Your POV You awoke just to be greeted by the coldest day of the year so far. The cold greeted you as soon as you threw off your covers. Mentally you groaned and wished that you didn't need to leave the warm and safe refuge of your bed and comforter. But you had the early shift at the coffee shop this Saturday. So you had no choice but to drag yourself out of bed and get ready for work at this early hour. As you showered and dressed you tried to look on the bright side. At least it was a Saturday and you wouldn't have any college classes to attend. At least the coffee shop wouldn't be super busy so early in the morning, most likely it would grow busy towards the end of your shift. So with these small comforts, you finished getting ready for your day. Then you grabbed a quick breakfast and some coffee to satisfy your caffeine craving induced by your caffeine addiction. And then you were out the door. As soon as the cold air hit your face you regretted leaving your scarf. Even though you'd worn your thickest and comfiest sweater along with your ridiculously large winter coat, you were still cold. Most people would just run quickly to their car and crank up the heat. You could do no such thing as you had no car. The college you attended was only a couple blocks from your apartment building and so was the coffee shop. Your neighborhood had a market for your basic needs. So, economically speaking, it made little sense to have a car. So you either rode your bike or walked most places. Never before had you despised yourself for your decision of not buying a car. Today you wished you had a car. But as you could not wish a car into existence and into your personal ownership, you just sighed and walked as quickly as you could to the coffee shop.
You had been right, this was practically the graveyard shift. No one in their right mind would come to a coffee shop as early as six in the morning on a cold Saturday when they could just stay in bed and get coffee later. Which was fine by you. It was just deathly boring.
Finally, things started picking up around nine in the morning. Every few minutes a customer would rush in from the cold bringing in a gust of cold wind through the door with them. Or a customer would bundle back up and with a swift nod of encouragement and a smile from you, they would rush back out into the cold. No matter how much you despised getting out of bed to go to work, you couldn't deny that you loved your job. The smells of the coffee shop, the moods it set, the customers it brought in, they all have you so much joy. Most of the time. Sometimes it all just gave you a headache. The last half hour of your shift would prove to be such a time.
It started when the espresso machine decided to have a malfunction. Your coworker, Jihee, didn't know how to fix it. As you were more familiar with the machine, the two of you switched stations while you tried to quickly put the machine back into order. Everything seemed to be going fine. You were able to locate the problem and it was a quick fix. Just to be sure you'd actually fixed it, you turned it on for a sample. Hot espresso shot out onto your apron and slightly scalded your hand. Causing you to emit a slight, quiet shout of pain. Jihee quickly came over to you, leaving a severe-looking woman waiting at the counter for a moment. "Oh, my goodness (y/n) are you alright?" Jihee's expression was worried and her tone carried worry as well." "Yeah, I'm fine. The espresso machine is in fact working now." You gave a dry laugh. "Could you get me a little ice Jihee?" "Yes of course! Could you go take that woman's order though?" She leaves in closed. "She's very impatient." You nodded and went over the counter as Jihee went to get an ice pack from the break room. "Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry for the wait." You gave the woman a smile, which she ignored. "What can I get for you today?" After a few moments of silence, the woman asked for a drink that was seasonal, and consequently, out of season. Crap. You hated having to tell customers you didn't have something they wanted. "I'm so sorry, but we don't have that drink at this time. Is there something else I could get you?" You tried to be as polite as possible, but the woman practically bristled with indignation. "What do you mean you don't have that drink? Can't you just go over to your machines and make it?" Her tone was impatient. Patiently, you explained to her that the drink had a certain flavoring that the shop didn't carry year-round. "However, it would be possible to make the drink without the flavoring." The woman shook her head. "No, it won't be the same without it." Her tone conveyed such annoyance and pettiness that you had to smile widely to keep from rolling your eyes. Inwardly you thought "you didn't even know that flavoring was in the drink two and half minutes ago", however, outwardly you nodded. "Of course. Is there anything else you would like?" "Well, I have to look at the menu first to actually make sure I can get a drink that isn't out of stock." You just smiled at her snarkiness. "Of course ma'am. Take your time." Jihee finally returned with your ice, and you told her you could continue to man the register, to which she gave a grateful nod. As you waited for the woman to place her order, another customer walked in. Your favorite customer. Kim Taehyung. Your boyfriend. He looked over at you and flashed you a boxy smile. You smiled widely back at him and gave a small wave.
Which the woman did not appreciate. She cleared her throat and slightly rolled her eyes. "I would like to order now." "Of course. What would you like ma'am?" Once the woman had received her order and paid, you sighed a breath of relief. Difficult customers were so trying.
After serving the rest of the customers in line, Taehyung finally reached the counter. You gave him the wide smile you especially reserved for him and asked, "What can I get for you today sir?" As if you didn't know what words would leave his mouth next. "Hmm, let's see." He placed his finger over his lips, feigning contemplation. "I would like," With a slight giggle you cut him off. "A large hot chocolate, extra whip, and cinnamon. And we'll go ahead and throw in a chocolate chip cookie." He smiled brightly at you. "When do you get off?" You spared a quick look at your watch. "In ten minutes." "Then go ahead and add in a large caramel macchiato and another chocolate chip cookie." You gave a slight roll of your eyes but rang up the order anyways. As he walked away with his order to the corner booth he smiled at you and you shook your head slightly. He continued to steal glances and send little smiles your way as you finished your shift. He was a hopeless romantic. But so were you.
As soon as your shift was over and you could leave you went over to Taehyung's table. "Fancy seeing you here (y/n)." He laughed slightly at his own bad joke, but so did you.
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"You're such a dork Tae." He just smiled and pulled out a seat for you. Once you were sitting, he gave you your half of the order, the macchiato and one of the cookies. "Thank you, Tae." You smiled and took a grateful sip of the hot coffee. He reached for your hand that was resting on top of the table. However, instead of clasping it like he usually would he pulled it up. "(Y/n) what happened?" His voice was raised beyond its normal volume and he looked at you with widened eyes. "Oh that, it's fine. I just got scalded by espresso." You tried to pull your hand away, but Tae continued to hold it. "Does it hurt?" "Ehh." You knew better than to lie and say it didn't, but you also didn't want to admit that it did hurt. Taehyung brought your hand to his lips and kissed it slightly. Color rushed to your cheeks. "There, all better." He gave you a cheeky little smile and rested your hand back on the table. But he didn't stop holding it.
It wasn't long after you sat down that it started snowing. Very quickly. "Look at the snow my love." Tae's voice was calming and soothing.
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"It's really pretty." You turned your eyes reluctantly away from him and out the window to watch the white flakes fall.
"Not nearly as pretty as you." You looked down at the table and blushed at his words. He stood up. "Come on, let's get home before the weather gets worse." He helped you slip your coat on. "Where is your scarf love?" "Uh, I left it at home." Tae shook his head and made a disapproving sound. He then wrapped his own scarf around you, leaving only your nose and eyes uncovered. Once you were both ready to go he grabbed your hand gently. And then the two of you stepped out into the cold together.
A/N: This is kinda cute ya know. Also, I want my best friend chaelattae to know that I wrote it for her and I hope she still loves it Please eat well and take care of yourselves 💜
