You walk into a coffee shop. It's a small quaint place, tucked away in the corner of a quiet alley way. There's not many people inside but the staff seem busy enough. You're something of a regular here, somehow they know just how you like your coffee despite having a different the barista every time you've visited. Today the Barista is a nervous wreck of a woman, she shakes like a leaf in the wind and stutters her words so much you almost suspect she's speaking in Morse code. She takes your order and you take a seat by the window, sitting opposite a man in a thick, tattered - but clean - trench coat.
You know the man, he's a fellow regular. You talk, the discussion is perhaps a bit mundane but the both of you seem interested. You'd both hesitate to call each other friends, you enjoy each others company well enough but neither of you have ever bothered to learn the others name - if you've even asked for it. It's just never come up.

One day, you walk in and he's not there. It's hardly an unusual occurrence, sometimes you go several days without seeing each other. But this time it's a little different. You haven't seen him in weeks. You're not too concerned, after all despite your talks you're not that close. Then the weeks turn into months, you're still not panicked about it but you are starting to feel a slight bit of concern. It feels odd to say, but...you miss those mundane conversations. You've talked with the other patrons, even brought a few friends along - but the feeling is different. You try to push it out of your mind. You both knew your meetings were only temporary, that distance was always there - even if before it was merely space and not time.

A few more months pass, snow drifts past the window as you gently sip from your cup of coffee.The door rings as it swings open. A man walks in wearing a thick, tattered - but clean - trench coat. He walks up to the counter, places his order before taking a seat opposite to you.
"Hey," he says calmly - as if it hasn't been months since he last saw you, "how have you been?" he asks, leaning back into his chair. You take a moment to stare at the snowfall, then you smile as you place your cup down on the table.
"Well, I suppose I've been alright."