Anthology

[AU ficlet] Of Smiles and Coffee Dates (AZ)

Prompt: "I broke my coffee maker and you noticed how miserable I've been so you let me come over and have a few cups of coffee" au

Day 5 of my October Writing Challenge.

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Charming Guy from the 14th floor was frowning again when Zade caught him in the elevator earlier this morning.

Third day in a row na 'yon at naweirduhan na siya. Nakasanayan niya kasi ang pagngiti ni Charming Guy kapag nagkakasabay sila sa elevator sa umaga. 'Yon na nga ang ang motivation ni Zade para hindi mainis sa traffic na kakaharapin niya pagpasok niya sa trabaho. Nakakagaan kasi ng loob ang ngiti ni Charming Guy, at laging maganda ang araw niya pag nagkakasabay sila sa umaga.

Goodness, six months na niyang crush si Charming Guy pero hindi pa rin niya alam ang pangalan nito.

On the fourth day, pinagdasal ni Zade na sana good mood na si Charming Guy. Tatlong araw na niyang namimiss kiligin.

Bakit kaya siya malungkot? she wondered as she waited for the elevator to stop on the 12th floor. Brokenhearted ba siya? Shit, all along may girlfriend siya? Ano ba yan, lahat na lang ba ng crush ko taken!? Kailan ba ako magiging taken ha?

Her inner ramblings stopped when the elevator finally arrived, revealing Charming Guy sporting that annoying frown again. Zade let out a deep sigh and went inside. Pangit na naman ang araw niya nito.

Once the elevator door closed, she couldn't help herself from saying, "Alam mo bang nakakahawa ang pagsimangot sa umaga? Wala pang 6am pero 'yong mukha mo parang pang-7pm na, tipong naghihintay ng MRT during the rush hour gano'n."

Stupid mouth! She was supposed to make a small talk, a friendly one, not insult him! She's sure na gwapo pa rin si Charming Guy kahit iritang-irita na 'to sa rush hour. Teka, sumasakay din kaya siya ng MRT?

Much to her surprise, Charming Guy laughed. Her heart fluttered at the sound. "Sorry, but I don't ride the MRT during the rush hour. Teka, nahawaan ba kita? I don't see you frowning though."

Of course she wasn't frowning. She's blushing. Like hell.

Six months na silang nagkakasabay sa elevator pero ngayon lang sila nag-uusap. A conversation she initiated. With actual and human words.

Ten points to Ravenclaw, Zades!

"Uhh... 'di naman," she managed to reply, eyes focused on the elevator control panel. "Napansin ko lang kasi na ilang araw ka nang nakasimangot. Ang weird lang since lagi kang nakangiti. May pinagdadaanan ka ba?"

God, she's a blabbering mess. Kulang na lang sabihin niya ang Charming Guy nickname niya for him. Might as well confess her crush on him para mas lamunin na siya ng lupa.

Bakit ang bagal ata ng elevator today??

From the corner of her eye she saw him shrug. "Oh, that. Badtrip lang ako lately. Nasira kasi 'yong coffee maker ko the other day. I practically live on coffee so... ayun. Badtrip lagi sa umaga."

"Oh. I see."

Right, no break up involved. Hindi pa rin complete yay! kasi baka may girlfriend siya. "How about Starbucks? Wala bang malapit sa office mo?"

"I hate Starbucks. Tsaka mas gusto ko na ako ang nagtitimpla ng kape ko."

Shit, they have something in common. Meant to be ata sila.

"Paano na ang coffee fix mo ngayon niyan?"

"Nagtitiyaga sa coffee sa pantry. Nothing beats my coffee, though."

"Would you like to try my coffee then?"

So fucking eloquent, Scheherazade Pascual. My coffee? Baka akalain ni Charming Guy na sex proposal 'yon. Goodbye, possibility. Thank you sa araw na 'to at finally nagkausap na rin sil--

"Really? When?"

She snapped her head at his direction... and fuck, he's serious. "Weh?"

"Uhh... yeah," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Ang cute niya pag nahihiya. "Well... only if you're serious. And if you make great coffee, why not?"

Okay, hindi sex proposal ang pagkakaintindi niya. Good. "Hindi ka ba nawi-weirduhan sa 'kin?"

"Why would I? You... seemed nic. And it's about time to get to you know you more. I've been calling you Dimples in my head for six months now."

Dimples. Great. "Uhh... sure," she replied.. "I'm Zade pala. Unit 1209. Is 5:30am tomorrow good or--"

The elevator stopped, and Zade swore her heart left her chest when he smiled at her. "I'm Andreau by the way."

"Oh... okay, Andreau. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Zade. It's a date."

Wait... what? A date?