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“I think I’m in love.” Jude says, dreamily staring off into space. Taylor looks over at him, one eyebrow raised.
“With?”
“The person who makes these playlists.”
She rolls her eyes and snorts.
“It’s probably a computer program.”
“Well then I’m in love with a computer program.”
The shop is dead, the morning rush having died down. Taylor had to keep snapping her fingers in front of his face to keep him focused because he would randomly stop what he was doing and gawk at the songs playing over the speakers. It was like someone had looked into his soul (and his iTunes) and created his dream playlist.
“It has to be a person. And I’m going to marry whoever it is.”
“Adam!” Taylor says suddenly, looking at their boss who had just appeared out of the back room.
“What’s up?” he asks, barely looking up from the inventory list in his hands
“Please tell Jude that this damn playlist is generated by some computer somewhere.”
Adam glances up and blinks before smiling.
“I would be lying.”
“Aha! I knew it! So who makes them? Is it you?” Jude asks, hoping the answer would be no. Not that Adam wasn’t attractive for an older guy.
“My son. He’s an architecture student so he usually comes around really early to set up the music and draw up the board.” He says, waving towards the chalkboard on the wall behind him. Jude’s eyes widen.
“Your son?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t even know you had a son.”
“Well I do.”
“Is he single?” Taylor asks, smirking. Adam just laughs and walks away.
“Oh god I’m in love with Adam’s son”
“You’re an idiot.”
~~
Every morning when Jude comes in he stands in front of the chalkboard and stares at it. It’s always some intricate design with swirls and lines and things that should impossible to do with chalk.
But somehow this guy, who happens to be his boss’ son, manages to not only do it but make it beautiful. One day Jude waits until Taylor leaves and picks up a small piece of chalk on the tray and writes in tiny letters “You are unreal.”
He blushes as he writes it and contemplates erasing it multiple times but finally just marches out of the door without looking back, face still burning and words still on the board.
The next morning the design is even more beautiful, a skyline of some city that Jude thinks looks familiar but can’t place. It’s in shades of blue and purple and behind it are gorgeous swirls of red and orange. It looks like the city is on fire, but it the most beautiful way imaginable. Jude walks closer to it and notices something near the bottom. It’s a line of words written in neat, flowy handwriting.
“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Jude can feel the corner of his mouth tugging up and his face flushing. He pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of it before erasing the words with the corner of his sleeve.
The music that day leaves Jude feeling almost breathless. It’s all gorgeous songs with flowing melodies and blazing lyrics and Jude realizes that the board compliments the playlist perfectly. He smiles and looks down, hoping Taylor doesn’t notice.
~~
That night he wipes the tables slowly until Taylor finally gets annoyed and leaves before him, giving him a strange look as he walks out of the door. He waits until she rounds the corner and walks over to the board, picking up a purple piece of chalk.
“It’s like you live inside of my mind.”
It’s honestly embarrassing and he would never be able to say something like that in real life but it was the only way he could describe it.
“This is so stupid….” He mumbles, putting the chalk down and getting his stuff together before he can change his mind.
~~
Jude’s class lets out late and it starts raining the moment he walks outside so he has to sprint to work. By the time he pulls the coffee shop door open he’s dripping wet and panting. He grumbles as he makes his way past the long line of people and into the back room. He grabs his apron from his locker and puts it on quickly, grabbing some paper towels and running them over his hair to get some of the water off.
As soon as he walks out Taylor shoots him a desperate look and he nods, heading over to the register. Her anxiety kicks up when they’re busy and she freezes up, making taking orders almost impossible. They figured out a system pretty early on. If it was busy Jude would be on register and she would make coffee. He was better at it but she was faster.
“What can I get started for you?” he asks, smiling at the girl in front of him.
Almost two hours later the rush finally slows down, just a few customers left in the store, most of them sitting around on their laptops or their phones. Jude wipes down the counter and Taylor heads into the back to take a mental health break. He hears the bell ring as the door opens and glances up, his hand freezing on the counter.
The guy is tall, even taller than Jude which is rare, with light brown hair and golden skin and hazel eyes. As he comes over to the counter he shoots Jude a smile and his heart skips.
