Untitled Story

It's about noon, in a campus coffee shop. You're a regular, currently working on a letter to your mother. Right as you reach for your coffee, a stranger's voice interrupts you. [["Hey!"|sunnyintro]]

The stranger has golden hair, falling around his face in messy locks, like he cut it himself. He's covered in freckles, all the way down to his arms, one of which has a beat-up looking bracelet on it. "I've (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[seen you around]")[(show: ?seenyou)] a couple times, I thought maybe I could get to know you a bit?" |seenyou)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[You've never seen him in your life. Sure, you're not the most perceptive, but you feel like you'd recognize him if you'd met.]] "So... [[Watcha writing|writing]]?"

It's a letter to your mother. You've been on rough terms lately. You don't really think you'd like to share that with this stranger. You notice him glance at your screen, then look away. "Sorry, sorry, if it's personal, don't worry about it! Didn't mean to intrude." He says, smiling at you. It makes his eyes light up, a more genuine smile than you've seen from a stranger in a long time. You'd like to make conversation with him, maybe get to know him a bit. Maybe ask what [[he's drinking|drinkquestion]]? Or, perhaps a more effective approach would be [[his name|namequestion]].

"What're you drinking?" You ask him. He holds up his cup like the vaguely orangish-pink drink inside makes itself evident. "Mango smoothie. Caffeinated." Hm. That's fucked up. "Can I guess [[what you're drinking|yourdrink]]?"

"What's your name?" You ask. "I should probably know that." He looks a little caught off guard. "You can call me Sunny. My real name is Elio, though. Uh, and there's also my deadname, if you hear someone calling me something else. I'm working on changing it, though!" You nod. "Nice to meet you, Sunny." He grins. "Nice to meet you too! Y'know, you're actually the (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[first person]")[(show: ?first)] to hear my new name?" He asks. |first)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[Really? The first? A person in a coffee shop? You suppose he does look like the type to get a fresh start.]] "What about [[you|yourname]]?"

You hold your drink up to him. "Give it a shot." You encourage. He peers down at the paper cup, examining it from all sides in an exaggerated manner. He squints his eyes tight. "Mmm... Blueberry London fog. (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[Oatmilk]")[(show: ?oatmilk)]." He pauses. "20 ounce." |oatmilk)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[You are lactose intolerant. Good guess.]] He finishes. He steps back, bowing and spreading his arms like a magician finishing a trick. He's... [[Completely wrong.|nodrink]]

He's smiling so wide, you almost feel bad telling him. Like it would break his heart to hear something different. "... Mocha latte. Never tried any extra syrups in it." "... Oh." He seems genuinely surprised. He quirks his eyebrows a little bit, like he'd made some sort of calculative error when guessing your drink, and he was trying to work out the math in his head. "Well, it's (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[20 ounces]")[(show: ?ounces)] at least!" |ounces)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[The way he's grinning, it looks like this is a real victory for him. Either that, or hes grasping at straws.]] "And oatmilk." You add. His eyebrows go back to their previous position, which you realize now seems to be lifted up, the way a dog would look up at it's owner. "You got half right." He nods once, his hair bouncing along with him. "I guess I should tell you [[my name|nameafterdrink]] now?" He volunteers.

"You can call me Sunny. My real name is Elio, though. Uh, there's also my deadname, if you hear someone calling me something else. I'm working on changing it, though!" You nod. "Nice to meet you, Sunny." He grins. "Nice to meet you too! Y'know, you're actually the (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[first person]")[(show: ?first)] to hear my new name?" He asks. |first)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[Really? The first? A person in a coffee shop? You suppose he does look like the type to get a fresh start.]] "What about [[you|yournameafterdrink]]?"

You open your mouth to talk, before he stops you. "Wait, can I guess?" He asks, excitedly. ... Weird, but sure. You nod. He puts his fingers to his temples and shuts his eyes. "Is it... (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[Violet]")[(show: ?violet)]?" |violet)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[He's looking you expectantly, with a twinkle in his eye.]] "It's Lena, actually, but... I guess that's close. I almost settled on Violet. I was stuck between Violet and Selene for a while. Why, do I (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[look like a Violet]")[(show: ?lookalike)]?" |lookalike)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[Oddly close guess. Good for him, you suppose. Better sense for names than he has for drinks.]] "Not really. Just the sort of vibe I get. Hey, can I try to guess what [[you're drinking|drinkaftername]] next?"

He's smiling so wide, you almost feel bad telling him. Like it would break his heart to hear something different. "... Mocha latte. Never tried any extra syrups in it." "... Oh." He seems genuinely surprised. He quirks his eyebrows a little bit, like he'd made some sort of calculative error when guessing your drink, and he was trying to work out the math in his head. "Well, it's (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[20 ounces]")[(show: ?ounces)] at least!" |ounces)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[The way he's grinning, it looks like this is a real victory for him. Either that, or hes grasping at straws.]] "And oatmilk." You add. His eyebrows go back to their previous position, which you realize now seems to be lifted up, the way a dog would look up at it's owner. "You got half right." He nods once, his hair bouncing along with him. "Listen, I have to go, but maybe we could talk again [[tomorrow|goodbyes]]?" He says.

You open your mouth to talk, before he stops you. "Wait, can I guess that too?" He asks, excitedly. ... Weird, but sure. You nod. He must really like guessing. He puts his fingers to his temples and shuts his eyes. "Is it... (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[Violet]")[(show: ?violet)]?" |violet)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[He's looking you expectantly, with a twinkle in his eye.]] "It's Lena, actually, but... I guess that's close. I almost settled on Violet. I was stuck between Violet and Selene for a while. Why, do I (link-reveal: "(text-colour:(hsl:180,0.35,0.7))[look like a Violet]")[(show: ?lookalike)]?" |lookalike)[(text-colour:(hsl:0,0,0.5))[Oddly close guess. Good for him, you suppose. Better sense for names than he has for drinks.]] He nods. "Not really. Just sort of a vibe I get from you, y'know? Well, pleasure to meet you, Lena. Listen, I have to go, but maybe we could talk again [[tomorrow|goodbyes]]?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." He grins again. You understand why he's called Sunny now. He looks almost radiant when he's smiling like that. It's hard not to smile along. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Violet." He says, turning away with you and giving a small salute. "And hey, maybe try that drink tomorrow? I think you'll really like it." He bounces away, turning around to give you a wink as he walks out the door. [[>|nextday]]

The next day, you head to the coffee shop the same time as always. You realize once you get there that you didn't tell him what time you'd be there. To be fair, though, you do arrive the same time every day, and stay until the same time every day. Maybe he really had seen you around. You're about to order your mocha latte, before his suggestion brings itself back to mind. You order the blueberry London fog, oatmilk, 20 ounces. A couple minutes later, you get your drink. It's the best thing you've ever had from this little coffee shop. Maybe he can guess coffee orders. END DEMO [[RESTART?|start]]