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“Peppermint mocha for Emma!” the barista called out.
Emma rose to her feet, leaving her homework and messenger bag at the table. She liked coming to this cafe quite a bit. In fact, it was absolutely her favorite place to study. The view from the second story window was breathtaking; it overlooked the university’s botanical garden. And the fact that it was quiet, which was probably attributed to being inside of the university’s museum, was positively splendid. The environment made it much easier to concentrate on her studies.
At least it had made it easier to concentrate on her studies up until recently. The new barista was handsome, cunning, and quite charming. Emma knew he probably had a girlfriend⸺how couldn’t he? But she couldn’t help but let her mind wander just a little. She’d never really paid much attention to boys, not before she went off to university.
Emma had grown up in one of the last standing orphanages in the United States. She felt very fortunate that she hadn’t been sent to a foster home; she’d heard a lot of horror stories about them. Even though she probably didn’t have to, she worked very, very hard to be able to get scholarships based off of her own merit, as opposed to having taken a scholarship simply because she’d grown up in an orphanage.
So Emma never really thought about boys like that until mid-freshman year, after all, prior to her university experience, nearly all of the boys she’d known were her brothers.
A light blush crept across her freckle-dusted cheeks as their fingers brushed together. “Thank you!” she beamed. Her eyes fell to his nametag and flicked back up to meet his gaze. ‘Norman’ was written in neat cursive across the tiny blackboard pinned to his shirt. It was the first time he’d worn it.
His hand lingered on the cup for a few moments before a kind smile tugged at his lips. “You’re welcome, Emma.”
“Your name is Norman?” she asked, pressing the ceramic mug to her lips.
“Yeah,” he replied before glancing back to the front of the café. “Delighted to make your acquaintance.”
With her free hand, she tucked her short, wild red hair behind her ear. “Yours too! And thank you again, Norman.”
“Of course, Emma. Anytime.”
As she turned around to retreat to her homework, Emma glanced over her shoulder back to Norman and cleared her throat. What did she have to lose? “What are you doing today? After you get off work, I mean,” she clarified.
How had her dorm-mate had phrased it? YULO? No, that wasn’t it. YUGO? That also wasn’t it; Yuugo was her archery professor. YOLO? Yes. That was it. She couldn’t remember exactly what it was an acronym for, but it had something to do with living life to the fullest.
Emma had concluded that the worst thing that could happen was for him to tell her that he has a girlfriend⸺and the best thing that could happen was for him to tell her that he would be free. And that would be ideal.
Silence lingered between them for a moment before Emma decided what wasn’t said was everything that she needed to know. She giggled and waved. “Never mind!”
“No,” he replied immediately. “I’m not free this afternoon.”
“No worries,” Emma said, lips tugging upward into a smile. It’d been worth a shot⸺you miss every shot you don’t take, after all. “I understand.”
“Are you free tomorrow?”
A grin spread across Emma’s face, and she nodded, perhaps a little too vigorously. “I can be! What’s your Snap?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t have Snapchat. Do you have Discord?”
“No. Do you have Instagram?”
“No. Do you have Line?”
“No. Do you have Facebook?” Emma asked. There was no way he didn’t have Facebook. Everyone had Facebook.
“No. Do you have a phone number?”
“No⸺Wait,” she could feel heat crawling up from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. “Yes, yes, I do have a phone number.”
“Good,” he replied, “Because I lost mine.”
“That’s not now that pickup line⸺Nevermind.”
“Yeah,” he replied, running his fingers through his snowy hair. “You’re so cute that I messed up my pickup line.”
A bright pink blush kissed Emma’s cheeks as her lips tilted upward into a smile. He had her in the first half. She’d really thought he was bad at pickup lines. But that was pretty damn smooth.
She looked around the café. They were the only ones in there. She set her coffee down on her table and then approached the counter once again. “You don’t have social media.” Which was weird.
“I have Reddit,” he snorted. “Reddit is social media.”
“Okay,” she conceded. “But you don’t trade Reddit accounts. That’s weird.”
“You’re right. I would never tell you my username.”
Emma raised her eyebrows and set the mug down on the counter. “You’d never tell me your username? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that Reddit isn’t used like that, and you’re damned weird if that’s how you use it,” he grinned.
