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Insanity. Doing the same thing everyday and expecting different results. Some would argue that this wasn't true. Others would disagree. But you? You were on the fine line between both sides. You didn't want to believe it, but you felt it was starting to happen. Not everyday, though. Oh no, this shit happened every Wednesday afternoon while you're at work. You started working at a local coffee shop about two months ago, along with your good friend Lindsay. And every Wednesday, the same two guys would show up. The taller, whom you learned was Aaron, and the shorter one, Chris. And while both of them were fairly good looking, you found yourself attracted to one of them in particular. Or maybe it was cruel reality reminding you that you've been single a long time now. But whatever it was, it still didn't change the fact that you'd get butterflies in your stomach every time your eyes meet with brown ones.
Lindsay was the only one who knew about your crush and she was highly supportive. If not a little pushy. If she saw an opportunity for you to talk to Chris, she would give you a gentle shove forward with two thumbs up and an encouraging smile. It never calmed down your nerves, though. And when that didn't work, she'd tried giving you advice on how to ask him out. But that never worked since he always came in with Aaron. It was a lost cause. You could tell already. Maybe you two weren't meant for each other, anyway.
That thought was burned into your mind, and was slowly starting to get to you. Lindsay noticed. Your co-workers noticed. Every Wednesday, you would get a lot more quiet and keep to yourself. Whenever they'd come in, you'd practically beg Lindsay to serve them instead. It was all a desperate attempt to get over him. But no matter how hard you tried, it never worked. They both sat at the same booth every time, and you'd always find yourself sneaking glances at them. Lindsay took notice to this, and decided that she'd confront you about this. Today.
You were currently washing dishes in the back, humming your favorite song to yourself. Of course, it was another Wednesday afternoon, and you had to find something to distract yourself with. And it was working, until you heard to door slam behind you. You yelped in surprise, dropping the cup in the sink, some of the soapy water splashing onto your uniform. Spinning around, you saw Lindsay standing in front of the door, hands on her hips and a less than pleased expression on her face. "This has got to stop." she told you firmly, and you shifted your weight nervously, staring down at your shoes.
"I don't know what you mean." you muttered quietly, fumbling with the hem of your shirt, avoiding eye contact with the red-head. She let out a sigh, running a hand through her bangs and took a step forward.
"(Y/N), you know just as well as I do that I'm referring to this crush of yours," she clasped a hand on your shoulder gently, but you still flinched at the contact. "Come on, I hate seeing a friend like this. I know this is bugging you, I can tell. If you want me to help you talk to him, I'm all for it."
"Easy for you to say, you're engaged." there was some small hostility in your tone, even if you didn't mean it. You loved Lindsay to death, but this was a situation she couldn't really relate to. Her and her fiancé, Michael, were really good friends before they started dating. You and Chris? He probably didn't even know your name.
She furrowed her brows at you, squeezing your shoulder. "Look, (Y/N), all couples start somewhere. Some start as friends, some start as strangers. So what if you and Chris don't really know each other, you won't know how he feels until you speak up." she explained, smiling softly. You kicked at some dirt on the floor, peeking up at her. She did have a point. But that still didn't change the one thing that was preventing you.
"I know what you're getting at, Linds. But...I still can't bring myself to talk to him, let alone ask him while his buddy is sitting right across him. That's beyond awkward, and what if he says no? I don't think I could bring myself to look at him." you tell her, voice cracking towards the end. Now you just sounded pathetic. Great.
Lindsay stayed in that one spot for a few seconds, examining your current state, before sighing again. "Looks like this is a job only I can handle," she says, a little over dramatically, pulling her hair up in a loose ponytail. You finally jerk you head up, eyes wide with fear, which went ignored. "Wait here, I'll go talk to him for you." she winked, before rushing out of the kitchen, ignoring your protests. Biting your nails, you peeked to the door yourself, opening it far enough so you could peek your head out. And there she was. Standing at that same booth, talking to those same men. You couldn't hear what she was saying, but you saw her point back at you and both guys looking over and back at her. You felt your face heat up with embarrassment and you quickly shut the door, a small whine emitting from the back of your throat. This was it. Your life was over. They both knew about your crush. You could never show your face again. You'd need a new job. A new life.
Wait...what? Okay, a little too far there. Maybe not a new life or job. You didn't even know what his answer was. Maybe he felt the same. Oh god, what if he did? You bit into your nails again, watching the door anxiously. Wait, no. You shouldn't torture yourself like this. Give it time. With that thought in mind, you returned to the sink, fishing the lone cup out of the water and wiped at it with a hand towel. This went on for several minutes, you cleaning different cups, mugs, and plates. But still no response from Lindsay. It was stupid, you knew that, but with each passing minute, you felt your heart sink further. He really wasn't interested. You got your hopes up for nothing. Why did this have to happen?
You heard the slight squeak of the door opening, but thought nothing of it. It wasn't until there was a tap on your shoulder that you looked up. It was, in fact, Lindsay, bouncing on the balls of her feet with the biggest smile you've seen on her. "Someone wants to see you." she beamed, tugging on your arm excitedly. You groaned in protest but didn't make any move to stop her. She rolled her eyes playfully, pulling you out of the kitchen. The coffee shop wasn't entirely full. Just a few customers and co-workers. There was someone waiting at the counter though, hands shoved in his pockets, staring down at the ground uneasily. Aaron was standing a few feet away from him, arms crossed, watching with a small grin. You shot Lindsay a skeptical look, and she only motioned towards the counter eagerly. You bit your lip, slowly walking up to the counter. You cleared your throat, and Chris looked up at you. "May I help you?" you asked as politely as you could, trying to calm your nerves down.
He smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um, (Y/N), right?" he asked, and you nodded. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime. If that's cool with you."
Your eyes widened at the question, and you quickly looked back at Lindsay. She shot you two thumbs up, giddy from her own excitement. You looked back at Chris, lips twitching up slightly. "Yeah, sure, uh," you fumbled to grab a napkin from the counter a pen from your shirt pocket, quickly scribbling down your number. "Here you go, I think we can work something out." you pushed the napkin towards him, stuffing the pen away.
"Yeah, yeah, of course. I'll uh, I'll talk to you later than!" he nodded quickly, picking up the napkin, waved a quick bye to you, before rushing back to his friend. You giggled to yourself, watching the two leave the coffee shop. It happened. You had a date. With a guy you liked. And you had Lindsay to thank for it.