Tyler Joseph did not anticipate being this nervous around anybody, especially not in such a calm place like his local Starbucks, but here he was, pining over a hot barista. He had been a bit too smitten ever since he laid eyes on him a few weeks ago, dark, curly hair, and the sweetest brown eyes. Oh how he wished he was brave enough to ask for a number, but Tyler barely had the courage to order, so he had stuck to a routine that often went like this;
"Hi, welcome to starbucks, what can I get you?" The barista boy would ask, writing on the last person who had been in line's cup. Tyler would go weak in the knees, and order the same thing he did every time.
"Uh.. I'll have a.. Um..." Tyler would stammer, trying to remember what size a medium was here. Arianna Grande? "Grande, iced macchiato, with cream and light sugar,"
"Perfect, anything else?" The barista would look at Tyler with the casual, but tired eyes, and Tyler would shake his head.
"That will be it," Tyler would say, and try not to stare too deeply at him..
This time was a little different. Upon handing the cash to the brown-eyed boy, the quarters fell out of his hand, falling to the floor with a loud clinking that alerted everybody in the shop of his clumsiness.
"Oh Jesus," Tyler muttered, bending down quickly to try and pick up the coins, dropping more on the way. Tyler could feel everybody's eyes like their stares were burning his back, which only made him drop more money. Soon enough, he saw two more hands picking up coins with him, and Tyler looked up, surprised. It was none other than the barista boy, who was now... helping him?
"Oh my goodness I am so sorry," Tyler was sure he was profoundly tomato colored by now, he could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.
"Don't worry about it, man. You're good," He helped Tyler pick up the coins, placing them on the counter. Tyler was surprised by his speed of picking them up, and even more surprised when the man completely ignored the little space to get to behind the counter, and leapt over it. Tyler was, so to speak, completely speechless. He stood there for a few seconds, eyebrows slightly raised.
"So... can I get a name for that?" The barista smiled, saying so with a laugh sprinkled into the simple sentence, interrupting Tyler's thoughts.
"Oh, um-Yes. Tyler," Tyler said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Alrighty, it will be ready in a few."
"Thank you," Tyler blushed.
"No problem, Tyler." The barista smiled.
Tyler waited at a table, a pattern made of sea glass imprinted in clay with smooth resin settled on top. Tyler knew too much about tables. A hyperfixation of his when he was 15 was carpentry, which didn't end very well with the results of almost cutting his thumb off with a chainsaw. It was safe to say he never touched a power tool again in his life, he had found much more of a pleasant ending in music. A soft bell ringing suddenly caught his attention, along with his own name being said. He looked up at the barista boy, who smiled, and a thought jumped into his head. A thought that was so daring, especially for him.
Tyler walked up back to the counter, and smiled.
"Thank you," He said. "And thank you again for helping with the coins."
"It was my pleasure, really," Josh said. Tyler smiled, grabbing his drink from the man's hand. As if it was destined, Their fingers brushed with the pass, sending a shiver down Tyler's spine. He felt his heart suddenly bubble a little. He cleared his throat softly before speaking.
"Hey um... Can I maybe get your name, by the way?" Tyler fidgeted with the straw on his drink, and looked into the boy's brown eyes.
"Oh! Josh," He said, and Tyler swore his voice went soft when saying it. "And you're Tyler?" Tyler nodded, a slight blush creeping up his neck. Josh paused for a moment as if he was thinking. "Hey, Tyler, Why don't you come back again tomorrow at noon?" He said, a smirk growing on his pink lips. "I've taken your order a few times, helped you with pennies... You seem like a nice guy."
"Oh! Uh, sure!" Tyler stammered.
"Cool. See you tomorrow then," Josh said. He waved, giving a cheeky wink, and walked in the opposite direction to take the next person's order. Tyler blushed furiously at that tiny gesture.
"Cool," Tyler repeated. He almost dropped his coffee as he sped out of the Starbucks.
YOU ARE READING
Cinnamon
Fanfiction--- It was ok, Tyler always smelled like cinnamon anyway. --- Tyler is just a basic boy who plays piano in his garage sometimes. Josh is a tired barista. This is the Christmas-y story of two lovers who bond over sexuality struggles, art, music, and...