Nodding in agreement, Emma pulled out her phone and unlocked it. She opened up her contacts and handed him her phone. “I’d never tell you mine either. It’s my anonymous place. I keep a diary on my account.”
“Well now I’m curious,” he playfully remarked, putting his number into her phone. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
If Emma’s face hadn’t matched her hair prior, it certainly did now. “I. We. Uh.”
“Reddit accounts?” he snickered. “Don’t be so crude.”
Emma snatched her phone back from him and immediately sent him a text with her name. “I wasn’t being crude,” she retorted. “You’re the one that phrased it like that.”
“And you’re the one that took it that way,” he said with a wink. Norman redirected his attention to the front as the door creaked open. “Duty calls.”
⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••♡••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑
Norman swallowed the unexpected lump in his throat.
It wasn’t like he’d never gone out with a girl before. In fact, he’d gone out with plenty of girls. As far as he was concerned, dating was his expertise. His roommate and best friend, Ray, would probably disagree, as Norman had never been able to maintain a relationship for more than a few weeks. In fact, most girls didn’t make it to date two.
So maybe his expertise wasn’t dating, per se. But getting a date was easy.
In his defense though, Norman thought, he’d never met a girl that had given him butterflies. And Ray called him shallow for it. And to a certain degree, he agreed. But also, at the same time, there was nothing wrong with knowing what he liked; there was nothing wrong with having preferences and standards.
If he was quite candid, Emma was an enigma for him. She wasn’t the prettiest girl in the world, but she was, nonetheless, beautiful. She was a girl that one dreams of at night when girls of classic beauty were forgotten after mere minutes.
They’d been in a class together during the previous term: Writing 213 - Technical Writing. Admittedly, Emma had indeed piqued his interest. She was always the first one to raise her hand to volunteer an answer. She’d also always been very chipper.
And to a degree, Norman wished he was more like her. Which is why she’d piqued his interest in the first place.
He’d been surprised to see her on his first shift. She’d ordered a warm peppermint mocha, extra sweet, extra whipped cream. The fact he’d remembered what she’d ordered wasn’t in the least bit creepy; she ordered the same thing every day.
“Hey!” Emma exclaimed, rising to her feet. “Norman! Hi.”
He smiled and waved as he approached her. Much to his dismay, butterfly wings fluttered around, tips of the wings brushing and tickling the lining of his stomach, somehow managing to avoid all of the acid. Digesting the butterflies would be ideal.
“Hi, Emma. It’s a really nice afternoon,” he said, dipping his thumb into his pocket. Why had he just commented on the weather? “You look very nice.” Better.
“Thank you!” she chirped. “You look very nice too.”
“Thanks,” he replied stiffly.
He’d never been so awkward on a date before.
“So,” Emma began, allowing her voice to trail off. “What did you want to do?”
“We didn’t get that far into planning, did we?”
“Nope. But that’s okay,” she said, latching onto his hand with both of hers. “It’s spring, it’s warm, and there are ducklings in the pond.”
“I take it you like animals?”
“Yes. I do very much. I really want a kitten. I can’t have one in the dorm. After uni, though, I should be able to move off-campus and get an apartment,” she beamed. “And a kitten.”
“Did you have any pets growing up?” Norman asked, perfectly content with being pulled toward the duck pond. He could feel himself loosening up; his awkwardness was melting away under the sun.
“We had a dog,” she remarked. “We named him Bear. He was a St. Bernard.” She dropped his hand and leaned over the railing that overlooked the pond. “He was super cute. I miss him.”
“Can you go home to see him?” Norman asked, taking Emma’s lead and leaning on the railing.
“I suppose I could,” she said, tapping her chin with her index finger. Her nails were painted turquoise, Norman noted. “But he’s in another state.”
“Yeah? So you’re studying away from home?”
“You could say that,” she replied, positively enchanted by the tiny yellow birds swimming behind their mother. “I grew up in Gracefield House. It’s one of the last standing orphanages in the US,” she explained. “So I can go home. And I will go back to visit at some point. I miss my brothers and sisters terribly.”
Norman raised his eyebrows. He didn’t know that traditional orphanages still existed in the US. “What’s stopping you?”
