The door closes at my back, the ringing of the bell still echoing around me. It's a coffee shop, just like any other, with the difference that there are pictures on the brick walls, but not any picturesl, pictures of scenes from different Shakespearean plays. From Hamlet to Macbeth to Twelfth Night. And then the name of the shop makes sense to me. As You Like It. Of course! Like another play. This coffee shop is Shakespeare thematic and that makes me smile. Other than that, the shop is normal: tables and booths and sofas and coffee tables. You know, the usual. A counter with the cashier and a door that leads to the kitchen. Doors to the toilets on the opposite walls. Waiters going from the kitchen to the tables. People enjoying their breakfast as they read the paper or a book. Then I notice a spiral staircase that leads to a first floor that has a balcony-kind-of-thing. The point is that you have a view to the ground floor from the first floor and in this first floor you find sofas and coffee tables and loveseats, but the walls are filled with books. Ancient books. And I feel my heart warming in a way that is hard to describe. 

Why didn't I come here before?

And the smell of coffee makes it so much better. I feel like I could spend whole days  here and not even notice it. It's just perfect. I bet Mila, Havi and Moni would've loved it too. If they come visit, I have to bring them here. 

"Morning," a cheery voice says and I snap back to reality. I turn to my right to see a girl smiling at me. Her skin is dark and so immaculately beautiful, I feel immediately jealous. Her eyes are a warm chocolate and her hair is extremely curly in an epic afro that would make Moni cry of sheer jealousy. She is tall and slender and looks so happily at me — so inviting. 

"Morning," I reply feeling lame next to her. She's wearing black skinny jeans and her legs look so long. A long and oversized black jumper that would look lame on me, but she looks like a supermodel.  "I-I-I'm Maca. I was sent here for a letter," I add remembering the letter I found. The reason why I'm here. 

Her brown eyes widen in surprise and soon an even wider smile appears revealing her perfect white teeth. Seriously, this girl is perfect. 

"She's here!" she exclaims and my eyes widen in shock and alarm. Why is she shouting I'm here?

The coffee shop stops. Literally. No one is moving and all eyes are on me. Every the waiter, all of them like the girl wearing black and with a black apron that reads the name of the shop, are staring at me.

And then all of the sudden they start moving again. Not only that, they are all moving towards me.

"She's here, she's here, she's finally here," a guy starts singing and my eyes widen even more. He's tall and skinny with the sides of his head buzzed and the top in a tall quiff. Very hipster. He even has those black glasses that are the signature of every hipster. 

"The day finally came!" the girl with the afro sings and her voice is amazing. Not fair! She's so perfect. 

"We've waited for you, I can’t believe it’s the day!” another girl sings coming to my side and grabbing my hand to lead me to a booth. I look everywhere and I see people smiling, some chuckling, but definitely all of them are watching.

“Someone very, very special has told us to say hi,” they sing in harmony as I take seat.

“So welcome, welcome, welcome, and don’t worry,” a boy sings handing me a menu.

“Today you’ll even get pie,” another girl finished for them. They are all singing to me.

“In As You Like It you can have—”

“—the best breakfast in all town!” they keep singing and I’m chuckling.

“Sweet or salty, whatever you want,” the afro girl sings in that amazing voice. “And don’t forget, our coffee is worthy of the crown!”

I chuckle, remembering what my stranger wrote in the letter. I think that’s this place’s motto and I like it. “So tell us, what do you want?” they all sing along and look at me, waiting for my order.

One thing is for sure, I won’t sing.

“Uhm… well, clearly I’ll have pie and coffee. That for now?” I finish practically in a question and they shrug.

And they start singing again. “Tell the cook, tell the cook, to do the best she can do!” Afro Girl sings. “Let’s show our guest why everyone comes back to this place.”

I can’t stop smiling. I’ve always liked musicals and I’ve always wanted to just burst into singing, but I never thought it was possible. I thought it only happened in movies, but they are actually singing for me. And I know, I really know this is my stranger’s doing. These waiters are improvising but they do it so well. And they are doing it for me.

The hipster boy takes my hand and pulls me towards him. I don’t notice from where another boy comes out, but he’s holding a guitar and he starts playing. And soon, the waiters are singing again and dancing, this time a more catchy song, a song they have prepared before.

“Our friend, he told us you would come,” they sing, dancing and making me dance.

“He said you were special and we ought to show you—” they sing in harmony and it sounds so beautiful.

“Some,” the afro girl sings, nailing that note and surprising everyone, “of the things we can do. The things we love to do.”

“We don’t even work here, but if it says Shakespeare.”

