Work Text:
Joe was sitting in his usual spot at the usual time, which allowed him to catch a glimpse of the cute guy buying his usual espresso. Joe had seen the cute guy five days ago at 7.40 AM, and ever since, Joe had tried to gather the courage to talk with the cute guy, but every time he had lost his nerves because of stupid thoughts like the ones he was having right now.
"I can't talk with him while wearing flip-flops. Why did I have to wear flip-flops today when my sneakers were lying next to the flip-flops? Are sneakers better when you ask a cute guy out for a date?"
Joe disappeared behind the newspaper, so no one could see him slam his head against the table. He had hoped that slamming his head against the table would make the stupid thoughts disappear, but he had a sore head now and a beginning headache. When Joe looked in the direction of the cute guy, he was gone, which made Joe sigh deeply while he thought:
"Tomorrow, you'll do it. Ask him out, and you won't wear flip-flops when you do it."
Joe took his backpack and left the baker with a Danish pastry in his hand. Just as he shovelled the last bite of the pastry into his mouth, he bumped into the cute guy.
"Hi," The cute guy said with a smile. "I was thinking, should we meet tomorrow and drink espresso at 7.40 AM?"
Joe's brain had stopped working, and with his mouth filled with pastry, all Joe could do was nod.
"Great," The cute guy said. "See you there."
Just as Joe swallowed the pastry, he realized he might have gotten a coffee date.
"Uhmm," Joe asked the woman nearest him. "Did he just ask me out for coffee?"
"Yes, silly. Tomorrow at 7.40 AM," The woman replied with a smile. "Have a nice day."
"You too," Joe replied when he saw the backend of his bus driving away. "Hi, wait for me."
It was in vain to catch the bus, so Joe had to walk to work, or else he would be late. While walking, Joe looked down at his feet, and the flip-flops and more stupid thoughts hit him.
"To wear flip-flops or not tomorrow? Or are sneakers better? And what should I wear?"
Because of all the stupid thoughts, Joe was late for work by twenty minutes that day, which meant he was buying lunch for Kara, who had covered for him as a thank.