“Money,” she replied without hesitation. “I have a part-time job, but I’m saving as much as I can for after uni.”
“I understand,” he said, glancing at her. “When’s your birthday?”
“August twenty-second. What about yours?”
“March twenty-first,” Norman replied. “Just turned twenty.”
“I’ll turn twenty in August,” Emma smiled and turned toward Norman. “Your birthday was last week?”
Norman nodded.
“Well then, Norman,” she tapped his nose. “I’ll buy lunch.”
“No, that’s not how this works,” he smirked. There was no way he was going to let her pay for anything. “I have a job too, you know.”
“But I asked you out, so I get to pay. Plus, it was just your birthday,” she asserted, pulling away from the railing. “So I’m paying for lunch.”
“You asked me out initially, yes,” he countered, eyes following the mother duck hopping out of the waiter and shaking the water off of her tail. All of the ducklings hopped out one-by-one, following suit. “But I said no to your invitation and then asked you out for today.”
Emma pouted. And it was terribly adorable.
“There’s a nice little café not far from here,” he said. “Are you hungry?”
“You’re a barista and you want to go to a café?” Emma asked, cocking her head to the side.
A light breeze caught her hair and the hem of her pastel yellow sundress. The green leaves, the bright grass, and the forget-me-nots accentuated every single detail of Emma. She looked absolutely stunning, and it made him wonder why he’d ever been interested in classic beauty in the first place. Emma didn’t need highlights in her hair, nor did she need lash extensions. She didn’t need to paint her face. She was perfect.
“Mug Shot Café,” Norman said, sticking his hands into his pockets. “They have a small food menu in addition to wonderful beverages.”
“Mug Shot Café?” Emma asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. “That’s a clever name.”
Norman nodded in agreement and pushed himself back from the railing, scaring the duck family back into the water. “Are you hungry?”
Emma grinned sheepishly and nodded. “Eating food off-campus sounds so good.”
Together, they strolled through the park, Norman very subtly leading them toward the café. Her fingers brushed his on more than one occasion. He really wanted to hold her hand. And little did he know, but she wanted him to hold her hand too.
But neither made the move.
“Welcome to Mug Shot!” a blonde girl greeted. “Did you want to sit inside or outside today, Norman and…?”
“Hey Anna,” Norman greeted. “This is Emma. Emma, Anna.”
“Nice to meet you!” Emma trilled. “I’m glad to meet you, Anna.”
Anna beamed back at Emma before flashing Norman a curious look. The look she gave Norman didn’t go unnoticed.
“Did you want to sit inside or outside, Emma?” Norman asked.
“Outside. It’s the best place to people-watch,” Emma replied.
Anna set menus down on the table and smiled. “Norman? Are you drinking the usual?”
He nodded and glanced over to Emma.
Her turquoise-tipped finger ran along the drink menu before her gaze met Anna’s. “May I have an iced peppermint mocha, please?”
Norman raised his eyebrows. “Iced? Not extra sweet, extra whip?”
Emma scrunched her nose and shook her head. “No. I had a super sugary breakfast,” she explained.
“I’ll be right back,” Anna said, her gaze lingering on Norman for a brief moment before she retreated inside.
“She’s my roommate’s girlfriend,” Norman said, noticing the look on Emma’s face. “We’ve never dated.”
“I didn’t. I mean. I wasn’t. It.”
“It’s okay,” he chuckled. “It’s nothing to worry about on any account.”
“I have no chance to pay, do I?” Emma asked, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. “That’s why you picked this cafe.”
“Yep,” he confirmed and leaned back. “So, what do you like to do for fun?”
“I like to read, run, and cook. I also really like archery,” she answered. “And video games. How about you?”
“I like to read and play chess,” he said, fingers lacing together behind his head. “And video games. Console?”
“Switch,” she said. “It was the first thing I bought with my first paycheck. And when I get my own place, my friend Don said he’d help me build a nice PC. What kind of games do you like to play?”
Norman paused for a brief moment. Part of him wanted to lie and say he plays ‘Call of Duty’ or ‘Rainbow Six'⸺those were the games that most people he knew played. “JRPGs,” he replied, biting his lower lip. He genuinely liked her—no sense in lying about something so trivial. “And 'Animal Crossing.'”
