The Girl at the Window

Nora Sanders was watching the people outside the window, a styrofoam cup of coffee cooling between her hands. A yellow-paged book, worn with use so that the title on the spine could no longer be read, lay forgotten on the table. Her purse was slung across the back of the chair with her coat.

If Nora were to be defined in a moment, this would be the one.

Nora's leg was crossed over her knee, and now and again she would smooth her skirt, a long flimsy thing that only helped to create a boho-style feel. It was brown, as deep and rich as her coffee. Tucked into it was a sand-brown shirt, covered loosely with a green cardigan that stretched to her elbows.

She blinked as a dog lunged on his leash after a bird.


Her chin rested on her hand, elbow smudging the table, with a silly smile on her lips. Her light-dark coconut skin wrinkled at her eyes when she smiled, fringed by the curls of her black hair held back in a headband.

The chair across the table from her screeched as Ranna pulled it out, sitting down with a relieved huff. Nora turned her eyes from the window to Ranna.

"Day 362, and you've still got that smile," Ranna joked with a wry grin.

"Day 362, and you still can't smile right," Nora teased back. "When do you have school?"

"After lunch. Gotta catch the bus to the Atlantis pickup."

"Ooh. Wasn't Trea going to give you a ride?"

"She and Topher are sluffing class to go to a theme park. I think he's going to propose. Could be wrong, though. His head was a mess."

"And Warren?"

"Study abroad. He'll be back in a month."

"Did you look up that music I told you about?"

Ranna tapped the bulky headphones around her neck. "Ready to go for the bus ride."

Nora smiled wider. "So you liked it, then?"
 
Ranna shrugged. "It's not my normal sound, but it could grow on me." Which meant, in Ranna-speach, that she had really liked it.

"Thought it might." Which meant, in Nora-speech, I-told-you-so. And that's what Nora's smile said, too.

"When does work start?"

"Nine-thirty. Which means I have fifteen minutes left." Nora stuffed her book into her purse, then got up and pushed her chair in. "Is there any chance that I could coerce you into bagging me a bagel?" she asked Ranna with her fake-begging smile. Ranna rolled her eyes, amused, and got up to get the bagel.

"So we're still on for tonight, right?" Nora asked as she rummaged for the money to pay for the bagel.

"Meeting at seven-thirty here. I didn't forget," Ranna reassured her.

"Great! Thanks again for going to the concert with me."

"Anytime," Ranna said, then waved at Nora as she walked across the street and into the tall office building that mirrored the coffeeshop in its glassy reflection.