“Uh hi…” Jude says, walking over to the register.
“Hey…could I get a regular black coffee?” the guys asks, eyes trained on Jude.
“Are you sure you don’t want something else?”
The guy raises an eyebrow and Jude wants to kick himself.
“I just…I make a mean latte. I feel like my talents would be wasted if you just got black coffee.”
“Ah…well in that case….” The guy says, still smiling. Jude’s face is burning and he knows he must be blushing like crazy but he can’t help it. This close he can see the light dusting of freckles across the guy’s nose and it makes his stomach flip.
“How about you make me your best drink?” he finally says, leaning forward, his hands braced on the edge of counter. Jude’s breathing hitches as he tries to concentrate on punching in the order.
As he goes over to start making the guy’s drink he realizes he never got a name. It doesn’t seem necessary because he’s just standing off to the side and watching Jude, arms crossed over his (rather impressive) chest.
Jude tries to keep his hands steady and he heats up the milk, making sure he gets the perfect amount of foam. Finally he finishes and dusts a light sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
He walks over and hands the cup to the guy, who’s still watching him closely.
“What is it?” he asks, turning the cup over in his hands.
“Try it.” Jude says, feeling himself smiling. The guy looks at him for a long moment before shrugging and taking a sip. There’s a pause and then his eyes widen.
“Holy shit…”
“It’s a chestnut latte with a pump of coconut.”
“It’s good…like really good. Why isn’t it on the menu?” the guys mumbles, taking another sip.
“I uh…kind of made it up.”
“Seriously?” the guy asks, looking over the rim of his cup as he takes another drink. Jude just shrugs, dropping his eyes so he won’t keep staring. He had never had this type of reaction to someone before. It was like his head was dizzy with it, being in the same room with this stranger.
“You’re unreal.” The guy mumbles and Jude’s eyes shoot up to look at him and the guy raises an eyebrow before looking down and taking another long sip, making a contented noise.
“Hey thanks for this.” He says, smiling and tilting the cup slightly. Jude smiles and nods, his throat closing up at the thought of the guy leaving.
“Alright…I’ll see you.”
~~
Jude is about to step out of the store when he realizes that he never checked the board. Today it’s a portrait of Shakespeare with a fedora and sunglasses and it makes Jude giggle. He approaches and sees the neat handwriting in the corner.
“It must be a beautiful place.”
Jude shakes his head as his face heats up. How cheesy. But he can’t help the butterflies that start in the pit of his stomach.
He takes another picture and erases the words. He stands there for what feels like hours, trying to decide what to write. All he can think about is the guy from earlier. His hazel eyes are burned into Jude’s mind.
“Fuck…” he mumbles, leaning forward until his forehead is pressed against chalk board.
Finally he lifts a hand up and writes the first thing that comes to mind.
“Not as beautiful as yours seems to be.”
He doesn’t bother getting embarrassed. Just puts the chalk down and grabs his stuff before walking out.
~~
He’s off for the next two days, spending them digging his way through his huge pile of homework. He ends up heading over to the library of the second day after his roommate decides to spend the entire afternoon video chatting with his girlfriend.
Jude finds a table in the back and lays out all of his books. He sighs and pulls his English books closer, reading his assignment.
“Hey.”
He looks up and his eyes widen. It’s the guy from the coffee shop. He’s wearing a blue hoodie and a beanie pulled down over his hair. Jude just stares at him for a moment and then realizes that the guy is looking at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting.
“Oh…uh…hi?”
“You’re coffee shop guy right? This’ll be super awkward if you’re not.”
“Yeah I am.” Jude says, smiling. The guy looks relieved and rubs the back of his neck.
“I went in to get another one of those lattes today and you weren’t there…the girl behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy.”
Jude imagined Daria listening to this guy attempt to tell her the order and laughed.
“Yeah she’s not big on custom orders.”
“Will you be there tomorrow?” he asks, looking down at the floor before glancing up at Jude through his eyelashes. Jude’s heart skips and he nods.
“Ok cool. Maybe I’ll stop by….” The guy says, smiling softly before turning to walk away.
