Warning: There's, like, one or two curse words in this, so if you have a problem with that beware.

It was eight in the morning when Ashley made her way to the cafe near her dorm. She was carrying her laptop with her heavy backpack hanging off of one shoulder. Her backpack was filled with economic textbooks, her notebook, and every writing utensil she could find. She placed her stuff at her favorite table before making her way up to the counter. Aside from a few people sitting around, the coffee shop was extremely empty this morning. As she looked at the menu above, a yawn passed her lips. Finals week was fast approaching, so Ashley had gotten about one or two hours of sleep a night for the past two weeks. The only thing that kept her alive was the caffeine she’s been pumping into her body on a regular basis. Today was no different. She had a ton of studying to do, and the only way she’d make it through the morning is with coffee.

“What can I get for you?” The man behind the counter asked, not sharing any direct eye contact with her.

“I’ll have a venti white chocolate mocha with three extra shots of espresso.” She stated simply, pulling out some money from her pocket.

With her answer, the baristas head shot up, and his eyebrows raised. “That’s strong .” He said but turned around and began to make the drink right away.

She shrugged her shoulders although he didn’t see her. “Don’t study crazy in college.” she mumbled under her breath before placing her money on the counter in front of her. The barista placed her large coffee on the counter and nodded his head once.

“Would you mind bringing me coffee when I run out? Maybe once an hour?” she asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

He shrugged his shoulders. “That depends. Will you pay me?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes but nodded her head anyway. If it wasn’t for the fact that she wanted to stay concentrated, she would get the drinks herself, but she couldn’t risk the distraction. She grabbed her drink and made her way back to her table of stuff. Ashley plopped into her seat and let out a loud sigh as she took a sip of her coffee. When she placed her drink on the table, she pulled out her books and began reading the information.

The barista supplying her caffeine needs was named Jay, and he stayed true to their agreement and continued delivering coffee to her table each time she finished her drink. Ashley was more than grateful for the steady line of caffeine. It was around three in the afternoon when she shut her economics book and placed her head in her hands. Her head was thumping, and even though she had been studying all day, it felt as though she had retained nothing at all. She leaned back and rotated a bit to crack her back. College , she thought to herself. Since she had been working so hard, she decided to check her phone for a moment. Her lock screen was filled with missed kakao messages from her best friend.

From 바보 (babo): What are you doing?

From 바보 (babo): Are you studying rn?

From 바보 (babo): Didn’t you do that all week?!

From 바보 (babo): Hoe..

From 바보 (babo): Are you going to the party tonight still?

A loud huff passed Ashley’s lips as she called back her friend Sera. If she were to text Sera back, she’d get a flame of incoming messages, so it’s much more convenient to call her and tell her that she was going to miss the party.

“Now you call?” Sera said, answering on the very first ring.

“Look, I am sorry, but I’m really busy.” Ashley said, biting down on her bottom lip.

“Why? You’re just studying. This is what happens when you major in something so complicated.”

She rolled her eyes as if Sera could see, and her eyes focused on the barista, Jay, taking a seat in front of her with another coffee and a plate with a muffin on top. When Ashley saw the food, she could feel her stomach grumble a bit. She cut Sera off mid-sentence and told her she’d think about going to the party if she had time. Her eyes met the baristas as she smiled softly.

“What’s this for?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the muffin in fear that it’d run away.

“You’ve been here since, like, eight. I figured your brain needs food.” he said with a simple shrug, crossing his arms over his chest while watching her.

She picked the muffin up off of the plate and took a bite. Double chocolate. Her absolute favorite. She continued eating the muffin, oblivious to the fact that the barista was watching her eat quietly.

“Do you do this for all your customers?” Ashley asked, shooting Jay a glance.

“Only for the really dead looking ones. Why are you here on Valentine’s Day? Don’t you have something more planned?” he asked, leaning a bit forward to look at her. His face turning a light pink the more he talked to her.

“I’m on a date with my books.” Ashley replied with a small smirk at her pun.

Jay stood up and went back to the counter without a word. Ashley squinted slightly and tilted her head in confusion. That was just weird. He was a really attractive guy, and if he had asked her out, her answer would have definitely been yes. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and looked down at her mess of books again as she finished off her muffin. She moved the plate and picked up the napkin under it. That’s when she noticed the scribbling that was on the napkin. Call Me? followed by his phone number was written on the napkin. Her eyes shot up to look at him, and he was running his hands through his hair with a small smile on his face. Even from the distance, Ashley could notice the blush on his cheeks. She gave him a slight nod as she pulled out her phone to put his number in.

To 바보 (babo): I got asked out by the hottest guy.

To 바보 (babo): Studying brought me good luck.

From 바보 (babo): Good, then get to the party- invite him!

To 바보 (babo): Yeah, maybe.

Ashley received another message from her friend but decided to ignore it. One more hour and she would invite him out to the party. Hopefully he actually says yes. It would be awkward if he didn’t.