The coffee shop was a regular for Calum; it was the only place he could get away from his rowdy friends long enough to get the mess that was his mind down on paper. But recently, his journal has been filled with only one thing. Her. The girl working the register. Ever since he walked through the door two weeks ago and ordered his usual, his mind was wrapped around her and only her.
The second day she was there, he learned that her name was (y/n); well, he read it on her name tag. He scribbled it down at the top of the page as soon as he sat down, nearly spilling the coffee all over his worn down journal.
Calum watched her throughout the morning, documenting everything about her. The way she smiled when a customer approached the register; a genuine smile, not one of those "I'm-only-smiling-because-I-need-this-paycheck" smiles. The way her ponytail fell between her shoulder blades. The way her chipped nails tapped the buttons on the register. He wrote it all down. Calum even found himself leaving a space to write her phone number down, as if he would ever say anything to her other than, "Can I get a large black coffee please?"
Calum found himself looking forward to seeing her in the mornings, even though he had never had an actual conversation with her. And on days when she didn't work, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed. On those days, Calum could barely get his thoughts on paper.
But Calum wasn't the only one who had taken interest in a stranger. (Y/n) always watched him from the register and wondered what he was writing. She'd caught him staring a couple times and offered up a small smile, to which he would turn his head back to his journal and quickly scribble something down.
Weeks went by and she started having his coffee ready for him when he walked through the doors, the chimes ringing throughout the shop. (Y/n) handed Calum the drink with a sweet smile each time. Calum noted the polite gesture in his journal the first time it happened and couldn't help but smile a little.
The two strangers had yet to talk, but both of them yearned to say something to the other. And after weeks of stolen glances and many, many cups of bitter coffee, Calum decided that it was time for a change.
Calum had been up much earlier than usual that morning, anxious to get to the coffee shop. Yanking a beanie over his messy curls, Calum grabbed his journal from his desk and hurried out of his apartment building. The cold air slapped across his face as he walked down the sidewalk; it was still early enough that not too many people were out yet. Hugging his coat closer to his body for warmth, Calum crossed the street to the coffee shop.
Warmth swallowed him as he stepped into the small shop, the scent of freshly brewed coffee wavering heavily in the air. Sighing in content at the familiarity of the quaint little shop, Calum strolled up to the counter.
A soft smile graced (y/n)'s face when she saw Calum. Despite his tall stature, he looked like a soft bear in his coat and his slightly chubby cheeks red from the cold. "Oh, you're here early. I'll get your coffee for you." Her voice was soft and smooth, a noise Calum could get used to.
"Uh, actually, I think I want to try something different." His voice was still raspy from sleep and his accent made her weak at the knees.
Girls didn't normally make Calum nervous, but as his eyes scanned the menu and he absentmindedly flipped the corner of the pages in his journal, he found himself at a loss for words. Gulping down his nervousness, Calum's eyes met her's and he finally spoke. "What would you recommend?"
Her eyes flickered up to the menu behind her before turning back to Calum's chocolate eyes. "How about a mochaccino? It's one of my favorites." Calum was never a fan of the drinks with funny names and weird flavors, he liked his coffee plain and boring. But he would drink anything she suggested. Nodding his head in agreement, Calum pulled three dollars from his coat pocket, but she held up her hand. "Don't worry, it's on the house." (Y/n) gave him another smile and started making his drink.
She snapped the lid onto the cup and handed it over to Calum who accepted it before scurrying over to his table.
The morning rush came soon after, distracting (y/n) from Calum. As the usual stampede of college students and working adults rushed in and out of the coffee shop, Calum wrote. He wrote about the way her eyes twinkled whenever she talked and how he couldn't help but smile whenever she smiled. He wrote about how he noticed she had a fresh manicure now instead of the chipped red polish and the velvety sweetness of her voice. Calum was so into his writing that he barely noticed her walking over to his table.
"So, I've been making your coffee for a couple weeks now, I think it's only fair that I finally know your name." She was wiping down the table across from Calum as she spoke.
"Oh, uh, my name is Calum." He gulped down the lump in his throat as she took a seat across from him at his table.
"I'm (y/n)." She told him, crossing her legs beneath the table.
"I know," Calum blurted out. "I mean, I saw your name tag. I've known your name for a while now." He blushed as he rushed out an explanation.
(Y/n) giggled quietly, her melodic laugh music to Calum's ears. "I know, Calum, don't worry." She gave him a reassuring smile.
Calum returned the gesture before pausing and quickly jotting something down in his notebook. "Sorry, habit." He closed his notebook and met (y/n)'s eyes, and she nodded in understanding.
"So, I'm guessing you didn't like the mochaccino?"
"No, no it was great." Calum told her but she saw right through him. She quirked an eyebrow at the boy as she picked his cup up, noticing that it was half full. With a sheepish grin and a shrug of his shoulders, Calum chuckled. "I guess I just enjoy my usual." She laughed along with him, calming both of their nerves.
The two sat in silence for a moment. "So what do you write in there? If you don't mind me asking." Her voice was curious as she eyed the closed journal sitting between the two of them.
"A little bit of everything; my thoughts, ideas, drabble." Calum began flipping through the pages of the book, making sure to avoid the pages about (y/n).
(Y/n) nodded, fascinated. She noticed that some of the pages were filled with writing while some had doodles or lists. "Would I be completely out of line if I asked to read something you've written?"
Calum didn't want to seem rude, but he didn't want (y/n) to stumble across what he'd written about her. But when he looked at her, he couldn't stop himself before he let out a strangled "okay". Calum bit the inside of his cheek as she reached for the journal.
He watched as her eyes danced across the pages, completely entranced by what he had written. "Calum, this is amazing."
He couldn't help the reddening of his cheeks as she flipped another page. He made a mental note to write down how her eyes shine when she's fascinated by something.
The chiming of the bell indicating that someone had walked into the coffee shop rang through their ears. Reaching for Calum's pen, she raised it up. "Do you mind?"
Calum shook his head, allowing her to write in his journal. (Y/n) jotted down her note and bookmarked the page with the pen, sliding it back over to Calum. "It was great to finally talk to you, Calum."
She gave him a smile before scuttling back to the register to help the new customer.
Curious as to what (y/n) wrote, Calum opened his journal to the page she left the pen. His eyes immediately saw her name written at the top and he thought he felt his heart skip a beat. But as his eyes scanned the page, he noticed that the space he left for (y/n)'s phone number was no longer empty.
As a smile slid across his lips, Calum swore his heart skipped a beat again.
