Victoria returned Alex’s shrug lightly. “It’s not fair for you to always pay for both of us.” She took her card back from the barista and put it back in its place. “Besides, it’s the least I can do for you showing me around… and walking in the rain to get here.”
	The [i]shrrritt[/i] of the café’s latte machine sounded, and the robust smell of coffee beans burst anew as the barista expertly began to make Victoria’s latte, and put on a fresh pot of coffee. She glanced to Alex as he brushed aside his hair, then reached up and brushed her own from her face, the strands sticking to her skin. She gathered it up in a ponytail, and squeegeed it out a bit, the droplets falling to her already soaked shirt. 
	Letting her hair fall back around her face, she inhaled deeply at the smell of energy as if just the smell would imbue her with the pep from the coffee.
	Alex’s coffee finished first. The man behind the counter placed a brown glass mug on the counter, steam rising from the dark liquid inside. “Fresh from the pot. Twenty-five-cent refills today. Start of school special. Help yourself to the creamers,” he nodded to a plastic organizer at the right of the counter packed with various flavors of creamer cups, “and sugar’s at the tables.” He went back to finishing up Victoria’s latte.
	Once she had her warm beverage in hand, Victoria turned to the room and scanned the tables. Wanting to watch the rain, she headed toward one by the storefront window. Droplets beat down on the glass, creating thousands of streaks. The rainfall seemed to have diminished slightly.
	“Mind a window seat?” She looked out the window at the mostly vacant street beyond.