Word Count: 1322

“Summer,Winter,Spring & Fall, Time goes so fast. But why I am at the same place waiting for you?”

Finally, the rush of customers had come to an end. You sigh​ed​ as you stare​d​ at what seemed like an endless mountain of coffee mugs and saucers. As if your day ​hadn’t been going bad​ly​ enough. First you​'d​ w​o​ke​n​ up late for work, which ​had ​resulted in getting scolded by your boss; then as ​you were ​delivering coffee, you​ had​ tripped over your own feet, spilling the espresso all over yourself and the floor; and your only co-worker for the day ​had gotten  sick, leaving you to work the late shift.​

You glanced​ at the vintage analog clock which hung above one of the coffee machines. You only had to endure one more hour of your grueling work day.

“Hey, lock up when you’re done, will you?” It was your manager. He placed a large set of keys on the bar counter top. 

You nodded your head, and with that he exited ​through the back door of the shop. Smooth​ing ​out your beige apron, you notice​d​ a rather large discernible stain of espresso—an embarrassing souvenir of ​that​ earlier mishap. Just thinking about it made you turn a slight shade of red.

The next twenty minutes were spent productively cleaning the dirty mugs. With agility, you rapidly washed and dried the individual dishes, periodically stopping to place several of them on a hanging rack to dry. As you wiped​ a slight amount of perspiration from your forehead, your eyes scan​ned​ the room for any remaining customers. The coffee shop had gotten rather quiet, and you knew that if no one remained at this hour, you could close up early.

Just as you were about to put on the first genuine smile of your day, you spotted​, tucked away in the corner, a figure reading a newspaper. Actually, a rather familiar one. You remembered seeing ​the person before​, coming to ​the​​coffee shop​ regularly​ to use the free WiFi ​for​ ​completing​​ work on his laptop (and ​to ​​buy coffee​,​ of course).  Funnily enough, he had never come up to the counter to order anything, at least when you were receiving orders, but he always seemed to have one of the shop’s mugs beside his laptop.

You decided to ignore him, though you were intrigued by his regular presence at the coffee shop. Your exhaustion was really starting to kick in now, after ​having worked in a customer-filled shop for a full eight hours. You didn’t have any time to waste with customer interactions at this point; you had to​ ​focus ​solely​ on washing the mugs. So back to work you went.

Mug after mug, saucer after saucer you toiled with your cleaning, making sure that they were all spotless. ​Out of the blue, you heard the sound of footsteps walking in your direction​. You looked up and saw the mysterious man leaning over the counter. He was not very tall, but he sure made a statement with the clothes he was wearing, what you deciphered as hip-hop style clothing, something he didn’t usually wear.

“Can I get you anything?” You inquired, as you placed another four mugs on​to​ the rack to dry. 

He flashed a smile. “I’ve got to start watching my caffeine intake, because you make my heart palpitate.” 

The line slightly startled you. Was that a pick​up line? You thought.​ ​

“S-so, is there a name for the drink you’d like to order?” You replied.  

“Is your daddy a barista? You’re almost what I ordered. I’ll have a latte.” There it was again, another cheesy pick up line you didn’t know how to react to. 

“Would you like some sugar with that?” You asked, as you scribbled down the order on your notepad. 

“Nah, you’re sweet enough.” He placed a sum of money on the countertop. “Keep the change.”

Flustered, you placed the money in the cash register and grabbed a number from the little roll of tear off paper that the shop used to track customer orders.

“I guess you really don’t need this.” You shrugged as you handed it to him. 

He took the small sheet from your hand, and replaced it with a piece of paper folded in half. “Call me when my order’s ready.” He turned away from the counter. 

You opened paper he gave you. His phone number? Did he just…You stretched your neck to peer at him from over the counter. He was dancing. His clothes were really more than just a fashion statement. He was actually a b-boy, and he really was talented.

Your eyes followed his extravagant dance moves, each one impressing you more than the last. When he finished, his eyes met with yours, his face wearing a genuine smile. You turned away from this visual interaction, stuffed the paper in your pocket, and began completing his order. There was just something about him that made your heartbeat quicken, and it definitely ​wasn’t those pickup lines.

Within a few minutes, his coffee was brewed and ready to serve. 

“Excuse me? Your order is ready.” 

He confidently walked up to the counter. “The name’s Jongup.” By this point he was leaning over, his eyes gazing into yours. “Hey, are you feeling okay?” He asked. 

You rubbed your eyes. “I’m fine, just a little tired.” 

He pushed the mug and saucer closer to you. “Then you need this more than I do.”

You really could have used some caffeine, but knew you shouldn’t accept his generosity. 

“Thank you, but I really can’t.” you shook your hands, gesturing that you couldn’t accept the drink. 

“Well then. How about you give me your number? That sounds like a fair trade.”

The coffee was really starting to tempt you, its fragrant aroma filling your nose with the delightful smell of expresso. Besides, this man really wasn’t what you had ​assumed he was, and he seemed to genuinely care about you. A small smile escaped your lips as you wrote down your number for him and handed it over. In return, you picked up the warm mug and began drinking the liquid inside. It made you feel a lot better.

“I'm​ guess​ing​ you’ve never tasted your own coffee before.” 

A laugh escaped your lips. “No​, not until today​.” You shook your head. 

These were the words that sparked a conversation between the two of you, Jongup continuously making you smile. You took the final sip of your latte, and set the mug back onto the saucer. You noticed Jongup staring at the corner of your mouth, making you raise your eyebrows in a slightly concerned manner.

“Hold on a second, you have something on your face.” 

He wiped the small bit of latte foam off your face, sending you into a slight daze. And then it happened. He gave you a quick kiss, his lips merely touching your own for a split second. His action made you turn slightly red, and unable to look him in the eyes. Averting your eyes to the clock, you noticed that it was nine thirty-two, symbolising that the coffee shop was now closed.

You turned​ back to Jongup. 

“I’m sorry sir, but we are now closed. You can visit us tomorrow morning when we open promptly at six thirty.” You got out from behind the counter, grabbed his stuff and playfully shooed him towards the front door of the shop. 

He took the items from your arms. “Aw​,​ ​come on, don’t turn me down now! Can't​ I have an extra shot?” 

You laughed at yet another one of his coffee themed pickup lines.  

“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “So, you wanna go on a doppio date?” 

You smiled brightly and nodded, before sending him off into the cool night atmosphere.

After locking the front door, you made your way back to behind the counter to finish ​wiping the water off the mugs​,​​ even as you were ​unable to wipe the huge smile off your face. Maybe those cheesy pickup lines ​hadn’t been so bad after all…   ​