Friendly Cafe

Today was a less busy day for Bryan. He still had a lot to do regarding the serial murder case but regardless, there weren't any new leads at the moment and he had taken the day off.

He woke up rather late in the morning not because he slept late but because he felt that it was a necessity for one to sleep in on their day off from work.

He had stayed in the hotel the previous day.

The weather was good today. A perfect day to play golf and cue balls, Bryan mused. He was a fan of both sports and today he wanted to try them out.

Another reason why he wanted to play golf and cue balls today was because Sapphire hotels had a very large golf course and an indoor billiard ball room which was accessible to everyone who stayed in the hotel. It was free and he didn't want to waste the chances since Haston city's police department had paid all the bills.

After putting on a white vest and black pants coupled with a white cap, Bryan went down to the golf course.

The golf course in Sapphire hotels was a very large one and it had an exotic design which made it look like a wonderland on its own. Bryan didn't waste any more time as he began to place the golf balls down and hit them with the golf club.

His first few shots didn't go into the hole and it made Bryan a bit frustrated. It took him until now to realise that he wasn't that good at this game. He thought it had something to do with the terrain or the new environment.

However, his frustration was short lived when he noticed something fun:

The golf caddie would rush up and down the golf course to bring him the cart filled with golf clubs and balls, and also gather the balls he shot.

He had a fun idea, an idea that would make the golf caddie regret working for the hotel.

Bryan began hitting the balls aimlessly in all directions and watched in amusement as the golf caddie, whose face was already red with anger, rush to pick the balls.

After a while of playing, Bryan felt bored and decided to end the game of golf for the day and go to the billiard room.

He decided not to shower before playing cue balls; it would be a waste of time.

Since when has showering become a waste of time? A small voice argued in Bryan's mind.

"I didn't sweat that much or did I?" He sniffed his armpit just to be sure that he didn't smell all sweaty.

….

At the billiard room, Bryan went over to an unoccupied billiard table and picked up the cue stick. He arranged the balls in a triangular form and placed his cue stick ready to strike.

He took his time switching from angle to angle trying to find a perfect angle for his shot. This was the joy of playing alone; he could do whatever he wanted.

"I didn't know you fancy pool games."

Bryan looked over at the person who spoke, "hey, what are you doing here?" Bryan asked. He was surprised to see her in the billiard room. Wasn't she supposed to be working?

"I took a break so I came here to play some ball." She leaned against the edge of the table and picked up a cue ball.

"Oh, okay." Bryan said slowly and turned back to his game.

"Can I play with you?" Reinette asked slowly tossing the cue ball in her hand, "I'm pretty good at pool games."

Bryan sighed. That was the exact reason he didn't want to play against anyone; he was not that good at this game.

"Fine, you can play. Grab a stick." Bryan finally gave in amidst cursing himself inwardly.

"Great!" Reinette beamed and suggested, "Whoever loses buys the drinks later."

Bryan rolled his eyes inwardly. Another bet, and it meant he was buying drinks again.

This Reinette. She just knew how to talk to people and that was part of the reason they had gotten to know each other on the surface level. The first time he met her was when she accidentally spilled soup on him. They got to talk and gradually became friends… if their relationship could be regarded as friendship since they only met a few times and talked about stuffs like weather and hobbies.

"Bingo!" Reinette pushed her long black hair behind her ears and gave a bright smile. She just put three balls in the hole!

….

After buying a drink for Reinette, Bryan decided to go out and have some more fun. He showered and changed his clothes before leaving the hotel.

As he drove around, he didn't know where to go exactly. He wanted to go to a place where he could relax and enjoy his free day.

He kept thinking of places to visit as he drove around, he felt sad that Bernadette was away for special duties and would also be completing some tasks for the police academy which required her to be away for two to three days.

If only she were here, she'd know where to go.

After thinking for a while, Bryan decided to go and have a cup of tea at a café. He didn't want to go to Raymond Street otherwise he would've chosen to drink there. He also didn't want to drink tea at Sapphire hotels; he wanted to go somewhere else.

"I might as well play some games while I'm at it." Bryan shrugged and continued to drive along the busy street of Haston city. In the end, he found himself in Rose Street, in front of a café with a funny name:

THE FRIENDLY CAFÉ

This should be fine.

Bryan decided to drink here today. He had passed by several cafes but this one seemed to match what he was looking for; it was also a game centre or some sort of cyber café.

Bryan smiled feeling that the rest of his day will be much more fun than playing golf alone and losing in billiard ball.

He went inside the café and was surprised to see the view of the interior. The outside didn't do justice to the quality of this café on the inside!

The café was separated into two areas; one was for eating and drinking coffee or tea while the other was for those who needed to use the computers.

Bryan went over and took a seat in front of a computer that wasn't booted yet, he wanted to boot it up before getting a drink.

He observed the area some more; not too many people here now.

After the computer was booted, Bryan was startled when a voice suddenly spoke behind him, "you should ask for help the next time!"