Work Text:
The first time JJ spots her, she is preparing a strawberry caramel iced latte.
Tuesdays are some of their slowest days, so she isn’t too bothered about hurrying through drink orders. It’s easy to let her mind and focus stray. Most of the preparation is mindless muscle memory after all the hours she has taken on at this café to pay for the expenses her athletic scholarship doesn’t cover.
The bell above the entrance alerts them to a newcomer. With Matt up at the register, it isn’t really any of JJ’s concern, but curiosity always gets the better of her. It’s never more than a quick glance; an assessment in a game JJ likes to play with herself when she’s bored, where she has gotten pretty good at guessing the type of drink a particular person will go for. Call it stereotyping— she simply calls it ‘necessary entertainment to keep herself from dying of boredom’. And so, her gaze strays over, past the machines that block customers from view, to the counter where they take orders and—
JJ does an immediate double take. Because…
The woman at the register is, plainly said, absolutely gorgeous.
Black hair flows past her shoulders in soft waves, swaying as she tilts her head to look up at the menu. Dark eyes, framed by the longest lashes JJ has ever seen are set within a smooth, pale face. For a moment, JJ considers whether she wants to be this person or be with her, but then the woman glances down and red lips pull up, pressing a set of dimples into her cheeks.
JJ goes weak in the knees.
The woman opens her mouth to order, speaking no louder than any other patrons of the café, but her voice carries towards JJ perfectly. Deep, soothing tones grace her ear canals, worming their way into her brain, demanding her attention, compelling her to keep looking. JJ could listen to her talking for hours, she’s sure.
All functional thought erases from her mind, a warning blaring in her head error! error! until she realises she entirely forgot to breathe. Her chest burns when she finally exhales, mind rebooting at the fresh hit of oxygen when she desperately pulls air into her aching lungs.
“Earth to Jareau?”
JJ startles and blinks to find Matt in front of her. Her eyes flicker across his shoulder to find the woman is gone. She mourns the disappearance until Matt pointedly lifts a brow. “What?”
“A latte,” Matt says, emphasizing the words as if he’s repeating himself. Which he very well may be. JJ clears her throat. “For our customer. You think you can handle it, or want to switch places?”
“I can handle it.”
He looks down at her hands sceptically.
JJ follows his gaze. “Oh, fuck.” She quickly flips the bottle back upright and grimaces at the cup halfway full of thick strawberry syrup.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she sighs, shaking her head. Her breathing has evened out again, though she can still feel her heart hammering against her ribcage. The cup lands in the sink with a dull thunk and she grabs a new one from the stack to start over. “I’ll do the latte, you go back to the register.”
The strawberry caramel iced latte finds its way to a bemused patron with an apologetic smile from JJ for the slight delay. When she calls out the order for the regular latte minutes later, it’s not without the necessary mental preparation or a lack of shaking hands. She tries not to look desperately smitten when the gorgeous woman steps forward to take the drink, but it’s hard when the woman wears casual confidence like an old coat and has the audacity to look like that. JJ’s heart summersaults in her chest when the woman’s fingers briefly brush against hers.
“Thank you,” she says with a kind smile that renders JJ absolutely useless. “Have a good day.”
By the time JJ manages to stammer, “You, too,” she is already out the door.
God, what a day to be into women.
A tall, beautiful and unattainable woman, who plagues her daydreams with flashes of lipstick, dimples and soft skin. JJ doesn’t like to spend time thinking about work when she’s finally away from work, but she can’t help it this time around. The six whole words the woman said to her replay over and over again on a loop until the gentle rasp of that voice is seared into her brain.
Where JJ is usually somewhat face-blind during her shift thanks to the overload of customers, the sight of this woman sticks with her all throughout her next shifts. And now there’s that stupid, unreasonable spark of hope, anytime the bell rings, even though she knows how unlikely it is the woman will be back so soon. Or at all. A thought that doesn’t impact JJ whatsoever. Nuh-uh. Not at all.
…As far as superficial crushes go, it’s probably the worst JJ has experienced so far.
But hey, at least the woman’s refusal to show up during JJ’s shifts gives her plenty of time to get her act together and not act like a total moron next time. In theory.
