Tea Break

Black Coffee

So I saw this really cute AU from Pinterest which was found on Tumblr. The prompt is "You're really short and cute and you buy a cup of black coffee but you make weird faces as you sip it and you never finish your drink. Are you trying to look mature or something?" but I wanted to combine it with this other AU I saw with it, which was "I write a bad pick up line every time I'm your barista". So enjoy this small cute story I wrote. 

He looked at the clock on the wall. The hands hit 3:00 and the barista grinned. Any moment now she would walk into the coffee shop. He glanced at the door and then back to the coffee he was making. The small shop was busy in the afternoon, but he was happy to work. Three'o clock on Tuesdays and Thursday she came into the shop and ordered a coffee. Black coffee. He made sure to take those shifts so he could see her.

The bell rang out over the hustle of the and the barista looked up and grinned. He passed the drink off and strode to the cash register. The petite girl walked in, a large bag was thrown over her shoulder. She had her red hair tied up and wide glasses on her face. He smiled and looked at her as she stepped up to the counter.

"Hey you." he greeted. His brown eyes met with her green ones and she gave him a small smile. "What can I get you for today?"

"Black coffee, as usual." she told the barista who nodded and moved to the ground beans.

"For such a small girl, you sure like strong coffee." he commented as he filled the cup with fresh coffee.

"I don't think you should be commenting on my choice of drink." the girl replied. 

"I mean, are you trying to look sophisticated?" he asked with a sly grin. The girl just rolled her eyes. The man wrote on the cup and passed the cup to her, taking the money in exchange. She looked at the cup

 I lost my teddy bear, will you sleep with me instead? Was written on the cup. The girl cracked a smile at it and she looked at the grinning barista.

"You need a new hobby." she told him with a smirk.

"You could be my new hobby and I could do you." he replied and she scoffed and walked off.

She took the coffee to a secluded table in the back of the cafe. He watched her movements. She sat down and pulled a book from the over-sized bag. She took the warm cup and took a small sip, grimacing as she did. 

She also made a face as she drank the coffee. That and she hardly ever finished it. There was still half of a cup left. Next time he was going to add cream and sugar to the coffee. The girl deserved something sweet once in a while.

On Thursday she came in at the same time. This time she only had her book and her phone. She was bundled up for the cold outside but unraveled her scarf as she entered the warm cafe. Her barista wasn't at the counter, but there was a drink waiting and paid for. The black scrawl on the cup was the same, only it wasn't a pickup line.

Come find me

She looked around the cafe and saw the familiar face of the barista, sitting in casual clothes at the table in the back of the shop. She took a sip of her coffee and recoiled. Instead of black coffee, this was sweeter, more tolerable.

"What did you decide to get me?" she asked with a smile and settled down in the chair.

He grinned at her. "Just added some cream and sugar. I thought someone has cute and you shouldn't have to try and act sophisticated. Some sugar should help those faces."

A blush crept into her cheeks as she took another sip. He watched her drink the caffeinated drink. She was surely going to finish it this time.

"So, why the cryptic message?" she asked.

"Go out with me."

"Excuse me?"

"Look. I've been watching you for a long time. I've written the awful pickup lines and I've made your coffee. I've seen you read every time you come in here. You get the coffee, read or do some homework and leave. But I want to know you beyond that. So, go on at a date with me."

"I don't even know your name." she replied, her face red and eyes wide. 

"Max, and you're Taylor."

"I-er." she muttered incoherently. The blush in her cheeks was cute and she clutched the drink like it was the only thing keeping her there.

"Your answer?" he asked.

"Yes." she stated and looked up at him. He smiled.