old fashioned || karl jacobs x reader

2: warm glow

After having a restful first night, I was up first thing in the morning to head into work. Quickly showering and getting ready for the day, I walked out of my room and looked across the quiet house. Down the corridor on the other side of the house, I could see Karl's shut bedroom door. I doubt he would be awake at eight in the morning. Despite this, I tried to be as quiet as possible as to not disrupt him.

I went through the pantry and grabbed the only box of cereal Karl had, (fav cereal). Who would've thought? I poured myself a generous bowl and ate while scrolling through my phone and catching up with everything. I wandered over to my notifications on Instagram, noticing the follower icon pop up.

karljacobs_ started following you.

A grin lit on my face at the notification. It made me strangely happy to see he had followed me, even if it was typically expected. With that in mind, though, I traveled over to Twitter where I saw two similar notifications.

KarlJacobs_ followed you

honkkarl followed you

My teeth clung to my lip to keep myself from smiling too wide. Embarrassed at me, I planted my hand over my eyes to push down the heat of happiness across my face. I shut my phone off and slid it away from me so I could focus on eating and getting to work. I dumped the milk from my bowl into the sink, rinsing it out, and placed my dishes in the empty dishwasher. Ready to leave, I grabbed my keys and wallet from the counter and left the house, locking the door behind me.

I didn't realize how cold it was going to be that morning, so the monotone sweater I wore wasn't exactly doing its part. I figured I would warm up in the car, though, so I brushed off the chill that was crawling against my skin. Deciding it was time to finally treat myself to something, I drove down to a local coffee shop I had visited several times. The smell of roasting coffee beans was always welcoming and oddly reminiscent of my youth, so walking in was a pleasant delight. It wasn't busy, neither had it ever been, which brought a comforting feeling and personal touch to it all.

The barista at the cash register had dark, nearly black, curly hair that had been stuffed away in a cap. His attire was a t-shirt with the company logo, Greenville Coffee, etched across it and a pair of slim-fitting blue jeans. He had just finished the woman before me's order and gave her this bright, movie star smile. Once she was gone, his smile averted to me and caught my attention.

"Good morning! What can I get for you?" He chirped while twiddling a sharpie between his fingers.

I stepped up, smiling as my greeting. "Just a (coffee preference), please," I replied with a  curt nod.

The barista nodded and scribbled on the cup what I wanted as to not forget. I watched him patiently as he pressed the roast and let it filter into the cup. He was effortlessly meticulous with the way he worked the cream and flipped knobs on the machine.

While waiting on the brew, his eyes found mine again. "You used to come here a lot, right?" He questioned.

Had he served me before? I couldn't remember, to be honest. He seemed unforgettable but perhaps I had gotten too caught up in life to remember. "Yeah, a month ago I would come by every other morning," I answered.

"Why'd you stop?" His eyes shifted between the machine and me.

I let out a breathy laugh to avoid the tension building around me that the barista unknowingly caused. "Just got busy looking for a place to stay," I half-lied, trying to stay as impersonal as possible.

"Ah," he nodded and filled up my cup, "I always wonder what happens to usuals when they disappear." I was hardly a usual, though. I showed up there maybe a handful of times.