Unfortunately, very little in life actually happens according to theory.
Because it’s Friday now, and JJ has made peace with the fact that she might never catch a glimpse of the most gorgeous woman on the planet ever again.
And then she looks up from her last transaction to find her standing right there.
JJ freezes in place, finger hovering above the register’s screen. The woman kindly waits and oh god JJ is going down bad for this.
“Hi,” she says stupidly, before her customer service experience kicks in and she puts on a smile as she dives into her usual script. “What can I get for you today?”
“A latte, please,” the woman says. Her eyes flicker to the coffee machines and array of flavourings behind JJ.
JJ takes the short pause as an opportunity to drink in the sight in front of her. The woman is wearing the same coat as Tuesday, but small, gold hoops adorn her ears today, with a matching necklace sitting against her collarbone. JJ’s cheeks heat when her gaze drops down to the pendant, hanging lower against her chest, right above where her blouse is tastefully unbuttoned to reveal just a sliver of—
The woman hums to herself, low and pleasant. “Actually—”
“Yes?” JJ says, only a little breathless.
“Could you add a dash of cinnamon on top as well?” Her dark eyes – brown, JJ notes absentmindedly – find their way back to JJ while she talks.
“Sure,” JJ agrees, a little too fast. She tears her gaze away to fill out the order on the register, rattling off the usual clarifying questions. “Will that be all for you today?”
The woman nods.
“Can I get a name for the order?”
A brief pause. Then, “Emily.”
“Perfect.” JJ smiles. She’s aware it’s a tad on the bright side, but she is unable to do anything about it. She has spontaneously forgotten how to act like a normal human being. “Your order will be right up.”
Even as she internally scolds herself for bringing her uselessness into the conversation, a certain giddiness lives in her throughout the next several customers, until another colleague takes over in time for her and Matt to take a break.
“What was that?” Matt hisses, pushing through the back door with JJ following close behind. He’s a smoker, and though her nose wrinkles at the smell, she likes getting out of the building. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.
“What was what?” she asks. She settles easily into her usual spot next to Matt, leaning back against the cold brick, one foot up against the wall.
He mutters under his breath as he shakes a cigarette out of the box and lights it, taking a deep drag. “With that customer? The lady with the black hair. She actually ordered a latte with cinnamon, hm?”
Matt should know, he’s the one who made it. And sure, it’s not a common order, but they’ve had far weirder. Just last week, JJ had the living representation of a rainbow order a drink with such amounts of sugar and caffeine, she had seriously considered refusing service in fear of becoming a liability to a medical emergency.
JJ shrugs, crossing her arms in front of her body. It’s chilly, the cool fall air settling around them in the alley a stark contrast to the comfortable warmth of the café. “I think it’s charming.”
Matt snorts. “I bet you do.”
She gives him a look. “What is that supposed to mean?”
A puff of smoke escapes his nostrils as he coughs out a laugh. JJ motions for him to get on with it. She immediately regrets it when he clears his throat.
“And what’s your name,” Matt mocks her in a high-pitched manner, amusement colouring his voice. “Emily? Oh, that’s a lovely name. That’ll be seven dollars, please.”
“Oh, fuck off,” JJ says before he’s even finished talking, but she can’t help the blush that rises to her cheeks. Any notion of being cold is rapidly forgotten.
“JJ,” he says empathically. “When have we ever asked for a customer’s name?”
…Okay, so the thing is, they don’t. Usually. They’re not a big establishment and only serve a handful of customers at a time, max. Calling out pumpkin spice latte instead of a name does the trick just fine. But what if JJ just desperately needed to know this once?
“Do you think she noticed?”
Matt lowers his cigarette. “Well, at the very least I didn’t ask for hers yesterday. But you know what” – the laughter is back in his voice now, plain as day – “if she happens to come in again, I’ll cover for you and ask.”
JJ isn’t sure whether to thank him or hit him on the head for laughing at her expense. “She might not be from around here. I haven’t seen her before this week.” She is very sure she would have noticed.
