Coffee Shop

• 04 •

Jello legs. That was exactly what I had when I pushed up from the curb to stand in front of Brian. He'd gotten closer, confusion on every inch of his beautiful face. And I... I don't know what came over me.

See, I'd planned on saying something. Even opened my mouth to say, "Hi, Brian." Instead, I think a cat would've understood me better. The sound I made wasn't a word, but a long ow, and it was weird because it ended in an ah, and—never mind.

"You're... early." Brian cleared his throat, tugging his headphones off his head as he glanced at the hours on the shop's door. "We open at nine, it's eight, and—" Regardless of the weird noise I'd made, or the fact that I clearly hadn't paid attention to detail and just confused him... he smiled. "—I think I said two o'clock would work great."

Oh, did he say two? I'm sure he did. "Oh, yeah..." I looked down at the tips of my shoes.

"So, is there a reason you're so early?"

"Well—" Should I lie? Should I make up an awesome story? I used to write some pretty wicked sick notes in high school. And my fanfiction account? Woah.

"Well?" He came closer, bending slightly to look at me. With us standing like this, I could see just how much taller he was than me. I could also see that scar on his neck, the one that went up to his chin. There was another one, too, just behind his ear. I stared at them both, not saying anything.

"Did you want to pay for the coffee or something?"

What he said made me blink, and I looked back at his bright, perfect eyes instead of the slight flaws on his skin. "Yes," I lied, but he had fed it to me, like a hook with a warm. I was just a curious little fish. "I have the money for the coffee, so I'm not a dine-and-dasher."

The corner of his lip went up as he smirked and turned towards the door. From his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys. A wide, antique-styled one went towards the door's small lock. He opened it, went inside, and motioned me to follow. "You don't have to pay," he told me as he pushed the door closed, locking it from the inside. "Really, it was just a coffee."

Brian went around me and over to the counter, leaving me where I stood. He flipped on some switches, bringing light into the shop. The last switch I guess was connected to the radio because quiet music came through the speakers.

With my hands still in my pockets, I looked over at him. "It was more than just coffee. There was that cupcake too—"

"Just a cupcake, Kay," he added without looking at me.

"—And besides, it's just the right thing to do." At the end of my sentence, I bit my lip. Hard.

"Oh?" Brian tugged off his light jacket, put it on the counter, and placed headphones on top of it. "All right, I'll take it. How can I say no? I appreciate the honesty."

"Oh." I smiled widely and approached his register. From the slim pocket of my leggings, I pulled out the five I carried around. "Does that mean I have kudo points for this interview?"

Brian took the money from my hand and went over to his register. "It hasn't started yet."

"Oh." This oh wasn't as happy as the one I'd done before. "I see."

"Did you want it to start?" He handed me a single and twenty-three cents. "Instead of later? I don't mind."

My mouth opened, then closed. "Could I?" I bit my lip again. "I mean, would it be too much trouble if I did?"

Brian laughed and shook his head, but also ducked under his counter to pull out an apron. He handed it to me, and when I took it, he nodded for me to put it on. "Think of it as a taste of working, to see if you like it. How's that?"