You always make time to go to your local coffee shop. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is warm, inviting and makes you want to just stay there for awhile and enjoy your coffee. But you always decide not to because of traffic and your tight schedule.

There’s a barista there that you always hope is working. He’s the one that knows your usual and never messes it up. He’s confident, genuine, and a little flirty. He’ll always seem excited when he sees you walking up to the register. Playfully telling you that you look good in your work attire before you laugh and tell him to shut up. He shows off and does all sorts of tricks while making your drink whenever he noticed you’re not having a good day. All in all he seems like a sweet guy and he’s one of the highlights of consistently going there.

It’s Friday and you’re ready to be off for the weekend. You wake up and get ready with your first and only stop to be at your coffee shop. You remember that he’s working today and your mood is high knowing how good of a day this will be. That is until you walk in and he’s nowhere to be found. You don’t hear or see him anywhere. After you finish ordering you ask one of the other baristas if she’s seen him. She tells you he called out due to some personal issues. Slightly disappointed you take your drink and go to work.

Saturday morning you hope he’s there. You walk through the door and immediately see he’s cleaning one of the machines. You walk up to the register and his smile is warm but you can tell something is wrong. He goes up to take your order and once he finishes you pop the question.

“What’s wrong? You’re not your usual self”

He responds, “Haha you noticed?”

“Of course, how could I not? We see each other almost everyday”

“Just some relationship issues”

You didn’t know he was in one. Apart of you is curious now.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah she’s just decided to date someone else is all. But it’s okay.”

He quickly changed his tone and expression to be more cheerful. You smile and tell him he doesn’t need to fake it for you.

“I’d never fake it for you.”

Something about that statement gives you butterflies. Maybe the look in his eyes or the comforting/adamant tone. He hands your usual. You grab it and ask him,

“Do you want to hang out? Maybe tonight if you’re free?”

*originally I imagined this to be a coffee shop below an apartment complex. But if you’d like it be a standalone place away from your house that’s fine too