Neil sipped at the now room temperature brew and observed his surroundings for some hint of mild literary inspiration. He drifted almost immediately towards the large windows facing the street outside. On the opposite side of the street there was another coffee shop much like the one he was seated in.

He thought of it as absurd—two rivaling coffee businesses side by side, yet still somehow thriving. He wondered why he had never ventured into the other coffee shop, why he always chose this over the two, and never braved a new experience. It wasn’t as if the one he resided in was doing anything for the creative portion of his brain. As he continued to gaze out the window, he couldn’t help but notice someone staring back.

She was cute in a funny, retro kind of way. Neil smiled, and she returned the favor. He shifted in his seat, he wanted to walk across the street and say hello. Before he could get up a woman asked him to pass her the Splenda. When he looked up again, the girl was gone.