“Oh!” Emma perked up and folded her hands in front of her. “Can I have your friend code later? I want to visit your island! I won’t steal your fossils.”
“Only if I get to visit your island too,” he chuckled.
Anna set Emma’s coffee in front of her and Norman’s tea in front of him. “Are you two eating?”
“Yes please!” Emma chirped. “May I please try your Montecristo?”
“Oooh,” the blonde said, gaze falling on Norman. “She has good taste. Are you having the usual?”
Norman nodded and handed her the menus. “Thank you, Anna.”
“Of course!”
Emma watched her retreat back into the café before she redirected her attention to Norman’s glass. “What are you drinking?”
“Chai tea,” he said, taking a long sip. “Iced vanilla chai.”
“Tea?”
“Yes.”
“You drink tea?” she repeated as if her eyes and ears were betraying her.
“Yes,” he said, setting the glass back on the tabletop. “Did you want to try?”
Hesitantly, Emma nodded. Norman slid the tea across the table to her. Gingerly, she pressed her lips to the rim of the glass. As she set it back down, she smacked her lips, a contemplative look behind her eyes. “It’s pretty good,” she concluded after several moments and pushed the glass back to her date. “Do you want to play a game?”
“A game?” Norman’s interest was piqued. “What kind of game?”
“Okay so my dorm-mate, Gilda, made me play with her when I moved in with her freshman year. So basically, you pick two things like chocolate or vanilla, and the other person has to pick the first one that comes to their mind,” she grinned, tucking a braid behind her ear.
“Alright,” Norman began. “Cats or dogs?”
“Cats,” Emma answered. “MMOs or MOBAs?”
“MMOs. Fries or tatertots?”
“Tatertots. Chocolate or vanilla?”
“Vanilla,” Norman replied, gaze falling to his drink. “I take it you like chocolate?”
“And you’re a dog person that eats fries, huh?”
“Got me,” he laughed. “How did you know?”
“Your face,” she replied, sipping on her mocha. “Frogs or lizards?”
“Frogs. Coffee or tea?”
Emma gestured to her drink, a grin spreading from ear-to-ear. “I assume you prefer tea?”
“Bingo,” Norman replied. “Apples or oranges?”
“Oranges. Ducks or geese?”
“Ducks,” he said, leaning in. “Cinnamon or spearmint?”
“Cinnamon. What’s your favorite food?”
“Don’t laugh. Chili Mac. Are we changing the game?” Norman inquired.
“Yes,” Emma responded with a nod. “Your question.”
“What’s your favorite animal?”
“Giraffes, of course. There is not a more interesting animal in the whole world, and you can’t change my mind. I want to see one in the wild someday. What’s your favorite pickup line?” Emma asked, tapping the sides of her glass with her painted nails.
It was like she’d just shot him with an arrow straight through his chest—pickup lines. He had a lot of them, though most of them rather lewd. And as beautiful as Emma was, he wasn’t interested in her only for that. Clean pickup line. Come on, brain. “Charmander is red, and Squirtle is blue. If you were a Pokémon, I’d choose you.”
Emma squealed and wiggled in her chair. “That is so cute. Has it ever worked?”
“I’ve never used it,” he said, scratching the back of his head.
“No?”
“No,” Norman confirmed. He didn’t want to admit to her that he’d never asked out the kind of girl that would enjoy Pokémon. “My go-to is ‘Well, here I am. What are your other two wishes?’ Pretty cheesy, huh?”
Emma snorted and took another sip of her mocha. “You’re heckin’ adorable. Your question, Norman.”
“What’s your major?”
“Before I actually got here, I thought I’d go to school to do sports medicine. After I moved into the dorm room, I changed my mind entirely. I’m a political science major. I want to work for the UN. How about you?”
Norman smiled. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I’m also a poly-sci major. But I am taking over my father’s law firm. It’s been in my cards since before I was even born.”
“But is that what you want to do?” Emma asked, leaning forward.
“Yes,” he said confidently. “When I was little, I decided I wanted to be just like my dad. And I never gave up on it.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “Do you speak any foreign languages?”
“French, German, and Russian. How about you?”
“Spanish,” Emma said. “And I’m working on French now.”
“I can help you with that if you’d like. What’s your favorite book?”
