~Cariño: A Quackbur Story~

~Honey~

Cariño. Honey. That's what he called me. A nickname, some would say. The nickname came out of nowhere. On accident. Let me tell you how it all started.

. . .

I wanted to treat myself. School was finished and it was a Friday. So, my mind immediately went on tea and donuts. I wanted something sweet before I went home.

My friend, Niki, had told me about this place. A small family coffee shop. She said it was fairly busy on Mondays and Saturdays, but other than that, it wasn't that busy. She was supposed to come with me but her job shift at her internship suddenly got moved earlier in the day. Luckily, I didn't have a job. I was in high school and my parents weren't pushing me to get a job. So, I went to the small shop by myself.

I pushed open the glass door, the smell of grounded up coffee beans was pungent. It was pleasant. My shoulders relaxed as I let out a sigh. I looked around. The shop was cute. There were small brown sofas (with pillows) and chairs pulled up at the round tables. There was ivy, growing on the off-white brick walls, and hanging plants and flower in pots everywhere. The lights were dim and warm, but you would still be able to see. There were two huge, wide windows at the front and left side of the coffee shop. On the right side, there was a counter top. There was someone standing there waiting for me, and very clearly watching me.

"Hello? Are you going to order, or are you going to look at the menu first?" He was tanned and had dark long hair. He had brown eyes as dark as coffee beans and skin as golden as honey.

"Oh, yeah, can I look at the menu? My friend recommended this shop, I've never tried this coffee shop."

He chuckled. "I know, mi amigo. I've never seen you here before. Do take your time."

I hummed and looked up at the menu. I had only planned on getting tea and something sweet like a cookie or a donut, so I already had something in mind.

"Um... can I get a black tea?"

"Ok.. te negro..." He nodded his head, writing on a notepad. "Anything specific? You can put different types of things in it to make it sweet? Sugar, sweetener, honey. You can also ask for cream or milk. Almond milk, oat milk, goat milk... Or different extras we can add if you look on our menu."

"Oh, okay. Can I have milk in it? Low-fat?"

"Okay...leche baja en grasa... anything else?"

"And...um, can I have, uh, cariño?"

The man scrunched up his nose then giggled. "You mean miel? Cariño is honey as a pet name." He smiled. "Nice try though, cariño."

I blushed bright red, giving him a shy smile. "Yeah, honey, that's what I mean."

"To go or to stay?"
"To stay, thank you."

"Okay, cool. And what name should I put on the order? Not cariño, no?" He slightly smirked teasingly. He grabbed a white tea mug.

I rubbed my neck. "Uh, no, just put Wilbur, thanks."

He smiled and quickly wrote it down on his notepad, mumbling my name as he wrote.

"Hey, can I get a, um, honey-glazed donut with that?"

He smirked. "Honey again eh? Okay y una dona glaseada con miel... anything else?"
I shook my head 'no'.
"Well, your total is $16.75."
I handed him $20 and he gave me my change.

"Perfect!~ Your order will be ready in a minute, Wilbur." In the meantime, you can go in the back of the stop. We have bookcases filled with books you can read while you wait." He smiled once again, tearing the paper out of his notepad, taking it to the kitchen.

I sighed, embarrassed, heading to the back of the delicious smelling shop. I sat on a fluffy, tan couch, looking around. Surrounding me were bookcases filled and spilling with books. Children's books, novels, manga, even full-on Harry Potter books. It definitely was a relaxing place. Now I knew why Niki loved it so much.

Sooner or later, the man's voice called saying, "Tea and donut for Wilbur!"
I carefully left my spot on the comfortable couch and found my way to the pick-up counter. The man smiled, handing me a smooth, white tea cup and a delicious looking donut in a brown tissue. "Here you go, cariño! Fresh and sweet. I hope you enjoy." He went to turn around to head to the cashier's counter.

"Uh, wait! What's your name?"

"It's Alex." He pointed to his name tag pin with his name on it. "Friends call me Quackity." He smirked. "Thanks for making my day, cariño." Then he turned and headed towards the counter as soon as a new customer walked in.

Cariño. Honey. Maybe I like this new nickname.

. . .

Words: 792