.”

I grabbed a piece of cookie and bit into it. The flavor was… inexplicable in a very good way. It’s like a massive outburst of flavor just infiltrated my mouth and suddenly declared war with my tastebuds. Now they’re in “organized chaos” and both the forces have taken the stalemate.

I was caught off guard by the cookie and decided to wash it down with the coffee.

The moment a drop of the coffee touched my tongue, it was pure bliss. It’s like a nuclear bomb of flavor just dropped and mixed with whatever was already inside my mouth.

“This is… insane.”

“Actually, this is otherworldly.”

I corrected myself.

“Well, that’s exactly the description of this cafe.”

“What do you mean?”

I looked at him inquisitively and followed his gaze which led to the windows. I walked towards the windows and looked outside.

Nothing to be seen, just pure, utter, darkness.

Which means, I’m actually somewhere else.

“Where is this cafe even located?”

“Between all the parallel universes that exist.”

He responded, his smile still prevalent on his face.

“Daaaaamn… Wait, how did I get here?”

“People drift here all the time. There are various ways of getting in, but the common ones are near-death experiences and sleep.”

“Wait, don’t tell me I choked in my sleep and that’s why I’m here!”

“No, you got transported here when you were sleeping. Think of it as a dream.”

He laughed and refilled my cup.

“A dream huh. Everything feels surreal, though.”

I walked around the cafe, touching everything. The tables, the vases on top of them, the bookshelf, the books inside of it. Everything.

It just feels real.

“Because it is. This place is real. You just somehow slipped in here and are now experiencing something for the first time.”

His face lit up like a kind sun in a very soothing weather.

“Anyway, sit here, and let’s talk about that love letter you wrote before you slept.”

“Wait, you know about that?!”

I almost broke my neck with how quickly I turned my head when I heard his words.

“Of course I do. Hahahaha.”

He laughed heartily.

“Are you some kind of god?”

I said under my breath.

“Me? A god? Hahaha, far from it!”

He waved his hand dismissively as I arrived at my seat.

“Anyway, can you tell me how the girl looks?”

He leaned closer, listening intently.

“Let’s see.”

I looked at the ceiling for a bit to try and collect my thoughts.

“She has this… aura that I just can’t shake off. It’s just alluring for some reason.”

I made irrelevant hand gestures trying to put my thoughts into words but the barista just smiled.

“You know, that doesn’t really tell me anything, right?”

“I know, but it’s just…”

I paused for a bit, trying my best to explain things.

To no avail.

“I just can’t explain it!”

I gave up and slumped on top of the counter while the barista laughed his ass off.

“That’s alright, it just means that your feelings are genuine.”

His kind face has shown itself once more.

“Of course they are!”

I beat my chest in an attempt to show my resolve.

“That’s great!”

He patted my back.

“Love often cannot be explained. It’s not a logical process, but an emotional one. It’s only normal for it to be inexplicable.”

He held his cup of coffee and moved it in a circular motion.

“It’s such a wonderful thing too.”

He continued.

“Wonderful? If having butterflies in your stomach all day and having your heart rate skyrocket whenever she’s approaching is wonderful then goddamn is it wonderful.”

“It’s all part of falling in love! Relax.”

He said calmly and laughed.

“All those mixed emotions you feel?”

“Yeah?”

“They’ll be rewarded when she says yes! It’s a feeling of great satisfaction!”

He said enthusiastically.

“It’s such a wonderful thing.”

He added before sipping his coffee and savoring the flavor.

“You think so?”

I somehow felt the nerves come right at me. A myriad of what ifs have suddenly bombarded my mind.

“What if she doesn’t say yes?”

I looked down at my coffee.

“But what if she does?”

The barista interjected.

“Worrying about it will do nothing beneficial. It’ll just increase your anxiety.”

He continued.

“My advice? Just go for it! Don’t think about it too much and just go straight in!”

“But that’s just reckless!”

“It might be, but it’s a much more effective way of letting the person know about your feelings than just worrying about it.”

He has a point though, but…

“I just can’t help thinking about it!”

“Hey….”

He placed his hands on my shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

“It’s gonna be fine, alright?”

I nodded.

He snapped his fingers and suddenly I began losing my vision.

“Don’t back down! Just go for it! Your journey is just starting!

Were the last words I heard from him.

***

I woke up from the weird dream that I had and instantly looked for the letter. I placed it in my bag and prepared for school. After doing my morning routine, I head straight to the school making sure I’m earlier than everybody.

I arrived at the shoe lockers and scouted the surroundings.

“No one, great.”

I carefully grabbed the letter from my bag and was planning to slide it in her shoe locker when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“What’s that you’re holding?”

A cheerful voice rang behind me.

“Wait, how?! I made sure no one was around!”

I faced her, letter still in hand. There she was, standing there and smiling. She held her bag behind her with both of her hands cutely and swayed from side to side.

“Is that a love letter?”

She asked with her high-pitched voice.

With the cat out of the bag, I just decided to give it to her directly.

“Y-Yes, read it when you’re alone! Thank you!”

I placed the letter inside the pockets of her blazer and attempted to run off, but she grabbed my hand and prevented me from doing so.

“I’m not even gonna read it, I’m saying yes!”

She pulled me in and gave me a tight back hug.

W-W-Wait, what’s happening?! What?!

“You know how long I’ve waited?”

She whispered while I still figured out what the hell is happening.

“N-No?”

“Since the start of the semester, dummy!”

Then she hugged me tighter like a little kid receiving a new plushie for her birthday.