I actually wrote this a couple of years ago, but it fits with my recent Tea theme:
She was brewing a pot of green tea with mango behind the counter when Eric walked into the tea shop. Eric of the Earl Grey White Tip, Eric of the soft brown eyes and books tucked under his arm like "Madam Bovary" or "Pride and Prejudice" or "Interview with the Vampire." Eric of the occasional female friend that none of the girls behind the counter could figure out if he was married to, dating, or divorcing, but the woman had not been with him for the past few months.
She hurried to get the green tea brewed for the other customer so she could move on to Eric. She felt a stirring in her body as she prepared the tea with a honed awareness of Eric standing next in line, a stirring not unlike the warm water in the pot, the swirl of green tea leaves and yellow flakes of mango, the sensuous smells carried on the curls of steam. As she watched the slow unfurling of the leaves in the hot water, she remembered that this motion was called the “agony of the leaves.”
Finally, she finished with her customer and he stepped up to the counter. She did her best to sound composed, "Good morning, would you like the usual Earl Grey with White Tip?"
Eric scanned the board for today’s specials. "How about Rose Congou. Or is it pronounced Conjou? Is the G soft or hard?"
Why was the pronunciation of the soft or hard G the most erotic experience she had had in weeks? She felt her cheeks burning as she considered various responses: "You can have it either soft or hard, depending on your mood," or "The G is hard, like orgasm." But instead she replied, "It depends, I hear it pronounced both ways. I think the owner says "Congou" with a hard G.”
"I'll have a pot of that, and a ginger cookie, or should I say GinGer?" Eric said, smiling. She laughed a little too loudly and tipped over the canister of tea, dried rose petals and dark leaves spilling across the counter. As she wiped them off with the palm of her hand, she thought about knocking everything off of the counter in one passionate motion, hopping up and pulling him atop her, “Take me here, take me now!” But instead, she only managed a chipper, “Anything else for you today?”
“No thanks,” he replied, and she punched his frequent drinker’s card. One more and he’d get a freebie.
She hurried to get the green tea brewed for the other customer so she could move on to Eric. She felt a stirring in her body as she prepared the tea with a honed awareness of Eric standing next in line, a stirring not unlike the warm water in the pot, the swirl of green tea leaves and yellow flakes of mango, the sensuous smells carried on the curls of steam. As she watched the slow unfurling of the leaves in the hot water, she remembered that this motion was called the “agony of the leaves.”
Finally, she finished with her customer and he stepped up to the counter. She did her best to sound composed, "Good morning, would you like the usual Earl Grey with White Tip?"
Eric scanned the board for today’s specials. "How about Rose Congou. Or is it pronounced Conjou? Is the G soft or hard?"
Why was the pronunciation of the soft or hard G the most erotic experience she had had in weeks? She felt her cheeks burning as she considered various responses: "You can have it either soft or hard, depending on your mood," or "The G is hard, like orgasm." But instead she replied, "It depends, I hear it pronounced both ways. I think the owner says "Congou" with a hard G.”
"I'll have a pot of that, and a ginger cookie, or should I say GinGer?" Eric said, smiling. She laughed a little too loudly and tipped over the canister of tea, dried rose petals and dark leaves spilling across the counter. As she wiped them off with the palm of her hand, she thought about knocking everything off of the counter in one passionate motion, hopping up and pulling him atop her, “Take me here, take me now!” But instead, she only managed a chipper, “Anything else for you today?”
“No thanks,” he replied, and she punched his frequent drinker’s card. One more and he’d get a freebie.
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