Hot Cocoa
After dismissing the class and collecting his belongings, Dane pushed open the door and exited the classroom at the Natural History Museum, with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. He sighed as he walked down the hallway toward the exit, ensuring to button up his brown jacket. Dane loved his job at the museum, getting to help educate children about so many of the fascinating aspects of the Earth's history, but some days could be long and exhausting- as is the case when working with kids for long hours.
On his way down the staircase, Dane wished the Charles Darwin statue a pleasant night, a habit he and his friend Sylvia had gotten into as a joke. Dane also walked over to say goodnight to his friend James, who worked at the information desk nearby the entrance to the museum. In the short time they had known each other, James had been incredibly friendly toward him, and Sylvia constantly pressured Dane to ask him out on a date sometime. But Dane was convinced James' friendliness was just that... friendliness, and nothing more.
James smiled as Dane approached. "Hey there, how was your day? Your schedule must be pretty packed, with all of the new students that have been showing up recently." said the blonde.
Dane smiled shyly. "It was quite exhausting, to be honest. Ever since the Blip it's been crazy trying to get everything organized again, especially with all of the new visitors and students to the museum."
"I can imagine. Your job is much more challenging than mine anyway. All I do is greet people at the entrance and give them a map of this place." said James.
Dane hesitated before speaking. "You vanished during the Blip, didn't you? I hope you don't mind me asking..."
James nodded. "I don't mind at all! And yes, I did disappear. It was strange, although I really don't remember anything. It seems like when everyone returned, we all just started our lives again from the exact moment when we vanished."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." said Dane. "It must have been so difficult for your loved ones who remained, and for you to just continue living your life again. At least you were able to get a job here though, once you returned."
"It was a challenging time for everyone in the world, so there's no need to feel sorry for me." assured James. "But I am really glad I got this job, since I was able to meet you!" he smiled. "By the way, where's Sylvia? I always see you two leaving together."
Dane was blushing from James' previous statement. "Oh, she took the day off. Apparently she's sick, although I don't buy it. I'm sure she just wanted to dump more of the workload on me."
James laughed. "Well, it's easy to tell that the two of you are close. Do you need a ride home tonight? I'm almost done here, and then I could drive you so that you don't have to walk in the rain."
Dane paused for a moment, and looked at James nervously. He was intrigued by James' bright blue eyes, and warm smile. "Actually James, I uh... I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tonight. For drinks! Or, uh, anything."
"Well... I'm actually going to a movie later with my girlfriend. Her name's Christine." James scratched the back of his head. "We could definitely hang out another night though!"
Dane struggled to hide the disappointment on his face. "Oh, right... your girlfriend..." He thought for a moment. "Thanks for offering me a ride home, but I think I'll just walk tonight. I'll see you after the weekend."
"Alright, goodnight Dane. See you around." James said with a polite smile.
Dane continued on his way out of the museum, his hair quickly becoming damp from the rain. Sylvia's apartment was just a few blocks away, so he usually didn't mind the walk. As the light rain began to turn into a heavy downfall, Dane wondered if he should've taken up James' offer for a ride. But he couldn't deny the sadness he felt when James mentioned that he had a girlfriend. Not that he blamed James- but Dane really thought he and the blonde could have been more than friends.
Once Dane reached the street where the apartment was located, he decided to make a quick stop in his favourite cafe, where he and Sylvia usually stopped to get coffee each morning before work. He figured after a day like that, he could treat himself to a nice cup of hot cocoa. "Good evening Janice; just one medium hot cocoa, to go. Oh! And could I get a blueberry muffin with that as well?"
The woman at the register, Janice, smiled. "Of course, that'll be £5.99. It'll just be a couple of minutes for the hot cocoa."
As Dane was waiting for his order, he looked up at the small television in the corner, above one of the tables. There was a news reporter speaking, and Dane attempted to listen to what the man on the screen was speaking about. Due to the noise in the cafe, he only caught small bits of information. Dane thought he heard something about tectonic plates, and the reporter also mentioned something about a strange creature in Alaska. There was also a sighting of a supposed 'flying man'?
"Here's your hot cocoa, Dane. Have a nice night!" said Janice.
"Thanks, you too!" Dane replied. He grabbed his muffin and beverage and proceeded to the door. Thankfully, the rain had calmed down while he was indoors. Dane couldn't stop thinking about the unusual stories he saw on the television. He wasn't the kind of person to typically sit down and watch the news every day, as he hated seeing the same recurring stories of murders and car crashes each night. But the news tonight seemed exceptionally bizarre.
Dane made his way along the grey cobbled sidewalk to the apartment building's entrance, taking a sip of his hot cocoa. He was interested to see Sylvia's reaction once he told her that a flying man was apparently spotted. He smirked. What a ridiculous statement to include in the news.