“What can a bunch of theatre geeks do?”

“We love the stage, and we love this place.”

“And we love that you have come today!” I laugh as they keep singing and spinning me around.

Some of the waiters jump on the tables and sing amazingly, as if this is what they always do. They make harmonies and I notice some of them make the background noise, like in Pitch Perfect, so it sounds like they have other instruments even if they don’t. These guys are crazily amazing and I wonder how my stranger managed to put all this off.

And then the door to the kitchen opens and someone walks out with a tray in her hands, smiling as she approaches where we are all dancing. The hipster guy spins me one more time and somehow manages to land me on my booth again, just a few seconds before my order arrives.

“And with breakfast on the table we will let you be,” hipster boy sings.

“But first we need to say there’s a letter here.”

“It’s for Maca so only you can read.”

“But you still can tell us if you please!” they finish and I burst out in a fit giggles and applause, like everyone else in the shop.

I really can’t believe that I just watched a musical number and not just any musical number, but a musical number for me. Especially for me. That is so cool I can’t even begin to describe it.

They bow and smile at us, then the Afro Girl approaches me, taking something from her apron. “I’m Kristal,” she says and hands me an envelope. Ah, the letter they sang about. “We haven’t read it but before I really hand it,” she says and pulls back a bit. “We need to take a picture. I hope you liked our little number.”

“I loved it!” I say immediately and with all my heart. She chuckles.

“We are glad. And as part of our instructions we have to take a picture to prove this happened.”

The hipster guys sprints off and then runs back with a Polaroid instant camera. All the waiters that took part of the musical number approach me and pose for a picture. Kristal is by my side and tells me. “Smile!”

And I do and Hipster Guy takes the photo, then takes the paper that comes from the camera and fans the air with it. Little by little the rest of the waiters back off and smile at me happily. Then Kristal finally hands me the envelope and the picture.

She’s about to leave me with my breakfast but I call her name.

“Kristal,” I say out loud and she turns around to meet my eyes. “I um… is this person… I mean should I, well… you know.”

Kristal laughs and even if I haven’t said a thing, she knows what I want to know.

“He’s a great guy, Maca. He loves making people happy and he loves doing crazy things to make people smile. We are his friends and we love helping him. I promise you, he won’t harm you. He could never harm someone,” Kristal speaks and I can feel the honesty in her words. I believe her. “Go ahead. He has planned many things for you and I swear, they are all good things. You’ll have an amazing day.”

“I’m still a bit wary,” I confess and she reaches out to grab my hand.

“Anyone would be, but I swear he’s a good kid, and he is dying to meet you. If it helps, he is always talking about you. We constantly mock him because of that,” she confesses and I laugh but I also feel my cheeks burning.

One thing I’ve found out for sure. It’s a he. I mean, I knew it at some level, but now I’m certain so that’s great. And I also know that he’s talked about me to other people, like I’ve done, too.

“He’s not some old creepy man, right?” I ask and Kristal laughs out loud.

“No, he’s probably your age and he’s really nice. And I’m sure he’ll be delighted when he meets you.”

I look down, feeling my cheeks burning even brighter and I’m not really sure why exactly. Kristal gives another squeeze to my hand before she finally leaves my side.

“Enjoy your breakfast. It’s the best in town and if you want anything else, just tell me. It was great meeting you, Maca.”

“Likewise, Kristal,” I say and she smiles widely before turning on her heels and walking away.

I’m left alone with my breakfast and the letter and I don’t know what to do next. I’m nervous for what I’ll find next, but I’m also so excited to know what he planned next for me. But I’m in this café and everyone seems to agree that it offers the best breakfasts, so I’ll do that first.

I put the envelope aside and try the pie first. And it’s amazing, perfect, sublime! It’s the best strawberry pie I’ve tasted and I just can’t have enough. And then I try the coffee and he was right. It’s the best coffee I’ve tried. It’s strong, but not too strong, with an earthy taste that reminds me of rainy days and I love rainy days. Breakfast feels like home and I can’t believe I never came here before.

I think I’ve found my favourite café and, as if it wasn’t enough with the delicious food, it’s a Shakespeare thematic café and it has dozens of books and it’s just so nice. I’ll definitely come back.

Once I finish my breakfast I focus on the envelope, knowing what I have to do next. So I take a deep breath and go for it.

-:-:-

AN: I forgot to tell you, I'm writing this book for my friend Maca (Maquita as I call her) so yeah, the main character is real.

I'll be out a week, with no internet, so expect updates next weekend. 

Bel, xx