“Wait!” Jude says before he can stop himself. The guy freezes and turns back around.
“I uh…don’t even know your name.”
He smiles at Jude brightly.
“It’s Connor.”
“Oh…I’m Jude.”
“Nice to meet you Jude.”
With another smile he turns and walks away, leaving Jude feeling light headed.
~~
“I’m conflicted.” Jude says the next day, looking over at Taylor. She’s sitting on down on the counter, a magazine in her lap.
“About?”
“My love life.”
“Why? It’s nonexistent.”
He glares at her and tosses an empty cup in her direction, which she swats away lazily without looking up from her magazine.
“You’re mean and I don’t like you.”
“Well I don’t get paid to be nice. I get paid to make coffee.”
“Thank god or you would be homeless and starving to death.”
She flips him off and he rolls his eyes before looking over at the chalkboard. It’s a beach this time, drawn in swirled lines of green and blue and yellow. Below it in the corner Jude can still see the words that had been left for him.
“Life is like an ocean, where everything is floating.”
It’s a lyric from an Allen Stone song, and Jude had stared at it for a long time when he had seen it that morning. Later that day the song came on in the shop and he had stopped, smiling.
The day dragged on and Jude couldn’t help but feel disappointed as he realized that Connor hadn’t shown up. It was less than an hour before they closed when the door swung open. Jude looked up and felt his heart speeding up at the sight of Connor, cheeks pink from the cold.
“Hey…” Connor says, as he walks up to the counter, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket.
“Cold?”
“Yeah it’s freezing outside.”
Jude looks at him, waiting for his order. Connor just stares back, smiling slightly.
“Well come on. Surprise me coffee genius.”
Jude blinks at him.
“Huh?”
“Make me something. Something good.”
Jude’s cheeks feel warm as he nods and turns away to grab a cup. He tries to ignore the feeling of someone watching him as he makes the drink, the smell of chocolate wafting through the store.
He can see Connor leaning over to see what he’s doing but he just moves so his back is blocking his view. Before he puts the lid on the cup he sprinkles the top with some chocolate shavings.
“Here you go.” He says, handing the steaming cup over to Connor.
He smiles at Jude and takes a sip, taking in a sharp breath almost immediately, his eyes widening.
“What the hell is that?”
Jude just grins at him.
“It’s Mexican hot chocolate with caramel.”
Connor looks at him with wide eyes for another moment before raising the cup up to take another tentative sip.
“Jesus…well I’m definitely not cold anymore.” He mumbles.
“That’s the point.”
Jude watches Connor drink slowly, before finally he looks up at Jude.
“This is actually really good.”
Jude lets his gaze drop to the floor as he smiles.
“Thanks.”
“Cool board…” Connor says and Jude looks up to see him gesturing over to the chalkboard. He turns around to look at it again, his heart clenching.
“Yeah it’s incredible…I don’t know how he does it.”
He looks at the swirls of color again, imagines the mystery guy standing in front of it, chalk in hand as it moves it slow fluid motions.
“You really like it?”
“I love it.”
Jude turns back around and sees that Connor is smiling warmly at him, the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks.
“Well I should head out…you guys are closing up soon.” Connor says, motioning to the door. Jude nods and feels the swell of disappointment in his stomach.
“Thank you again…for this.” Connor motions to his cup and smiles. Jude smiles back, his pulse speeding up.
With one last wave Connor turns around and leaves.
~~
The next morning Jude walks in and almost drops the textbooks he’s carrying. The board is new again, like it always is but this time it’s….him.
He walks closer, his mouth open as he takes it all in. It’s a drawing of him, in beautiful shades of pink and blue and green, standing behind the counter and looking down, a smile on his face. He stares at it and feels his heart racing, slamming against his chest.
“Woah…” he hears behind him and turns to see Taylor looking at the board too, eyes wide.
“What the hell?” Jude breathes out.
“Maybe you’re not crazy after all.”
Below the drawing there are only two words, written in green.
“Hey Jude.”
~~
Jude feels almost dizzy for the rest of the day. Every time someone comes in and glances at the board before looking back at him and smiling he can feel his cheeks start to burn.
