Irish Coffee

Chapter four - Getting to know you

Each time Susan passed by her books tonight, she threw a look at them, trying to memorize another couple of lines for the big test tomorrow. It was madness. Right now she had trouble keeping her carbs and proteins apart. It wasn't like her to leave these things so late. She wasn't completely unfamiliar with procrastination, but never had she started studying only the night before a big test. She needed to get this in her head quickly – the test was barely 12 hours away. But she also had her duty to the bar and Robert.

This job was paying for school and rent – slacking was not an option. With all the hours she had been putting in though, she barely had had time to study. This was an important exam and she could not fail it, because it might cost her the meager scholarship she had been awarded. Alright, it wasn't much, but it gave her the opportunity to afford her books and part of her tuition. She couldn't possibly put more hour in at the bar.

“Everything alright?” Robert asked.

“Yes I'm fine.” Fructose, glucose... what was the other one again... galactose. Damn, these were just the basics, and she needed to have all this and more in her mind by tomorrow. At this rate, it meant no sleep tonight.

A customer ordered a cappuccino, and Susan nearly bungled it, her brain being overloaded with other information. Pull it together, Susan! she told herself. Else she would only end up injuring herself on that damn machine. Or get her books full of coffee. They were expensive enough as it was.

“What are you doing?” Robert asked as she bent over her books again.

“I got a test tomorrow. I know I started studying way too late, but there just wasn't any time with work and papers that needed to be handed in.”

“Need some study time without interruption?” He smiled. She melted. That's all she needed, his distracting good looks to completely scramble what was left of her sanity.

The offer was nice, but she couldn't take it. “Impossible. I got to work, remember?”

“Well, it is reasonably quiet. Unless somebody orders coffee, I think I can handle it without you for an hour or so. And I can always call you if somebody orders one of those fancy espressos.”

“It's not very fair on you.” If she managed to memorize one page per ten minutes, she could do this. Now examples of disaccharides were sucrose and... darn, this was only page two.

“Your education is very important. You don't want to stay a bartender, do you?”

No, she did not. But could she say that? He was a bartender. He liked being a bartender. If she said no, wasn't she insulting him in a way? “It's alright.”

“Susan, you are meant to be doing better things. Helping people. I know you can. Serving coffee is not you.” Did he really know her so well? She couldn't help falling a little deeper in love with him in that moment.

“You are right.”

“Listen, I'll be fine. It's getting later, so there is less demand for coffee. It would be my pleasure to run the bar by myself. This is important to you, isn't it?”

She nodded – he did not half know how much it meant to her. Or maybe he did. She could kiss him right now.

~

Robert really wanted Suzy to succeed. She was smart, and it would be terrible if she did not get to follow her dream just because she had no time to study. So maybe he could be her champion this time... rather than get in her way again.

“Off with you!” he gestured.

“Thank you!”Susan disappeared into a corner. As she scooted past him, Robert got a peck on the cheek. Her body was pressed against him, her text book clenched in her fist. Involuntary his body reacted, and he quickly blamed it on a lack of action as of late.