The most beautiful woman I've ever seen

It was evening and the soft lamps which lines the large windows of The Wanderer were glowing softly in the evening light. It was that special time in a scottish summer night when the sun glows apricots, salmon pink and gold on the North Sea, streaking the cold water with glitter. There was a soft chatter coming from a few customers who sat in the coffee shop enjoying the evening light and Lilith's coffee, among them was Tulip who was nuzzled into the corner of the big sofa with her crime novel and soya latte. Everything was becoming routine and Lilith was smiling softly and looking out at the long black shadows cast by the evening sun on the little lane. A girl appeared outside the shop and swung her long plait over her shoulders as she swung the shop door open.

TING.

Lilith snapped out of her stupor and looked up at the tall girl's face. The girl smiled at Lil, confidently, with excitable almond shaped eyes set in a small face with a heart shaped mouth and buttery smooth skin, luminous like cocoa butter. She also wore a bright orange t-shirt which fitted loosley and carried an expensive looking handbag over her right shoulder.

Hello, a small capuccino please. The girl said in a soft american accent.
Sure, Lilith said, in a small voice, trying to sound in control of her post.
Excuse me, do you have semi-skimmed milk, or skimmed? She asked politely, as she saw the full fat milk carton in Lilith's hand.
Sure, Lilith said, and she reached into the fridge for the skimmed version.

Luckily, the coffee machine purred and behaved, producing a creamy capuccino for the girl. She handed Lilith the £1.60 between beautifully manicured finger nails, painted a pale shade of expensive pink. Her hands were smooth and her fingers long. Lilith then looked at her own hands for the first time that day and felt they were short and stubby in comparison.

Thank you, the girl said with another soft twang. She cocked her head slightly...
Do you go to school here?
No, I'm just working at the moment.
Oh, you've finished then?
High school? Yeah...
[The american laughed]. In America, we call "school" what you guys call Univeristy. Sorry, that's what I meant. I forget that sometimes.
Oh, Lilith said laughing and trying not to stare too long at the girl's perfect face.
Do you? Lili managed.
Yeah, I study bio informatics at the Uni here.
Oh cool, Lil said, raising her eyebrows and nodding.
Yeah, I studied at Princeton in the USA and now I'm here. I've actually only been here about six months though. I get coffee here a lot, I've never seen you. Is Paulie away?
Yeah, he hired me and then took off pretty quickly. He'll be back in the next few days though, she added quickly.
Great. The american took a deep swing from the coffee and Lilith watched her gulp down the hot liquid that she'd just made.
Have you done any travelling?
No, I grew up in Glasgow and this is pretty much my first stop. I'm here for the summer... I'd like to though.
You definately should, it's the next best thing to Uni.
Have you been lots of places?
God, yeah [she drank again]... I've been all over Europe with friends, France, Spain, Milan, Switzerland... I'm actually half Italian.
Oh, Lilith smiled and looked again at the unblinking almond eyes. You look sort of Italian. She said with a smile.
Thank you, she said, her face lighting up. She seemed to relax a little, letting a little of the confident sheen disperse into normality. She swung back her head and drank the rest of the capuccino, a rosy glow on her cheeks as the blood rushed into her face from the caffeine.
I love the coffee here, I'll definately be back.
Great, said Lilith earnestly.
The American handed Lil back the coffee cup and swung her handbag back over her shoulder. Lilith caught the gleam of a Gucci 'G' on the front. It was made of soft camel coloured leather and looked great against the orange top. The girl slid on a large pair of sunglasses and waved a quick goodbye before setting off briskly down the increasingly dark street towards the Uni. Lilith stood still in the coffee shop, looking around at the other customers to see if they too had been watching this Unicorn rider. Nobody appeared too. Lilith ran her finger over the smudge of pink gloss on the side of the cup and it smelt like strawberries. She smiled and blushed to herself as she put the cup in the dishwasher and sat down again as the summer evening came to a close.