He contemplated erasing it but as soon as he picked up the eraser he stopped. It was beautiful, more beautiful than any of the others. The music that day is all slow, gorgeous songs about meeting someone and falling in love. He tries not to read too much into it but it’s all too real and too much.
He realizes that it must mean that this guy, Adam’s son, was in here at some point. He might have even talked to Jude, ordered something from him.
His hands start shaking and he has to put down the cup of scalding hot milk in his hand before he spills it on himself.
“Hey…”
The familiar voice makes him jump and he spins around to see Connor on the other side of the counter, looking almost nervous.
“Hey. Give me a second ok?”
Connor nods and Jude finishes the drink he’s making, doing a pretty terrible job and hands it to the girl waiting.
“What can I get for you?” he asks as he moves over to the register. Connor is avoiding his eyes as he looks over the menu. Jude sees his glance over at the board and his hands clench.
“Ignore that…” he mumbles, looking away.
“You don’t like it?”
Jude looks up and frowns at the question.
“I…I just…”
Connor is watching him intently and Jude can feel his body getting jittery.
“I do.” Jude finally says, deciding to be honest. He loves it. He looks almost ethereal, the colors blending together so beautifully. Every time he looks at it he can’t breathe for a moment.
Connor smiles as soon as Jude says it, so bright that it takes him by surprise.
“Good.” He says, looking down at his feet. Jude can feel something pricking in the back of his mind.
“Connor!”
They both look up to see Adam coming out from the back, arms loaded with empty cups. He dumps them on the counter and comes around to give Connor a quick one armed hug. Jude stares at them and he can see that Connor is bright red and avoiding his eyes.
“Jude this is my son, Connor.”
Everything goes silent. He feels like the world falls away and he just blinks, words completely impossible. Adam just raises an eyebrow at him.
“Anyways…what are you up to?” he asks, turning away from Jude to look at Connor, who looks mortified.
“You’re his son?” Jude asks, too loudly, his voice strained. Finally Connor looks at him.
“Yeah….”
Jude just turns around and walks away, pushing the back room door open and walking inside. His hands are shaking so badly that it takes him several tries to untie his apron. He pulls it off and flings it onto a pile of boxes, pacing around the small room.
Connor was the mystery guy. Connor with his gorgeous eyes and his smile and his freckles was the same guy who would draw those amazing things and make those incredible playlist
and….Connor was the guy who drew him.
Jude freezes, his heart beating so hard that it’s all he can hear.
Something touches his elbow and he whips around, Connor standing behind him looking so incredibly nervous.
“Hi…I should explain…”
“You’re the one….and you did the…and…” Jude says, his mind going a million miles a minute. Connor winces but doesn’t stop his ranting.
“Yeah…it’s me.”
“You drew me.”
“I did….”
“Why?”
Connor is blushing again, dropping his eyes so he’s not looking at Jude. He’s so tall and Jude has to look up at him and it makes his body feel like it’s been electrocuted.
“I couldn’t help myself...you’re all I could think about.”
Jude’s brain comes to a halt as he looks at Connor. The freckles on his nose stand out against the pink flush of his cheeks and Jude doesn’t hesitate as he wraps a hand around the back of Connor’s neck and pulls him forward. Their lips meet and Connor flinches, going rigid for a long, nerve wracking second before he’s wrapping his arms around Jude and kissing back.
Everything feels too bright, like one of Connor’s drawing, colors swirling behind Jude’s eyelids.
They kiss until Jude feels lightheaded. As he pulls away Connor blinks his eyes open and they’re almost green, so bright that it makes his heart jump.
“Wow…”
“Yeah.”
Connor pulls away so he can look at him, smiling so wide that it looks painful.
“Go on a date with me.”
“Is that a question or a demand?” Jude asks, realizing that Connor’s arms were still wrapped around him, holding him close.
“A plea.”
Jude rolls his eyes but can’t stop himself from blushing, ducking his head.
“Ok…but under one condition.”
Connor’s eyebrows furrow and he tilts his head, waiting. It’s so impossibly cute that Jude has to lean up and kiss him again, feeling his smiling against lips.
“You have to make me a million mix tapes.”
“Deal.”