Chapter Text
A cozy coffee shop awaits you in the quaint heart of a busy city, with the smell of freshly brewed coffee tingling in your senses. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed, with the warmth of the wooden furniture and earthy decor creating a comfortable and inviting vibe. The sun is shining through the windows, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air, making it a quaint and tranquil setting. Without any hectic movements or loud noises, the place has a calming and peaceful atmosphere, where patrons can kick back and enjoy a cup of coffee in a quiet space away from the stresses of the outside world.
Inside, two lovely baristas can be seen chatting and gossiping, enjoying their time together. The boy turns to the girl with a grin and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Did you see him?" he asks, lowering his voice. "Totally all over her."
"No way!" the girl replies, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"She was so into him, too," the boy says with a chuckle. "I think we've got a new couple in town."
The girl's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and she turns to her friend with even wider eyes, her expression full of drama and intrigue. "You're kidding, right?" she asks, her heart pounding as she imagines the possibilities. "I wish I'd been there to see it! Who was the guy anyway?" "You don't know him," the boy replies with a grin. "New in town, I guess." "Well, they're definitely a cute couple," the girl concludes, her mind already spinning with ideas.
The two baristas look up as they hear the bell ring, halting their conversation for a moment as they wait to see who the new customer is. When their eyes land on the two people walking in, their hearts skipped a beat. Standing in the doorway is a girl with gorgeous long black hair and stormy gray eyes, while beside her is a guy with tall brunet hair that stops just below his neck and an attractive face framed by glittering emerald green eyes. They head over to a table in the corner, both opening their laptops and getting ready to work on something, it seems.
The girl barista walks over to the table where the two customers have settled in to work. "Hi there, welcome to Sweetheart's Cafe!" she greets them with a warm smile. "Thank you," the girl customer says, looking up from her laptop for a moment. "I'd like a double cappuccino macchiato and a strawberry cheesecake, please." "And I'd like an espresso and a blueberry muffin," the boy adds, his eyes flickering over to the barista as he glances up from his screen, then back down to continue working. "Alright, I'll be right back with your orders," the barista says, heading back behind the counter to prepare their drinks, leaving the two customers to their work.
"Oh my god, Tyson, did you see how pretty she is?" the barista says, her eyes still on the gorgeous girl. "Tyler, Lindsay. And yeah, she is pretty, but not as hot as that guy over there," Tyler replies, feeling himself blushing a bit. "He's definitely a looker." "What are you talking about? She's definitely way hotter!!" Lindsay argues. "Whatever you say, Lindsay," Tyler says, avoiding any further argument.
The barista looks up from his conversation, his eyes landing on the boy working on his laptop. His eyes light up as he watches the boy for a moment, taking in his attractive face framed by glittering emerald green eyes. He watches as the boy's eyes flit up from his laptop, their eyes meeting for a moment. The barista feels himself blushing slightly, suddenly aware of how handsome the boy is. He quickly clears his throat and looks away, his face flushed from embarrassment. He returns his attention to his conversation, but he can't help finding his eyes drawn back to the boy's.
"So, what did they order?" Tyler asks, breaking the awkward tension. Lindsay looks down at her notepad, quickly looking for the written down order. "Oh, right - a double cappuccino macchiato and a strawberry cheesecake for the girl, and an espresso and a blueberry muffin for the boy," she says. Tyler makes a note of this and starts making their drinks, continuing his conversation with Lindsay as he works.
"Oh, I could stare at her all day," Lindsay says, admiring the pretty customer in black hair. She notices that she's wearing white pants with a coral blazer. The white pants contrast against the black top, their dark and light colors complementing each other well. A cute black belt cinches her waist and ties the outfit together. Her hair is in a sleek ponytail, complimenting her outfit and the blush on her cheeks. The girl also has black shoes that match the outfit perfectly.
Lindsay can't help but admire her fashion sense, as her heart races. She can already feel herself falling in love with the girl's style. "She's so beautiful," she whispers to herself, her feelings growing deeper with each look.
"Woah, Linds, love at first sight?" Tyler teases the girl. "Just look at her, Taylor! She's so pretty and elegant and cute!" Lindsay squeals, unaware of the misnaming. Tyler simply chuckles. He can't really judge her, as he's also experiencing love at first sight with the other boy dressed in a vibrant red sweater. The sweater appears to be made of a cozy and warm material, and the bold red color adds a touch of eye-catching elegance. The gray pants complements the relaxed look of the fit while the white sneakers are casual and stylish, creating a versatile and cozy outfit.
Tyler finishes making the order and Lindsay delivers it to the two customers. "Here's your double cappuccino macchiato and strawberry cheesecake, and your espresso and blueberry muffin," she says, placing the food and drinks on the table. "Thanks," the girl customer smiled. Lindsay feels her heart flutter for a moment, then fumbles for words. "You're welcome!" she replies. "Enjoy your uh.. coffees!" She rushes back to the counter before embarrassing herself further. She can't help but feel her heart pounding, as she's already begun crushing on the girl.
"Oh my god Tyrone, I just embarrassed myself in front of her. Like, seriously! I said "enjoy your coffees," but there was coffee AND food. Stupid!" Lindsay scolds herself, shaking her head. Tyler tries to reassure her. "Relax, Linds! I'm sure she didn't think you were weird or anything." But Lindsay can't be so sure. "But still!" she says, still embarrassed by her slip-up of words. She pauses for a moment, trying to calm herself. "I was so nervous, like she- she's so cute. Like seriously."
Meanwhile at the table, the black haired girl can't help but let out a chuckle. "What's so funny, Heather? Please do enlighten me" the boy sitting across from her asks with curiosity, eager to know the reason behind her giggle. "Oh, it's nothing," Heather says with ease, as if she doesn't know the answer already. "It's just that that waiter was so nervous talking to us, like we're some celebrities or something," she explains, her tone casual and light.