Emma’s stomach rumbled.
“Food will be here soon,” Norman reassured.
“Thanks,” she said quietly. “I really like George Orwell. Pretty much anything by him. And I mean, I also really like high fantasy too. ‘The Night Angel Trilogy’ by Brent Weeks is excellent. How about you?”
“‘Winnie the Pooh,’” he answered without hesitation. “And ‘The Velveteen Rabbit.’”
Emma was surprised. She figured he’d say something super sophisticated or delightfully nerdy. She wasn’t expecting him to be such a soft person. It made her happy. Her eyes flicked to the opening door. Food.
⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••♡••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑
It was getting dark. Neither Emma nor Norman had expected to be out as late as they were. The cool air pricked at Emma’s bare arms. She really wished she would’ve brought a jacket or worn her cardigan. She hadn’t expected the date to last longer than lunch.
Being with him felt so natural. Everything about the whole day had been amazing, almost like something from a fairytale.
After lunch, they’d held hands and walked through the downtown streets. He took her to a small, used bookstore, and she dragged him to the used game store. They watched a movie, shared popcorn, and finally held hands. Norman took her to an old-fashioned diner for an absolutely delightful dinner.
The campus dormitories appeared on the horizon far too quickly. She really didn’t want to say goodbye to him. It was actually the last thing that she wanted. Little did she know, Norman felt the exact same way.
“I had a lot of fun today,” Emma said as they approached Grover Hall. “Thank you for walking me back, Norman.”
He rubbed circles into the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb, a content smile on his lips. “I hope that others who have taken you out on dates have walked you back to your dorm.”
Emma was quiet. No. None of them had ever walked her back to her dorm. Granted, none of her other dates had ever lasted this late either.
“I had a lot of fun today too, Emma. Thank you for coming out with me today,” he said, turning to face her, reluctantly letting her hand fall gently back to her side. “I actually don’t think I’ve had a date this fun. Ever.”
Covering her lips with her hand as she giggled, Emma said, “Same, actually. Any plans for the rest of your night?”
“I missed the raid, so no.”
“Oh no! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to⸺”
Norman gently pressed an index finger to her lips and shook his head. “If I didn’t want to spend the evening with you, I would’ve taken you back to your dorm much, much earlier.”
Emma’s heart could’ve beat right out of her chest. His finger pressed to her lips was much more intimate than it probably should’ve been. She shuddered, her eyes fluttering shut.
“I don’t think there’s a better way I could’ve spent this evening. I’m so glad that you asked me out, Emma,” Norman said, allowing his finger to run down her bottom lip before retracting it entirely. “When you get a proper PC, let me know. I’ll invite you to raid with us.”
Opening her eyes, all Emma could do was nod to whatever it was that Norman had just said. She wanted him to kiss her. Were his lips soft? Firm? Warm? Were his kisses too wet? Too dry? None of it mattered. His lips crushed against hers was the only thing that mattered. “Kisses or hugs?” she asked.
Norman’s lips tilted upward into a smirk, and he pulled her close. “I’m greedy. Can I have both?”
No sooner did Emma nod, Norman had captured her lips with his. Heat bloomed in her chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to deepen their kiss. Norman’s tongue dipped into her mouth, fruity sweetness from the milkshake still on her tongue.
‘God she’s something else.’
‘Gosh he’s amazing.’
“Get a room!”
Both Emma and Norman laughed into their kiss before they parted, and Emma stood flat-footed again. Norman bumped his forehead into hers and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. “Can I see you again, Emma?”
A mischievous smile graced her lips.
“What?” he cooed.
She stealthily untied the ribbon at the small of her back and brought it forward. “What kind of fabric is this?”
He was a little caught off-guard by her question and took the ribbon, rubbing it between his fingers. “Cotton?”
“Girlfriend material.”
Norman snorted and dropped the ribbon and rubbed her arms. “You’re cold. If you turn into ice, we’ll have to find you a polar bear.”
“You can be my polar bear,” she murmured, peering up into his sapphire eyes.
“Did you want to come over? Not for that,” he quickly added.
“I’d love to, Norman. Let me grab a hoodie and my Switch so that you can show me your island,” she whispered.
“Only if you show me yours too.”