Bagel Nook Princeton Novels & Stories

Noah stepped off, his legs feeling like jelly. "I need a bed. Now," he muttered to himself, trying to gather the shreds of his sanity. He walked along the rotting wooden sidewalk, passing rows of old shops with paint peeling from age. His eyes settled on a twostory building; the ground floor was a tiny bakery called The Daily Crust. The aroma of yeast and browned butter slightly calmed his growling stomach. In the window, there was a handwritten yellow sign: Room for Rent. Cheap. No Questions Asked.

I woke up early and did my morning run at Runyon Canyon. After an hour, I headed to Hollywood downtown to have my breakfast at The Bagel’s Coffee house- my favorite coffee shop in LA. Aside from having a tasteful bagel, they're also making a pure organic coffee that could satisfy my cravings at a very low cost. I used to spend my time at the place after my exercise. “Davis' Construction Group of Companies signed a contract with the US Engineering Department for a billion-dollar Subway Project” written on the front page of a newspaper.

Me: I can’t wait either. Jenny and I finally decided we needed food and coffee but we couldn’t even force ourselves to make anything. I suddenly wished Alan was here so he could feed us the way he did Emily and I before school started. The coffee shop down the street sold these huge delicious bagel sandwiches that sounded heavenly. So Jenny and I decided to order from there .. because they delivered. And going somewhere right now was out of the question. A second later I was on the phone with the guy placing my order.

yeah she had a rough night. ‘Well you're in for a treat', Jacob smiled, ‘The coffee shop right across are having a party so I got us free coffee and a cream cheese bagel to go with it. Ophelia mentioned you've been eating bagels a lot'. Kathleen's cheese rose with color of embarrassment as it was the pure truth—she'd been eating bagels a lot for lunch as it was the only thing she could get, by that she meant the free box of bagels she in a dumpster near a Costco supermarket. It wasn't expired and unopened too which felt like a gift from her fair godmother wherever she was, and with the half cup of cream cheese in her pantry....she was able to squeeze out lunch and for three days.

Christian walked over, holding a plain brown paper bag. “It’s not diamonds,” Alexander warned as I took the bag. “Before you get excited.” I opened it. Inside was a toasted bagel with cream cheese and lox from the deli near our apartment. The one I loved. The one I hadn’t had time to visit in weeks. My stomach growled audibly. Alexander chuckled. “I figured you skipped breakfast.” “I love you,” I groaned, inhaling the scent of the bagel. Alexander went still. The words hung in the air between us.

Their gaze broke when Noah cleared his throat as loudly as he could. “I will have the classic New York bagel with cream cheese and lox,” Noah ordered, sizing the waiter up. “Alright,” The waiter took note of their orders on his tab. “What drinks would you like with that?” “Brooklyn-brewed latte,” Isla went first, her voice low and steady. “I see you're have made your research,” the waiter teased, scribbling on his tab, a smile tugged at his lips.

Inside the takeout container sat a bowl of creamy chicken noodle soup, paired with a side of buttered toast and a small serving of coleslaw. The meal looked plain and entirely unappetizing. Ariana glanced at it and said, "I don't want to eat this." "What do you want, then?" Feigning a thoughtful tone, Ariana said, "I remember there's a 24-hour bun shop 100 meters to the left of the hospital. I really like their buns. Could you go grab some for me, Mr. Lodge?"

The car let out an extra, unnecessary poot of exhaust as if chuffing in response. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and followed behind as Mia and Zane led the way to the bagel shop. Admittedly, the weather today was fantastic. All of the snow had long since melted, and spring had finally sprung. The air smelled like flowers and fresh grass and petrichor from a light drizzle that had happened overnight while we slept. The bagel shop in question was tucked into a narrow alley off the main street. Mia was already chattering about how she wanted a salt bagel with garlic and herb cream cheese.

They choose a small cafe as their burger was absolute heaven and was quite famous in the nearby town beside Penshaw. As they entered, the smell of fries tempted Bella’s appetite. She is hungry, by the way. “Hey, can you order for both of us? I need to use the washroom,” Noah said. “Yes, you should or I will kick you to the washroom,” Bella said and walked up to the counter. Noah turned his feet to the washroom. As soon as he got in, he took out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. “I have done my job,” Noah said, washing his hand when loud laughter reached his ears.

The lady behind the counter said, and I frowned, opening my wallet. “Isn’t it supposed to be like half the price? It’s just plain bagels.” I argued, and she shook her head. “We don’t sell anything plain here. All custom-made." She said, and my mind wandered off to him. On our first date, he’d made me the custom bagels for dinner. How did he know I’d like it more than the plain ones? Mom has always made the plain ones since I was a kid because I couldn’t handle my milk sometimes.