Crushes, weirdos and the little things

The Coffee Pot

Ugh. Thursday morning... ya know?

The line at The Coffee Pot is moving so slowly it's practically moving backwards. Ponytail briefcase man is here and two of the three toddlers in strollers mums. And, oh no I can't believe it! Purple scarf and orange beret woman is first in line. We'll be here all day. Great. Just perfect. Some of us have places to be you know!

She's reading from the board nailed to the wall behind the counter, the lone barista taking a step to the side so she can see the whole thing.
"Is a Latte Macchiato the one with more coffee in it? Or is it the Caffe Macchiato? I can never remember." Cue high pitched laughter.

I mean, don't get me wrong. Rob the cute barista is very cute. Like, pretend to vacantly stare at the counter, but really ogling him while sipping my chai latte kind of cute. And flirting with him is a pastime activity many different people of all shapes and sexes and ages enjoy. But purple scarf and orange beret woman does this every time he's taking her order! Since when is airheadedness attractive? I roll my eyes with my whole body. Then I instantly wish I had been a little more subtle. Rob the cute barista catches my eye and raises an amused eyebrow. Ground, feel free to open up and swallow me now.

The line moves faster now that the human shaped bottleneck got her Caffe Macchiato. Why not try to remember what your damn coffee's called? It might be fun! I know it'll be more fun for me! Ponytail briefcase man has his paper bag with a croissant and his plain coffee in a reusable travel mug. His exchange with the barista short and to the point. The only holdup is when the toddlers in strollers mums debate whether they should dare have a muffin with their non fat, vanilla soy lattes. They end up getting blueberry and white chocolate muffins. Good choice, it's not like they'll really stick to your 'always out walking the kids' hips anyway.

I scroll through Pinterest to not make the mistake of catching Rob the cute barista's attention more than necessary. A glance at the clock shows me I don't have much time for ogling today. Thanks purple scarf and orange beret woman. Thank you so very much.
"Good morning. How may..."
"Chai Latte. Huge. Venti. Big. You know..." Oh, for Pete's sake! "Please."
"I got it. Anything else?" My self-respect. It's right there, sliding off the counter towards your feet.
"No. Just the coffee." Mouth, don't speak before brain has given you the right words! "Just the chai latte. To go." I want to pull my black beanie down over my face, but instead I give him a what I hope is an easy smile. The lines around his eyes crinkle as he returns my smile. Or is he smiling at me? Ugh.

There's the pumping of syrup and the frothing of milk and in almost no time at all I have a large to go paper cup handed to me. Balanced on top of the plastic lid is a pale yellow macaroon. When I hesitate to take the cup Rob the cute barista leans over the counter.
"It's on the house." He says it with a whisper and a wink. I have to look him in the eye to not seem completely hopeless.
He gives me that super cute smile again and gosh darn it I can't say no to him!
"Thank you." If my face isn't bright red now, I don't know what would make me blush.

My usual table is 'thank you one thing going right this morning' unoccupied. Sitting facing the windows I munch away on my free macaroon, the lemon taste exploding in my mouth. It's impossible to sit facing the counter after what's happened today. Why did he wink at me? Why? My face is burning up just thinking about it.
Glancing at my phone and noticing the time, I pop the last piece of my treat into my mouth and hurry towards the door. I manage to not trip over the threshold, but I almost elbow a guy coming into the café in the face. Yay me!

Sneaking aboard my chai latte and taking a seat at the back of the bus to Uni, I try calming my flushed face. The 15 minute trip is spent with earbuds securely in place and me scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest. Heaven forbid I'd make eye contact with anyone. They could be one of those scarily sociable people in my classes and I never know what to say to them. It's better to isolate myself and hide.
Mum has commented on one of my Instagram pictures, so I go answer her and then scroll through the feed. I follow a couple of celebs and shops, and of course The Coffee Pot. They always have pictures of their latest cakes and sometimes they even take pictures of their baristas. There might be a picture or two saved on my phone with Rob's face on them.

I nearly choke on a sip of lukewarm chai latte. The most recent picture on The Coffee Pot's Instagram is a sneaky shot of me! I'm sitting with my back to the camera, pensively looking out the window. I look hipster af in my black beanie and green oversize military style coat. Is this how people see me? I don't know who the girl in the picture is. Not me, I'm never that calm and collected. There's a quote in the caption: "i'm going to make everything around me beautiful - that will be my life." Elise de Wolfe

I miss my stop and I'm late to class, as I have to walk across campus to get there. I have no idea what is said during my lectures, or what my classmates are talking about. My mind is too busy going through the evidence. There's only one person who could have taken that picture and my brain can't wrap itself around the fact that he actually did.

Wonderful. Now I can't go into The Coffee Pot if Rob the cute barista is working. Why did he have to notice me? Awkwardly, secretly crushing from afar is the only thing I'm good at. Does this mean we have to speak next time I see him? Should I admit to seeing the post? What if he didn't take it? That would be even worse! He'd just give me a confused smile and I'd have to pretend I'm not at all embarrassed. I can't even! Peopling is so hard! Ugh.