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He'd showed up like one of those characters in movies— randomly, mysteriously, and with absolutely no back story.

He was yet to enter the coffee shop but I could tell through the glass door that he was angry. He had to be, he was practically screaming into the phone, pushing his hair back, every two seconds, and pacing around like a lunatic.

"What do you think the deal with that one is?" asked Cassie, as she stood in front of me, leaning against the counter I was cleaning.

"Haven't seen him around, honestly," I said, my eyes never leaving his pacing figure, "But he seems kind of familiar, I just can't place him."

"I can't believe this is happening!" his muffled voice came through the door.

"He's hot," commented Cassie, making me snap my eyes towards her and grin. I shook my head, playfully showcasing my disappointment, "Why is it you always point stuff like this out at the worst possible moment?"

"What? Just because I can identify fineness when I see it, doesn't mean it's the worst possible moment."

"Last week we were watching that stupid action movie and you called the dead body a feen."

"Well," she started defensively, "He wasn't a corpse until after. Like he'd just died so there was only a little blood. The colour was still in his face, the makeup artist didn't do a good job! And I was obviously talking about the actor."

I laughed.

"You don't get it, Omar! I'm stuck! I'm fucking stuck!" yelled the boy, making both me and Cassie flinch in surprise.

Cassie grimaced, "Poor Omar."

I shrugged.

I wasn't one to interfere in other people's personal matters, the case being absolutely opposite with Cassie. She'd poke her nose everywhere, and even though she never actually spread the things she heard, she always came and told them to me. Which was probably why she was my closest confidant because, I'm not going to lie, hearing dirt about other people's lives was genuinely entertaining.

"What's your conjecture?" she asked, shamelessly eye-balling him again.

"I'd say he's stuck," I deadpanned sarcastically.

Cassie glared at me as I kept the damp cloth aside and washed my hands.

She groaned, tying up her blonde hair in a bun, "Okay, I have to leave. My cousins are supposed to come from Derry today and I promised mom that I'd be home by 4."

"Are you sure?" I asked, glancing outside at the boy again, my peripheral vision taking in the 12 inches of snow piled around the roads behind him, "Not that I've been here any other winter but I'm pretty certain that Limerick doesn't receive as much snow as it did last night."

"You're right," Cassie nodded, "It doesn't. It hasn't in all the years I've been born. It's fucking baltic outside. More than half of the roads are blocked but they're saying they'll clear it up by tonight."

"Yeah, Sal couldn't make it because he lives further down, so I had to open up today," I said, shivering at memory of the cold temperature.

Cassie frowned as she tapped her long nails against the countertop, "It's Christmas in six days and Sal's coffee shop literally runs on university rush. Everyone's away for break, I don't see the point in keeping it open."

I hummed, picking up a pair of tongs and snapping it out of habit, "So, three scones?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, taking her phone out of her bag and pressing it to her ear.

Then after a few seconds, she went, "Hey, mama?... Yeah, I'm at Sal's..... visiting Jamie.... uh, huh....do you need anything?...... Oh, that's terrible..... right, no..... Okay, I'll ask her.... yeah, love you.... bye."

I handed her the packet of scones, as she dug out her wallet and pushed her phone into her bag.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, they can't make it," Cassie shrugged handing me the money, "Flights have gotten cancelled for the the next week. Bad weather predictions."

I grunted a noise of acknowledgement, giving Cassie her change, "You know, I always thought having snow around Christmas was the dream."

She laughed, "That's probably because you're from California. Which also reminds me," she leaned forward, "Mum asked me to ask you to spend Christmas with us. She doesn't like the fact that you have to stay at campus alone during this joyous time."

"I told you, I'm fine! My parents are Buddhists anyway, so Christmas has never been big at our place. It's literally like any other day."

"If you say so," Cassie relented, "I'm gonna go out and try and get a proper gawk at the fella, I'll text you and please do a little digging, I don't like not knowing everything about everyone."

I chuckled, "I'll try my best."

"Okay, cool," Cassie grinned, walking towards the door, "Meet you at Hudson's place tonight?"

I nodded, "Yeah, might drop in for a while."

And with that she left the shop, the bells on the door jingling. She walked past the guy in a deliberately slow pace which, from afar, looked like a bad interpretation of pink panther.

One minute later, my phone rang.

Cassie.

I laughed as I answered, "How did the espionage go?"

She whined, "He's Swedish."

"Okay?"

"Well, he didn't exactly pay any attention to me when I walked past. So we know that he's either tasteless or gay," I laughed again, " And he was kind of switching between English and Swedish, so, I really don't know. Sexy accent though."

"So your dog's nose for gossip didn't detect anything? I have to say, I'm a little downhearted."

"Now, just a minute," she countered, "I'm very sure he used the word 'flight', so I'm quite certain that his must've gotten cancelled. You know, how about—"

The jingle of bells made me snap my head up and instantly, I tuned Cassie out.

He finally entered.

His cheeks were tinted red, whether from the cold or the anger, that I couldn't decipher. His brown eyes sheepishly met mine as he offered me a smile.

Oh yeah, definitely attractive.

"Hey, Cass?" I said into the phone.

"Yeah?"

"I have a customer, I'll call you back."

She squealed, "Oh my god, he's in! Isn't he? Jamie, you have to—"

"Love you too, bye," I said nonchalantly, desperately hoping that he didn't notice Cassie and I gaping at him.

I cut the call, offering him a smile.

He placed his bag on a chair in the café and ran a hand through his hair, then looking at me straight in the eye, he greeted, "Hey."

"Hey," I said with a grin, "Welcome to Sal's, what can I get ya?"

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