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She didn't know why, but Karen saved the coffee cup with Frank's first note on it. The one that read: 'Hope you enjoy it ma'am. Come back soon. :)' on it. And she had no idea if he had been flirting with her or just being nice. Writing a note on her cup and giving the coffee to her for free. Sure, she thought he was cute. He was Frank fucking Castle.... The Punisher. Star tight end and arguably the most popular guy on campus. Of course she liked him. (Not that she was going to admit that anyone else.)
Maybe it was because she wanted the ego boost. After the humiliation of Matt dumping her, it becoming campus knowledge and the incident at Rush Week..... Karen frequented the coffee shop now. To see Frank. She liked the attention he gave her, even if it was because he felt sorry for her. She hoped that wasn't the case though.
The second time she appeared at the shop, Jessica was with her. Coffee to nurse her typical 'day ending in y' hangover. "Black coffee." She muttered to Frank and slapped a couple of bucks on the counter before walking (or rather stumbling) to the drop off spot to wait for her coffee. Frank smirked and Karen blushed at him. "Hi." She greeted him lamely. "Ma'am." He greeted back. "You know.... I'm glad you wanted to friend me on Facebook." He told her as he leaned forward, as if telling her a big secret rather than what it was. "Really?" She asked him softly and tucked her hair behind her ear. Frank grinned at her and nodded.
Feeling a bit bolder she followed suit and leaned a bit closer to him too. "What am I ordering today?" She asked him with a giggle, relieved that the shop wasn't busy as she watched Jessica drink her coffee from behind her sunglasses. Frank tilted his head at her and smirked. "I got it." He pointed to where Jessica stood and she huffed at him. "Are you ever going to let me pay?" She called to him as he went to work on her secret drink for the day and he chuckled.
"This is sickening." Jessica muttered. "Why? Is the coffee bad?" Karen asked her concerned. "No.... I meant you and Colonel Sanders over there." She gestured. "What? He's being nice to me." Karen said as she blushed bright red. "Yeah right.... And I'm not hungover." She told her flatly and finished off her coffee as Frank came over to Karen and gently pushed a coffee cup in her direction. "Here ya go ma'am." He told her with another smirk. Karen stared at the cup and then Frank again. "What is it?" She asked him curiously, it was heavier than the first one he'd given her. She took a sip and.... It tasted like Nutella. How the hell? Frank smirked at her smile and got up. "How did you know-" She began in awe of this guy. How did he know she loved Nutella and had an 'unhealthy' (according to Jessica) addiction to it?
"Have a nice day ma'am." He told her and had to take care of a new customer. A professor or faculty member it seemed.
"Bye Frank." She murmured out, still in shock that he had made her a perfect drink for herself as Jessica dragged her out of the store.
By the time they'd gotten out of the shop, Karen noticed her cup again. It read simply: Forget that idiot. :) And Karen smiled the rest of the way to her 10am Calculus class.
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October hit and with it, cooler weather and all the autumn flavors that came with it. Karen secretly liked all the Pumpkin spice drinks at coffee houses but after about a week, she got tired of them.
She was meeting Trish at the coffee shop for a study session. Karen suspected that Trish wanted to see this 'Colonel Sanders' that Jessica was always commenting on. Karen had gotten there early (Not to see Frank by herself.) and went straight to the register. "Hi Frank." She greeted him and chewed her bottom lip almost excitedly. And Frank smirked at that, wishing he could do things to that cute lip of hers.
"Ma'am." He greeted. Neither of them mentioning his notes on her cups that he would leave her. But it was there, just hanging between them like an unresolved romantic tension. They just stood there opposite of each other. "What brings you by today?" Frank asked her playfully, almost daring Karen to admit that she came by here to see him.
"Oh, I'm meeting someone." She explained and Frank's face fell slightly. (Or was that her imagination?) "Study session." Karen explained. "Well.... Coffee's perfect for that." He told her, going back to flirting. Hoping to win her affections before anyone else did. He was playing a long, slow burn with her. "I've got a good drink for you today." He told her when Trish arrived. "Karen!" Trish came over to her and hugged her. "Thanks for agreeing to study with me." Karen told her and Frank sighed in relief. She was meeting a girlfriend, not a guy. Frank moved to make Karen's drink while another employee took Trish's order.
