Work Text:
“A latte? That’s not your usual.” You question.
“Eh, trying something new won’t hurt, will it?”
“Yeah, got a point. Alright, one latte coming up!” Gaz grinned and plopped into his favorite corner booth. Snow wasn’t any heavier today, still a drizzle. He had a sketchbook in hand today, which he pulled out with a drawing pencil. You came over with his mug of coffee, an elegant rosetta pattern traced on the surface.
“What’cha drawing?” You asked him teasingly, bending over to peer over his shoulder, setting his mug a good distance from the sketchbook, the steam lightly dusting his face.
“Just some people in the shop, I-“ Gaz was about to finish before you spotted a face that interested you.
“Gaz, is that…me?” You blushed. He looked down bashfully. It was a drawing of you in your outfit from the last time the two of you met up. Your nose and cheeks were shaded, as if you just came in from outside. He drew you so vividly from that day, hair frosted and eyes crinkled in a wide smile. You felt warm when you looked at the drawing. He did multiple angles of you too. Side, down, looking away. You felt studied. Not in a bad way, no. In a flattering, cute way. “Oh, Gaz. You made me look so angelic. It’s so pretty!” You gushed, almost knocking his pencil from his hands as you gave him a swift, warm hug. He grasped your arm in response to the side hug.
“Hey, it’s no big deal. You’re an interesting subject.” He winked flirtatiously. You were about to let go of Gaz before he pulled you in. “Your hands are really warm, sugar pie.” You laughed and rolled your eyes. Gaz always liked to call you cheesy nicknames just to mess with you. Things like “bonbon” and “honey bun” which always makes you bat him away and snicker to yourself.
“Ohhh, shut up Garrick.” You laugh and he smirks at you. Letting you go, you put on a faux serious expression. “I have other people to go take orders from, I got no time man.” He pouted exaggeratedly and you couldn’t help but grin.
“Noooo, come back to me later please?” He asked.
“Of course, now drink before it’s cold.” He smiled and you walked back to the register, no customer waiting for you yet.
★・・・・・・★
Gaz was finished with his coffee, now trudging through the snow on a morning walk. He thought of your reaction to the drawing of you, and how happy you were. It was so sweet and cute that he couldn’t help but feel fuzzy, despite the frigid weather. As Gaz approached his apartment, he exhaled a steamy trail from his mouth. Numb fingers fumbling his keys, he opened his door before collapsing on the couch. He checked his watch. Half-past eight. He got onto his phone, checking his boss’s texts.
Boss man:
Hey, shift today at 10am.
Gaz:
Okay, when does it end?
Boss man:
6pm.
Gaz:
Alrighty.
Gaz sighed. He had around 1:30 of free time before work.
★・・・・・・★
It was around five PM when you and Antigone took a much-needed break. “Orderin’ pizza! What kind?” She shouts from the kitchens.
“Anything that isn’t pineapple!” You scream back.
“That’s my partner!” You hear the grin in her voice and smirk to yourself. “Gonna get chicken flavored pizza, that okay?” Ne shouts once more.
“Gotcha! I’m cool with that.” You fix up some tables and chairs before settling on your phone, scrolling through Insta. Some cats greeted you on your feed, coupled with some fucking ethereal people. You knew the models all used blurring filters and whatnot, but you couldn’t help but replicate their looks in the mirror, despite never holding a candle to them. You had talked with friends about your insecurities, and everyone always seemed shocked.
“Oh, that’s so small! You’re lucky with your looks that you aren’t a mess of insecurities.” They would say. You never really felt heard when you opened up. So you’d push it down, forget about it. You shut off your phone and watched snowflakes fall outside.
“Antigone, when’s the pizza coming over?”
“Give it like, ten minutes!” She shouts.
“M’kay! Going on a walk!” You tug on your coat, earmuffs, and boots before opening the door, feeling the chilly wind kiss your nose. As you walked through the snowfall, you switched on your phone again, this time plugging in your earbuds and switching to Spotify. You found yourself humming to Valentine, and almost immediately thought of Gaz.
You always had a tiny crush on him, whether it was some small gesture or laughing with him at some shitty joke. You’d double over, tears staining your cheeks from dying laughing. He tilted your head up and wiped your tears with his thumb while snickering himself. “You just fuckin’ sob when you laugh,” He said while patting your shoulder. “It’s kinda endearin’, y’know?”
‘'Cause I think I've fallen in love this time. I blinked and suddenly, I had a Valentine.’ You flushed as the song had you reminiscing on fond memories of chance encounters with Gaz. Maybe it was the music itching your brain to think this, but you felt as if the Fates were edging you and Gaz closer to each other. Finding one another outside your little café, random and movie-esque meet-cutes in local shoppes and fast food chains.
You weren’t the type to believe in astrology, but it might as well be divine forces or the universe trying to turn you two into a thing. You knew it was a stupid feeling, but you just couldn’t shake it.
After what felt like ten minutes, you closed off your route and returned to the coffee shop. “Nene, is the pizza here yet?”
“Honey, wait just a few minutes, okay?” You sigh and flop onto the couch in the café’s main room. Music still playing, you let your thoughts wander to the most random topics. The café’s financial state, the decorations in celebration of the winter holidays coming up, the ever-present snowflakes drizzling outside.
A knock on the door interrupts your jumble of thoughts. You stand up and nearly sprint to the door. “Think the pizza’s here!” You holler as you open the door, cold air greeting you once more. There, Gaz stood in a red polo and black pants. The thin box of pizza in his hands. “Garrick? The fuck are you doing?” You exclaim.
“Deliverin’ your pizza, sweet pea.” Gaz says, his accent smooth and rolling.
“I know you’re a military man, Gaz.”
“Gotta have side jobs off-duty, hm?” He says. Antigone sidles up to you.
“Aren’t you their regular?” She asks. Gaz nods. He outstretches his hand.
“Name’s Kyle. My friends call me Gaz, nice to meet ya.” Antigone takes his hand, shaking it firmly.
“Alrighty then, Kyle. I’ll be takin’ that off your hands.” Antigone grabs the box and disappears back into the shop. The both of you follow her shrinking form before eyeing the other again.
“That’s it then, I’ll be going.” Gaz says. “See ya around, sweet pea.” He smirks before walking back to the delivery car.
“I have a name Garrick!” You shout. You hear his brief chuckle before closing the door. Grinning to yourself, you sauntered over to Antigone, where she was inhaling her slice. “Fucking hell, Nene. Take some time to breathe.” She gives you a look, her doe eyes wide and staring, almost in contempt. You raise your hands in surrender. “Alright, I’ll shut up.” You pick up a slice of pizza, the cheese sticky, dragging off the crust. Fitting the strands in your mouth, you and Antigone eat quietly. When she finishes her fourth slice, she licks her fingers and looks up.
“That Kyle guy seemed pretty nice.” She says suddenly.
“He is. Known him for a few months. Always getting the same thing.” You think a bit, screwing your face up in thought. “Got something new today though.” You recalled.
“Hmm, really? Why is that?” You shrug. Antigone sits back. “Whatever.” She yawned, stretching. “Gotta reopen man. People need their caffeine.” She trudged towards the ‘OPEN’ sign on the window. She flipped the sign and unlocked the door.
“You takin’ these hours?” You ask, still sitting in your break room.
“Yeah, stay over there.” The both of you tie on your aprons, ready for the day.
★・・・・・・★