It was about a month ago, on a Tuesday, when she first came. They were a group of people from some badminton team with every one of them wearing the same yellow polo shirt and carrying a racket bag over their shoulders. During summertime our fast food restaurant usually serves as a gathering spot for all sorts of student teams and societies, so I didn’t give them much thought when they first entered.

    I had just finished taking orders from a customer when I saw her stepping in. I remember seeing an angelic face of a petite girl. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she had a pair of really fine toned legs. Despite wearing the same uniform, she seemed to outshine all the peers in her group. The yellow made the casual smile on her lips seem brighter.

    It was at this moment when she looked at me and our eyes met. Her eyes were beautiful and I was mesmerized. I had to mentally slap myself and clench the muscles in my jaws to prevent them from dropping down.

    “Ahem, excuse me, but are you going to take the money or not?” I heard a stern voice coming from the customer still in front of me, calling me back to reality. I turned my gaze to the unsatisfied face of the customer in front of me, looked behind him to the long line of customers waiting, internally sighed and returned to my work.

    Thanks to my two years of experience working here, my body was able to automatically do my work for me, while my mind was busy following the girl and her group.

    “No, you guys go ahead, I want more time to decide” I hear her say to her friends who were ordering at the other cashier. Gosh, even her voice sounds sweet.

    I continued my work, and by some miracle my line finally cleared. Seeing the empty line, she switched to my cashier. I couldn’t believe my luck and it took all the will left in me to suppress the huge smile that was about to form on my face.  A childish idea flashed into my head. I figured if I could I guess her order, it would mean we were destined for each other and I would ask for her phone number.

   “Hi there, may I take your order please.” I asked her, trying hard not to stutter on such a simple standard phrase.  

   Please say the In-House Special. I internally begged. My guess wasn’t out of instinct, I believed my chances were high. It seemed like it was her first time here and almost every new comer would order our most famous dish.

   “Hmm, I’d like the Jumbo Delight please.”

   “YOU WANT THE JUMBO DELIGHT!” Oops that probably came out too loud, but I was too bewildered to care. Just when I thought luck was on my side, I began to curse it. I couldn’t believe what I heard. How could such a small skinny girl like her order the Jumbo Delight? Even ordinary boys aren’t capable of finishing that thing.

   I came back to my senses, and saw her looking at me like I was weird. Great now I probably scared her off, there goes my chances. I hurriedly took her order. Too depressed to talk or even look at her. I gave her her meal and she took off to her friends.

---

   I thought I would never see her again, but that Friday she came.

   This time she came alone, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. It was one in the afternoon so there weren’t any other customers I had to attend to. She came directly to me and I tried really hard to force down my smile just in case my actions scare her off again.

   “Hi there, may I take your order please.” I said.

   Please say the In-House Special. I repeated in my mind once again. If I got it right, I would ask for her number. Surely she realized the Jumbo Delight was too much. Besides, there’s never been a customer who hasn’t tried the In-House Special before, it is still our most famous dish after all.

   “I would like the Workday Wonder please.” She said with a bright smile.

   “Y-y-you want the W-w-workday Wonder?” I stuttered while trying to confirm her order. At least this time I didn’t shout. I didn’t know if my heart stopped because of her smile or because I guessed wrong again. The Workday Wonder was specially designed for white-collar workers who had more money to spare. Surely students would never want such a pricey meal.

    I saw her confirming with a nod, but also giving me a concerned look. Great, now she probably thinks I have trouble speaking, there goes my chance. Once again I took care of her order, too depressed and cursing luck under my breath.

---

   The routine continued for the following weeks. Every Tuesday she’d come in with her team and each Friday she’d come alone. Each time I was lucky enough to be her cashier, each time I would guess she would order the In-House Special, but not once was I right. I never knew how much I hated my boss for creating so many diverse meals, and I still can’t believe how she never wanted to order our most popular dish.

   Today is Friday, surely she’ll be coming today. This time I believe that luck is truly on my side. Our boss came up with a special dish today, the Return to School Surprise. It is a three-day only special, surely she would want to try that. This time I’ve also devised another plan. Instead of asking for her order, I’d give her a suggestion instead. Today I’m determined to guess right and get her number.

    At quarter past one, she hasn’t come. Did something happen? Or was she tired of having fast food?

    Half past one, she finally came. Today she was sporting a pink t-shirt with jeans, but she had on a bit more makeup than usual. The makeup seemed to make her eyes stand out even more and gave them a sparkle.

   But fate seemed to want to toy with me today. Another customer had come in before her and stood in my line. I looked in dismay as the other cashier waved to welcome her to order.

   “Sorry, but I’d like time to consider my order.” I heard her say, just as another customer came in and my dream girl offered them the line. Yes!  I fist pumped in my head. Phew that was close.

   My plan was still in action and I tried to finish the task in front of me as quick as possible. What seemed like ages later, she was finally in front of me, waiting to make an order. I was excited, and maybe a little jumpy,  I'm sure everything would go according to plan this time.

    “Hi there, how would you like to try out our new special, the Return to School Surprise. It’s only a three-day special, I’m sure you’ll like it.”

    This was the longest sentence I’ve ever spoken to her, and luckily it came out smoothly. Surely this time I would guess right, surely today I’d get her number. I took a deep breath, anticipating her reply.

    “Actually, I’d like to try the In-House Special please, I heard it’s really popular.” She said with her sweet voice.

    “Of course, you’d like the, wha-“ I stopped in the middle of the sentence, taking time to register what I just heard.

    “The In-House Special.” She said again after I went silent for too long.

    “The In-House Special,” I repeated "of course."

    “HA-HA-HA-HAAA..” I started laughing, defeated. I didn’t care anymore. My plan was foolproof but it still failed. I was laughing so hard that I had a hard time breathing. Through my teary eyes I saw her looking at me, concerned. Actually, everyone in the restaurant was looking at me now. Great, now she thinks I’m crazy, there’s goes my chance.

Fate you little bastard.