When Following Your Heart (GxG)

When They Meet

Walking into my favorite coffee shop on a Saturday morning has been my routine since I first moved here last month. There's something about the small town coffee shop on the corner of Main Street that's very... Charming. Maybe its the yellow walls with a full bookshelf and pictures of art from the locals. Maybe it's the comfy couches and random pieces of furniture scattered around the room. Or the soft music playing in the background. No no no I know what it is. It's the mysterious barista girl behind the counter.

If i'm being honest with myself she is the main reason I come here. Not that the expensive variety of coffee isn't great but I would be happy driving through a Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks any day. I come here for that bright smile and straight brown hair. For the soft eyes that tell their own story. The tan skinned, tattooed beauty is the real reason i'm here.

After landing the job as an editor for a small publishing house here in upstate New York, I found myself a little lost. I'm from the city where things are fast and tense all the time. Here its so... Peaceful. Im not used to it. I left everyone back home and in an attempt to create a social life here in this new city I strolled into this coffee shop. That's when I saw her.

She was helping the customer in front me. I watched her shamelessly hoping I wouldn't be noticed. She had an air about her. You could tell she was an extrovert for sure. Everyone seemed to know her and talk to her like they were best friends. She wore a pair of tight ripped jeans with a black graphic tee and a red flannel. Her black baseball cap sat backwards on her head and her vans were just the perfect amount of worn down. She radiated confidence effortlessly. I don't think she realizes just how captivating she is. Unfortunately her coworker helped me that day so we never spoke. But I still come here religiously every Saturday since and today was no different.

I pulled my wallet out of my backpack as I waited in line to be helped. I noticed the seating was a bit limited but someone had just gotten up from their table by the window. I decided to leave the line and go put my stuff down on the table. I set up my laptop and headed back to the line which was now gone. Walking up to the counter I looked down into my wallet to take my money out. When I looked back up there she was in all her glory. Her smile was bright and her voice pulled me into focus.

"Let me guess, you are getting a large iced chai latte with skim milk...?" She asked with a grin on her face and a sparkle in her eyes. "How did you know?" I teased, "I don't think you have ever made my order before. It's usually Mark."

"Yea well just cuz I haven't made it doesn't mean I don't hear it every Saturday morning." My heart began to race as I realized we were actually talking now. And she knows I my order and my schedule. Interesting. "So you keep tabs on me now? When I come in and what I order?" I shot back awaiting her response. I noticed her body language never changed. She remained comfortable and relaxed the entire time. "I watch everyone that comes in here and try to remember the orders. Its just part of the job." She said shooting me a cocky grin. Her stare made me suddenly self conscious and then she spoke.

"What's your name?" She asked leaning forward on the counter. Her eyes never left me and suddenly I had forgotten my name. Her smile brought me out of my daze.

"Carmen"

"Well that's good to know." She teased walking away to go make my drink. I watched her until she came back to give it to me. "You're not going to tell me your name?" I asked.

"I was waiting for you to ask. I'm Alexis but call me Alex."

"Well Alex it was nice to meet you." I said grabbing my drink. I went to hand her my cash but she refused it. "It's on the house today Ms. Carmen. Have a nice day." She smiled and walked away before I could even respond. I was left walking back to my seat speechless. I have never been so intrigued by someone in my life. She was so... I don't even know. All I know is it's going to be hard to get her off my mind.  The crazy thing is, I don't even remember ever being attracted to girls before.

The next day I decided I would venture out into the city and figure it out a little bit more. In the past month the only places I have memorized how to get to are Walmart and a gas station. And of course the coffee shop. It's time to go exploring. I grabbed my NYU hoodie and a pair of converse and decided to drive around town. Eventually I found a park. It looked pretty big. It had a playground for older and younger kids, an area for dogs and a few sports fields for baseball and football or soccer.

On this particular Sunday it looked to be pretty busy. There was a game of volleyball going on to the left and a group of women doing yoga by the pond. It was like a smaller version of central park which made me feel right at home. As I walked further into the park a soccer ball had rolled its way to my feet. I picked it up and scanned the area to see if anyone was looking for it. I could see a girl with brown hair walking closer my way telling me to wait. As she got closer she became more and more familiar. It couldn't be... "Alex?"

She jogged till she was standing in front of me. Her skin glistened with a bit of sweat and her long brown hair was tied up. She was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a sports bra and I couldn't help but check her out. She was in great shape. Her left arm was completely covered in tattoos and her right arm just had some words in small places. Her stomach was tight with muscle but not too much. You could tell she was fit but still looked pretty feminine. She was hot and I couldn't deny it.

"Like what you see?" She teased crossing her arms over her chest. I immediately snapped out of my trance. "Sorry I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay." She had a sly grin on her face as I handed her the ball. I could only imagine how red my face must be. "I gotta get back go the game. See you Saturday Carmen." And with that she jogged off into the distance.

I could not wrap my head around what just happened. Did I just run into Alex? Did she just catch me checking her out? Oh lord this is going to be a rough day.

Authors Note:
Hope you enjoy this little chapter. Let me know what you think!