"What'd you order Kare?" Trish asked her and Karen blushed while Frank smirked. "He never lets me order....." She explained. "It's always a surprise." She explained and blushed harder. "Really?" Trish asked and raised a brow with a smirk as she paid and waited for her drink as well. Frank smirked and handed over the cup to Karen. "Ma'am." He told her fondly and winked at her this time. God, every time he did something like this. Her stomach filled with butterflies. "Thank you Frank." She murmured out and sipped her drink. "This..... It tastes like a campfire." She hummed in approval. "What is it?" She asked him. "We call it a Burnt Marshmallow." He explained as he handed off Trish's drink of a Vanilla Latte to her and they moved to an empty table. Karen could feel Frank staring at her from behind. "You know he's flirting with you.... Right?" Trish told her and smirked as they sat down.
"He is not!" Karen protested as Trish sat facing Frank at the bar and Karen's back to him so she could focus. Trish raised a brow and caught a glance at Karen's cup, rotating it so she could read it. The cup read: Focused. Intelligent. Motivated. Oh, and cute. ;) Karen blushed so hard when she read that Frank Castle. Called her cute.
"He's also staring at you Kare." Trish told her smugly from behind her coffee and Karen glanced over her shoulder as Frank glanced over at her before handing off another drink to another customer. Karen blushed and turned back around to face Trish. "Let's just study please." She requested and pulled out her books and notebook. Well aware of Frank's gaze on her the entire afternoon.
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Three coffee cups with notes on them and Karen was slightly embarrassed to admit that she had started a collection. She stashed it in a shoe box under her bed that she was fairly certain Jessica knew about. Jessica, who had gone to a party. But Karen had decided against it and just wanted to have a quiet night in her room alone. It was a Friday night and Karen decided to go to the coffee shop for a nice hot cup of.... Something.
Being a Friday night, she expected Frank to be off. But there he was. Working the night shift alone. Given that it was a Friday, the shop was essentially dead with a few people. One who was studying and the other two seemed to be on some kind of date.
Karen Page was standing before Frank Castle in her sweatpants, an oversized sweater, jacket and her fuzzy boots. No makeup on and her hair windblown from the chilly New York night. "H-Hi." She greeted him breathlessly, trying hard not to burst with excitement at seeing him tonight. Frank smiled at her. "Friday night, I can't say I was thinkin' I'd see you tonight." He told her and cocked his head. "Here for caffeine ma'am?" He asked her with a raised brow. "Actually... I think I just want something warm. I want to actually sleep later." She admitted and brushed her hair a bit. "Understandable." He admitted and thought of it before moving to make her something.
Karen was still brushing her hair when she felt a gust of air, indicating a customer. "Oh sweetie, all the brushing in the world isn't going to help that look." Came Elektra's distinctive, condescending voice. Karen froze and her eyes widened before she turned to face Elektra. "I don't recall asking your opinion." She retorted and turned back towards Frank who was watching the interaction and continued to make Karen's drink. "Can I order please?" She asked Frank rudely. "Sure. After I'm finished with her." He told Elektra politely, but shortly. Making a point to her that he wasn't being nice. "Now Ma'am.... This drink.... Is very special." He told Karen and pushed it towards her, purposefully taking a long time to chat with Karen before taking Elektra's order.
"I have somewhere to be, unlike your homeless customer." Elektra tapped her card on the counter by the register and smirked at Karen once more. "Good for you Princess." Frank told Elektra and continued on his conversation with Karen. "I don't take kindly to people shitting on my favorite customers." He told Elektra and winked at Karen. "I'm hardly a customer if I never have to pay." Karen protested and sipped her drink. "What's in this?" She asked him. "Not gonna tell you. But it's a S'mores Hot Chocolate." He explained.
Elektra was miffed at Frank by now and even more so when she found out that he never made her pay for coffee. "I suppose you don't make people pay when you feel sorry for their sad lives." She snipped and Frank sighed and went over to take her order finally. "If that were true, I'd be givin' you free coffee." He told her and smirked at Karen. Karen nearly choked on her drink at Frank's comment to Elektra and she just stared at Frank in shock. "I'd like to speak to your manager please."
Frank didn't miss a beat. "Okay. What can I do for you?" He deadpanned and Elektra just took her coffee from Frank and flew out of the shop. Karen was pretty sure she was in love with Frank by now.
"Wow...." Karen spoke and smiled at Frank. "Thanks.... That was.... Thanks." She mumbled out and bit her bottom lip. Frank smiled at her. "You're welcome ma'am." He told her simply. "Goodnight Frank." She called to him. "Sleep tight ma'am." He returned as Karen braved the chills and wind to head back to her dorm.
Taking the time to read his note this time, out of habit.
You're prettier than her. <3
Karen blushed and smiled at that, headed back to her room to watch a movie before bed. Feeling giddy, she was planning on watching a rom-com.