“I love you a latte”

Most of the time, life as a barista is boring. Yes, we have rushes where things get a little crazy, but even that is boring. It’s always the same. People with fake glasses come in with their laptops, order a fancy drink, and sit for hours “working on their manuscript,” when in reality they’re just browsing Instagram. I have nothing against the hipsters. They tend to tip rather well. They’re just so boring.

It was a hot August day when he walked in. I was making someone named Ginger a soy latte, like she ordered every day at the same time. I glanced up and said “Welcome!”, and then I stopped.

Oh boy, was he beautiful. He was tall, probably somewhere around 6’5”. His hair was a dark blonde and brushed back in a clean, neat way. He looked up from his phone to smile at me, then looked back down. His eyes were a beautiful blue and his smile was dazzling. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I looked at him. He had never been in the store before, so he grabbed my attention. I continued staring until my co-worker Nancy nudged me out of the way to get the soy milk. I shook my head and continued working on the latte.

“Soy latte for Ginger!” I called, placing the drink on the counter. Ginger picked it up and dropped a dollar in the tip jar without even looking at me. I didn’t care because I was focused on the guy.

“Hi,” I said with a huge smile. “What can I get for you?”

He looked back up from his phone and smiled again. “Hi. Can I please get a large mocha latte?”

“Of course!” I plugged the order into the computer. “And what’s the name for the order?”

“Alex.”

“Gotcha.” I typed his name in and wrote his order on his cup. “Should only be a few minutes.”

He thanked me and went to sit down. I began working on his order, glancing at him every few seconds. He was sitting at a table rather close to the door. He pulled out a book and began reading. I squinted to see the title. “Gnomon” by Nick Harkaway. I made a mental note to pick the book up after my shift.

It wasn’t long before I finished his drink. I called “Mocha Latte for Alex.”

When he stood up and came up to the counter, I handed him his latte. Our fingers touched, and I felt warm and fuzzy inside. He put a five-dollar bill into the tip jar and I gave him a smile. He smiled back and turned to go sit back down. I gave a slight sigh and moved on to the next customer. Even though I was helping the other customers, I still kept stealing glances at Alex. He was just so handsome.

Then, a phone rang. I looked around to see whose phone it was, and it was Alex’s. I was currently working on a customer’s order, so I strained my hearing to know what he was saying.

“Yeah, I’m at the coffee shop. Do you want anything? Okay, then I’ll see you when I get home. Love you.”

My heart sank. He had a girlfriend at home. I finished the customer’s drink and called their name. I watched as he marked his place in his book, stood up, and walked out the door.

“There he goes,” I muttered and moved on to the next boring customer.