Cafe AU

Beginning

The bell on the front door of Maple Cafe chimed as usual when Rin pushed it open. The soothing smell of coffee beans calmed her as soon as she set foot inside.

She ordered her usual cup of latte, took a seat by the big window, opened the latest book she had bought from the bookstore, and enjoyed her precious reading time with a cup of delight in her favorite cafe.

However, she couldn't concentrate on the contents of the book as she used to, failing in her self-proclaimed status as a bookworm.

And it's all because of the barista at the cafe.

She stole glances at the barista while pretending to read her book.

He had warm, buttery-colored blonde hair, blue eyes like the bright summer sky, and a face that seemed as if he had walked out of a museum painting... or perhaps she had just been reading too many romance novels lately.

Rin had never really talked to the barista despite being a regular customer at the cafe. The only information she had about him was his name, Len, which she learned from his name tag on his apron.

Her conversations with him were limited to how she liked her latte and wishing him a great day, like any regular customer should.

But even from such simple interactions, his voice struck a chord in her heart every time she heard him speak. And it had been driving her crazy lately.

Ever since she returned from summer vacation to this college town, she had been visiting this cafe because she liked the vibe. Her intentions quickly shifted when she started to notice the barista.

She knew he was just doing his job, probably like any college student trying to make some money to pay for tuition or rent. Meanwhile, she felt like a creep for visiting regularly just to see him.

Although only she would criticize herself for having a crush on the barista, she couldn't help it. It wasn't that she had never had a crush before, but this time it felt so random. She just felt guilty looking at him, thinking it was just infatuation because of how good-looking he was.

She kept brushing off her feelings by telling herself she knew nothing about the barista. He could be a creep, a stalker, a cannibal... okay, maybe she really had been reading too many dark romance novels lately.

The most reasonable explanation to stop her feelings for the barista was that he probably had a partner already.

But that reason wasn't enough to keep her from stealing glances at him, making her heart flutter while feeling guilty about it.

So today, she decided to put an end to it all.

Rin rehearsed this multiple times in her mind. She was going to walk up to the barista before the cafe closed, when there were almost no customers, confess her silly infatuation to him, then get brutally rejected and never come to the cafe again.

It was a dumb way to let him know what a creep she was being, but effective enough to kill the fantasy that had been running wild in her head.

As eight in the evening approached and most of the customers left the cafe, Rin took a deep breath before walking up to the counter where Len the barista was.

"May I help you with anything?" Len looked up curiously, seeing Rin approach the counter while he was trying to clean the espresso machine.

"Umm... yes, actually..."

Rin let out an awkward laugh; this was harder than she had rehearsed. She couldn't stop her heartbeat from speeding up as she looked directly into his eyes.

Len waited patiently, unaware of what the regular customer had in store for him.

His casual demeanor wasn't helping her nerves, but she knew she just had to push through and put an end to her out-of-control thoughts.

"I know I'm probably troubling you, but can I have your number, please? Only if you're comfortable giving it to me, of course..." Rin looked down slightly to avoid meeting his gaze directly.

There, she said it.

Now she just had to wait for him to reject her request.

"Why... would you want my number?" His voice sounded a bit hesitant but still curious.

His questioning wasn't part of her plan.

"Because I love... No, I've noticed you every time I visit this cafe, and I've grown fond of you, I guess...?"

Rin cursed herself for her poor communication skills. She couldn't say she loved him when she barely knew him, but she hadn't intended to be so blunt without adding a bit of romance.

Len didn't answer immediately, making it harder for her to look at him. The silence was so suffocating that she wanted to run away and cry in her bed for saying all this.

"Give me a second..."

Len spoke up as he walked to the register. Rin looked up at him, debating whether it was time to escape from this awkward situation.

He grabbed a pen and tore off a piece of blank receipt paper, writing something on it. Then he quickly returned to Rin and handed her the paper with a faint smile.

"Here you go. I still need to clean up and close the door, so text me after ten, and I'll be able to talk."

Rin took the paper, her mouth open in surprise. Everything had not gone according to her plan the moment he started asking about her reason for requesting his number.

Well, now what should she do?