The bell chimed above the door and wind swept in along with the stranger. Harper glanced up from where he was wiping down the tables with a slightly damp cloth. Looking at the counter and finding no one else there, he made his way over, stuffing the rag in an apron pocket. "Hello, how can I help you?"
"I want a coffee. 2 cream 1 sugar."
"All right! Coming right up. That'll be 4.53."
The man sighed quietly as he handed his card over, and Harper looked up at his face, lips ticking up.
"It's well worth it, I promise. I make a mean coffee."
"Coffee is coffee."
"Well, ouch," he said as he turned to grab a cup. "I guess you make a mean coffee yourself." As he poured the coffee in the cup, he looked over the shoulder with a smile, catching the guilty jerk of the man's gaze up to his face as he gave an uneasy half grin and then pretended to be busy looking around the place.
"It's rather busy, huh?"
"Yeah. Honestly, this place doesn't get much buzz anymore."
"Hmm."
They were quiet as Harper fixed the coffee, but he couldn't resist glancing over every few moments, finding the man's eyes already on him.
"All right, here you go. Oh! I never did get your name."
After putting the lid on the drink, he grabbed a sharpie from the counter, taking off the cap.
"Oh, that won't be necessary. Can't imagine there's anyone else here whose it could be."
"It's the principle of the thing really." Harper bent down, putting his elbows on the counter facing the customer, looking up at him, grinning small and biting the end of the sharpie.
"Uh." He paused at the display. "Rich. Uh. Richard."
"Dick?"
"Rich, please." He ran a hand through his hair, grin still uneasy.
"That's fine. I like both." He grinned again and wrote "Richard," looking up once and meeting the man's eyes before drawing a heart beside the name, then capping the pen and handing the cup to the man. "Thanks for your business, Richie."
"Yeah." He fumbled, looked to have nearly dropped his drink before he got a steady hand on, then waving and heading out the door. Harper's eyes lowered to the back of the man's pants as he walked before he stood up and went back to the tables to occupy himself.
YOU ARE READING
Fade Out Like A Photograph
Romance"You break down when you need the rest. What a selfish way to drown." - Fade Out, Seether Harper makes somewhat-decent coffee for a living, and something about it draws in a regular customer, Richard, who always has his camera as well as a handsome...