"It's kinda cute actually," Heather adds under her breath. The boy in brunet heard her comment and smiles coyly. "What was that?" the boy asks teasingly, his smirk getting bigger as he realizes he caught her in a slip-up. Heather giggles lightly, feigning ignorance. "Nothing. I didn't say anything," she replies with slight embarrassment in her voice. Alejandro grins wider, finding her discomfort amusing. "Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure I heard you say something along the word cute" the boy teased as he dragged the word cute. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Alejandro" Heather snaps, trying to hide what she said earlier. Alejandro simply chuckled at the response. He knew she has developed a certain feeling for that waiter earlier. The look on her face says it all.
As the coffee shop neared closing time, Lindsay and Tyler were busy with their final clean-up duties. Their movements are fast but controlled as they collect and stack all the dirty cups, plates, and trays. Lindsay wipes down the tables and clears up the crumbs, while Tyler washes the dishes and fills up water jugs for the next day. The floor was swept clean, tables were wiped down, and chairs were neatly arranged. Once everything was in order, the two of them went to the counter to close out for the day. "Alright, that was the last customer!" Lindsay said with a sigh of relief. "Yup, we're all done here. Time to head home." Tyler replied. "I'm gonna miss seeing your clumsy side today, Linds," he teased.
"Did I really slip up that much?" Lindsay asks with embarrassment, still remembering her earlier interaction. "Yeah you were pretty distracted from your taking orders duty," Tyler sighs, making a face. "It was pretty funny looking at you mess up something whenever you looked at that girl in the black hair, though." Lindsay chuckles sheepishly, feeling embarrassed again. "Yeah, she's pretty cute." "No kidding," Tyler jokes, giving her a playful tap on the shoulder. "Maybe you should go ask her out tomorrow. Just don't slip up again."
"I can't just ask her out like that" Lindsay replies, crossing her arms. Tyler raises an eyebrow in a questioning gesture. "Taylor, do you just ask someone you like briefly after just meeting them?" Lindsay asks, sounding a bit concerned. Tyler shakes his head. "No, I've actually never asked anyone out," he states. "Well, you can't just ask someone out a day after seeing them, that's creepy!" Lindsay says in an exasperated voice. "Plus, we're still strangers, she'll think I'm weird and will never come back again," she concludes.
"Ohh I guess when you put it that way, that does make sense" Tyler says, understanding the situation now. Lindsay sighs. "Yeah, I'm not so great at... This whole romance thing," she admits sheepishly. "I mean, I've never been in a relationship before." Tyler looks a bit surprised, but he doesn't judge her for it. He had always thought the girl had an experience with love. "I feel you. Neither have I" he confides.
They both seem a bit nervous and awkward about the conversation, but there is a certain degree of comfort that comes from having someone who can relate to your own experiences. The two of them share a warm and friendly smile as they realize that this shared insecurity has brought them closer together. "Heh, I'm glad you understand. It was always something that I felt insecure about," Lindsay tells him, still smiling.
For a moment, there's a silence. Not an awkward one, but a comfortable one as the two of them walk along the pathway together. "Do you think we'll see them again?" Tyler finally breaks the silence, glancing over at Lindsay as he asks. "Who?" Lindsay responds, sounding confused. Tyler rolled his eyes and looked at her, and she eventually realized his meaning. "Oh! Them!" Lindsay says, finally realizing who he's referring to. "Yeah, probably," she replied, imagining the girl they saw earlier.
"I'm gonna miss seeing them," Lindsay says softly. Tyler laughs. "You have it bad." Lindsay feels her cheeks turn pink. "N-no I don't. Stop teasing me," she protests. Tyler looks at her, his eyes full of mischief. "Sure you don't. I mean, just look at you right now," He teases. Lindsay blushes brighter, embarrassed that her feelings were so obvious. "You're such a goof!" she exclaims, giving Tyler a playful shove.
Tyler smiles and bumps her, their playful exchange escalating. Lindsay laughs, bumping Tyler back once again. "Don't act like you weren't drooling for that guy either!" She teases, her tone sassy and teasing. Tyler laughs and bumps her back, this game now becoming a bit of a competition. "Yeah, well you're the one who's giggling and blushing," he retaliates. Lindsay bumps him back again, now getting into the spirit of competition herself. "Like you aren't blushing either," she teases, poking at his cheeks just to drive her point in.
Tyler laughs, blushing slightly but still determined to win the game between him and Lindsay. “Pfffft, I’m not blushing,” he says defiantly. Lindsay giggles, bumping him again. “Yes you are! Your face is red as a tomato. You like him as much as I like her,” she teases. Tyler turns around to give Lindsay one last bump and gives up on the game. “Alright, you win. I admit we both like them,” he says, a bit embarrassed. Lindsay laughs and bumps his shoulder playfully. “I know I win,” she taunts.
Home is within their sight, but the two friends aren't done with their playful ribbing. "Oh, come on, I know you're going to be thinking about him all night long," Lindsay says, poking at Tyler's reddened face. Tyler glances at her, his cheeks still a bit rosy. "Oh, and you're not gonna think about her at all?" he retorts, his tone sassy and teasing. Lindsay laughs and pokes his cheek again. "No, I won't think about her at all," she says with an innocent face. She bumps him again, knowing she has him beat.
"Well, it's getting late," Tyler says as he starts to separate from Lindsay. "See you tomorrow," he adds, waving to Lindsay as he heads down his path. Lindsay gives him a quick wave as well. "Bye Taylor!" she replies with a cheer in her voice. The two friends bid each other farewell, their playful exchange now ending as they each head their separate ways.