Fried Burrito

o N e

Staring ahead at the mass of people swarming around outside, I sighed softly, allowing my head to shift from side to side. Here I was, stuck in a coffee shop on another Saturday morning, unable to get past the thousandth word of my thesis that'd be due the seconds before I graduated law school. I'd been trying to write a decent one for days now but I'd always end up getting caught up with myself, having a change of heart, or simply just start building on some other ideas. I found myself looking at the comfy setting for any kind of inspiration but frown a little when I come up with nothing.

I sighed softly to myself as I remembered that I still had two more years till I actually needed to be done with it but, it never hurt to start something early. It gave me the chance to procrastinate a little towards the end if I ever really got stuck.

"Oh man," I pushed out quietly, blankly staring at my computer screen.

"Why so glum pretty girl?" interrupted a strange voice.

My eyes tore away from the screen in an instant without wasting any time to come face to—cashier counter.

"Excuse me?"

"You seem to be struggling over there with whatever is on the other side of your screen," he explained nonchalantly while wiping down a table across from me. "Plus, you are pretty."

Completely ignoring his attempt to compliment me, I furrowed my eyebrows instead, seeing how this situation was becoming uncomfortable.

"So what, you've just been staring at me while you have a job to do?"

"Oh sweetheart," he chuckled deeply. "It's not like anyone comes rushing into this place begging for caffeine and carbs... Besides, it's almost time for me to close up shop."

"It's twelve o clock in the day."

"I have some... personal stuff to handle."

"Right, okay. Sorry for holding you up." I replied as I packed my things away. "Can I have a box for these cookies before you go?"

The barista stopped what he was doing to give me a cute, yet creepy smile across the room.

What the heck?

"I don't know, can you?"

His eyes watched me intently as he waited for me to catch on to his attempt of a joke, which temporarily brought me back to my days of high school when teachers would say things like that in order to seem funnier or cooler in a way. Rolling my eyes at the stranger, I just extended my arm out to him.

"May I have a box for the cookies?"

"Of course you can..." His voice trailed off and his eyes watched mine closely as if he were looking for something.

After a few seconds of silence from both of us, he dropped his hands and shook his head.

"You're not going to tell me your name?" he genuinely sounded baffled at me. I didn't know what he expected.

"You don't need my name."

"But I'd like to know your name. "

"And I'd like to have the box for my cookies."

Huffing of defeat, he disappeared towards the floor for a couple of seconds and returned with a small box for my cookies.

"Thank you."

I placed all of the sweet cookies into my bag before checking my space to make sure I have everything with me. Once I reassured myself that I had everything, I looked over at the barista one more time seeing his eyes locked onto my figure without blinking.