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“You know the word espresso’s Italian? My nonna spoiled me on Italian coffee, I can barely get a buzz offa Starbucks venti these days,” Sonny remarked off-handedly. He grabbed his drink off the counter just as his phone began to buzz.
“No, detective, my family’s run this cafe for 35 years and I had no idea espresso was an Italian word,” Rafael replied flatly. “After all, I am but a simple barista.” He almost winced at the thought of what his mother would say if she heard him speaking to customers like that. At least he hadn’t rolled his eyes this time.
Sonny looked up from his phone screen in surprise. “35 years? No shit, our nonnas would’ve gotten along.”
“I’m sure mi abuelita will be thrilled to hear that. Have a nice day, Detective Carisi” Rafael turned his back on the taller man, pretending he didn’t hear the annoyed huff that followed him.
As far as Rafael Barba was concerned, customer service was for those who didn’t serve the best coffee on the Lower East Side.
***
“Barba’s? You know there’s a Dunkin’ across from the precinct, right?”
“Come on Amanda, you’re practically insulting my mother when you call that stuff coffee. And a cop at a donut shop, really?” Sonny said in mock horror.
“Alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a knot,” Amanda muttered, holding the door open for her partner. She looked around at the modestly decorated but tidy coffee shop they’d entered. “What’s all the big fuss about this place anyway?”
“It’s Cuban. No frills, but I haven’t tried anything bad off the menu yet,” her partner shrugged.
“Really? Is that why you order something new every day, detective? Here I thought you didn’t like anything I made,” Rafael interjected from behind the counter. He handed over a tray of iced coffees to a harassed looking woman whose iPhone was braced between her ear and shoulder.
“No way, Barba, why’d you think I keep coming back for?” Sonny asked, eyes widening at the idea he had somehow insulted the man with his drink orders. In truth, he didn’t think that Barba had noticed his ordering habits since he seemed the same amount of grumpy every day.
“You mean it wasn’t my winning personality?” Rafael deadpanned. Amanda laughed and he felt the corner of his lip twitch upward.
“Don’t mind my partner, Mr. Barba. He takes some time getting used to but he really is as earnest as he sounds. I’ll have a small black coffee, please.”
“I’ll make it two, since I don’t have the patience to make whatever sugary concoction Detective Carisi is no doubt planning on asking for.” He was rewarded by another laugh from Amanda and scowl from Sonny.
“Amanda Rollins,” she said, reaching a hand across the cash register. “I see why you can’t shut up about this place, Sonny!”
“You can call me Rafael, Amanda,” Rafael responded smoothly, pretending he didn’t see the younger man’s ears pink behind her.
***
“ Wi-fi ?” Rafael thundered, sure he had misheard the man in front of him. He said it in a tone Sonny usually heard reserved for particularly unpleasant suspects. That, or IAB.
“Well, yeah,” Sonny said, blinking. “You know. So customers can sit and do work. Enjoy the coffee shop ambiance, maybe buy a few cups while they’re at it.”
“And what makes you think I want you crowding up my shop for long periods of time, Detective Carisi?” Rafael asked, eyebrows raised.
Sonny rolled his eyes. “Look Barba, I’ve got finals coming up for law school, and your stuff is better than my coffee machine at home. Now you can either let me spend my money here or you can send me home with an IV of the stuff hooked directly into my veins, I don’t care.”
Rafael exhaled in a long suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, Detective, I’ll look into it.”
“Sonny.”
“What?”
“It’s what my friends call me,” Sonny said easily.
“Thank you, Sonny. You may continue calling me Barba.”
***
One morning, Rafael Barba woke up feeling strange. He looked around his apartment trying to figure out what was amiss. It wasn’t till he unlocked the cafe to welcome the morning rush that it struck him.
He hadn’t seen Sonny in over a week now.
At first, Rafael was annoyed. Leave it to the gangly nuisance of a man to disappear just as Rafael had grown accustomed to his presence. He looked over at the corner the man usually occupied before shaking himself. If Sonny had found a better coffee shop (unlikely) or better study company (marginally more likely), then far be it for Rafael to stop him.
But still. Rafael felt he was at least owed an explanation for the money he was now wasting on wifi.
Another week passed by before Amanda Rollins was at his counter, ordering another black coffee.
“I haven’t seen your partner in a while,” Rafael said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone. “Don’t tell me your captain shuffled him back to Staten Island already.”
Amanda snorted before sobering up and frowning. “He’s actually on a big case right now. Undercover. I can’t say more than that.”
Rafael ignored the rolling feeling in his stomach. “Undercover? How exciting. Is that dangerous?”
“It can be,” Amanda said carefully. “I’ve got two little girls at home so I couldn’t step up this time. Carisi’s smart though,” she added quickly. “He’s going to be okay.”
Rafael nodded, unsure of what else to say. He ignored the stab in his stomach as he realized he had no reason to think Sonny would inform him before risking his life. They were hardly friends just because Rafael sold Sonny coffee sometimes. Rafael just didn’t like changes to his routine, that’s all.
“I believe you, Amanda.”
***
“One cappuccino with two pumps of caramel, please.”
Rafael would deny it but his head snapped up at the unmistakable sound of a voice wrapped around an Italian and Staten Island drawl all at once. He looked up to see a very tired looking Sonny Carisi smiling uncertainly at him from across the counter.
“Detective. Sonny,” Rafael cleared his throat.
There was an awkward pause as the two regarded each other. What did one say to a loyal customer after a long break? I missed you? Congrats on not getting yourself killed, detective? Rafael was torn.
“It’s on the house,” he settled for.
“Really?” Sonny brightened up. “If I’d have known that, I’d have asked for a third pump.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Rafael rolled his eyes, pretending that Sonny’s easy mood switch wasn’t causing strange feelings in his chest. “I still have a reputation to uphold and I can’t send you out of here with a beverage that’ll rot your teeth.”
“Aw, that’s alright. My ma makes way more dangerous things than anything you serve. Seriously, I’ll have to bring you a Carisi cannoli next time I’m studying.”
“Much as I appreciate the gesture, Sonny, we can’t all be blessed with the metabolism of attractive young men.”
It wasn’t till Rafael turned the espresso machine off that he realized what he’d said. He willed his expression neutral and steeled himself against whatever nonsense Sonny would undoubtedly say in response.
When he turned around Sonny was looking at him with a bemused expression.
“If you change your mind,” he said, bending down over his receipt with a pen in his hand. “Here’s my number. To be used for cannoli emergencies only.”
***
RB: Help. Dire cannoli emergency on hand.
SC: This is the moment I’ve been waiting for since I joined the force. How can I make it better, Barba?
Rafael paused, considering.
RB: Dinner would do nicely, I think.