Outlaw Queen One Shots

Carmel Macchiato

It was early spring. The days and nights were warming quickly. It rained sporadically, almost daily, and more often than not it was humid.

Today, however, had cooled off, and so the rain wasn't a problem. At least, not yet. It was merely sprinkling and had yet to turn into a downpour.

He was just thinking this as the bell above the door chimed, signalling the entrance of another customer. He looked up as he wiped down the counter, smiling at her.

She came frequently, ordered the same thing every time:
Venti caramel macchiato, upside down, non fat milk, no foam.

She looked flustered, pained, even. He nodded once at her and she forced a smile as he began to fix her drink.

She sat at a table and sighed, dropping her head into her hands. Normally, she'd be cool and collected in public, but she was the only one here, and she'd grown comfortable around the man behind the counter.

So she sat with her head in her hands, palms over her eyes, trying to suppress the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a deep breath and lifted her head.

He saw her sitting there looking nothing short of depressed, and it perplexed him. She was always happy. She always smiled. And her smile always brightened when she received her drink with whatever encouraging note he had scrawled on it that day. Maybe he could cheer her up.

The sun will come out tomorrow, I promise. Text me sometime, 580-758-2775.

God, he hoped she would.

"Excuse me, uh...," he trailed, not knowing her name.

"Regina," she answered quietly, standing to receive her drink. She quickly read the note, then glance back up at him with a small smirk though her eyes were still full of tears. "How can I text you... If I don't know your name?"

"Robin. My name is Robin," he said.

She smiled this time, a real smile. He slowly took her hand and kissed it.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady."

"The pleasure is mine, thief."

"Thief? What have I stolen?"

"My heart."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Glancing at the time, he realized his shift was over.

"Are you busy now, Regina? My shift has just ended, and I'd be delighted to take a walk with you."

"I'm actually free right now. I'd love to  go for a walk," she whispered.

He came around the counter and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close as they left the coffee shop.

"Now tell me, Regina, every time you come in to Starbucks, you're happy. What's different about today? Why did you look so sad?"

She signed and laid her head against his shoulder.

"This is my last semester of college, and I've got finals coming up in a few weeks. I've been studying my ass off, but its still pretty stressful. And on top of that, my father had a pretty bad heart attack and is in the hospital, plus he has stage one lung cancer. The doctors say he probably doesn't have much longer, since he refuses to do chemo... And its taking its toll on my mother. She hasn't ever been the most welcoming woman, but she loves us. Its all just getting overwhelming."

He held her closer, even went so far as to kiss the top of her head.

"Regina, I... I'm so sorry. But I'm here for you if you ever need someone to just listen or a shoulder to cry on," he said gently.

"A shoulder to cry on would be good," she whispered, and he could hear the tears thickening in her voice. They entered the park and he led her to a bench near the lake. They sat and he pulled her into his arms as she broke and sobbed against his shoulder.

He ran his fingers through her hair, rubbed her back as she wrapped her arms around him, held him closer to her.

As her sobs finally died down, she pulled away and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry I dumped all that on you," she breathed.

"Don't apologize. I'm happy to be here for you if you need me," he kissed her forehead.

They sat there in silence a moment, staring into each others eyes, before they were both overcome with emotion and leaned in, lips meeting meeting in a fierce kiss.

And in that moment, they new this was right. This was the start of something new, of something wonderful, and they would both live long and prosper.

And all because of a Carmel Macchiato.