He shrugs. “I don’t think I have either, but that doesn’t mean much. And who knows, maybe you made enough of an impression to pull her back here.”
He’s poking fun at her, JJ knows, but she can’t help and hope he’s right anyway.
Matt shakes his head in exasperation. He scuffs out his cigarette and pushes off the wall. “C’mon, you hopeless romantic. We’ve got orders to fill and money to make. Our college degrees don’t pay for themselves.” He tilts his head in thought, pushing at the door. “Acutally… Mystery woman— Excuse me, Emily, appeared well-dressed. You might just have the opportunity to make the best decision of your life here. Maybe she is in search of a sugar ba—”
JJ punches his arm so hard he stumbles across the doorway. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
“Ow,” Matt protests. “I forget you’re an athlete. You pack a mean punch, Jareau.”
“And don’t you forget it.” She shoulders past him to pull her apron from its hook, sliding it over her head and tying the straps around her waist.
Despite her violence, Matt finds great pleasure in continuing to tease her throughout the morning. JJ is glad when her shift is over and she’s off for an afternoon class on campus, with the knowledge she won’t have to be back in until Sunday, thanks to tomorrow’s soccer game.
Sport has always been a great way to get her mind off things and channel her energy, and now isn’t any different. If anything, she’s getting good use out of it. If everything goes to plan – and it has, so far – this will be her last year leading this team and JJ plans to go out with a bang. She’ll take her reputation as a drill captain if it means her team are performing at their best.
It’s almost enough to erase her sudden crush from her mind. Almost.
Sunday brings the inevitable muscle aches with it, but Emily doesn’t make an appearance during the duration of JJ’s shift. Which is fine. JJ hadn’t been hoping too hard anyway. Really, she hadn’t.
Matt isn’t around to make fun of her this time, though, so she tiredly goes through the motions until it’s time to head back to her dorm and crash, aware of the essays and coursework she’s supposed to hand in this week, but caring about very little but sleep.
(And despite her absence, JJ dreams of shimmering gold and the smell of cinnamon.)
Monday is a day full of classes, but on Tuesday morning JJ appears at the café bright and early for the opening shift with Matt. Two more colleagues join them for the morning rush and JJ loses count of the number of drinks she prepares, working her way through order after order. They make a decent team, after enough time together, but it’s hard to find a second to catch her breath.
Matt switches with her partway through the morning, claiming boredom, but JJ finds herself sceptical. Still, she does as asked, ringing up the next handful of orders until—
“Hi.”
Emily steps up to the register and JJ throws a desperate, annoyed look at Matt, whose focus is trained on the to-go cup in his hands as if it’s the most interesting object in the world, face the true picture of innocence.
“Everything okay?”
JJ’s cheeks heat up as her eyes flash back to Emily, who is watching her with gentle concern. Oh god. “I- Yeah, no, sorry— Everything is just fine. Sorry about that. Hi. What— Uhm, can I get started for you?”
Red lips move, forming words that echo Emily’s order from last Friday. She’s wearing lipstick that’s just a shade darker than the week before, JJ notes. It looks good on her. In fact, JJ wouldn’t mind if Emily reached across the counter to pull at JJ’s apron until she leaned in, and those red-painted lips pressed right to—
“Will that be all?” JJ powers through the vivid daydream with only a little strain in her voice to show for it. She mentally pats herself on the shoulder for the feat.
“That’s all,” Emily confirms. Then, as an afterthought, “The order will be for Emily.”
I know, JJ wants to say, but instead she nods and completes Emily’s order on the register. She reads off the total and activates the card reader for Emily to pay. Emily bites at her lip as she grabs her card. JJ doesn’t know what compels her, but the words tumble from her mouth before she can overthink it. “I love your lipstick, by the way.”
Emily’s lips part in pleasant surprise. “Thank you,” she says, and this time it’s her face that a blush rises to, painting pale cheekbones with a lovely rosy complexion. Her tongue peeks out as she wets her lips, the corners of her mouth pulling up just enough to reveal the slightest hints of the dimples JJ had spotted before.
The whisper of shyness after the air of unbothered, earned confidence emboldens JJ, calming her nerves about her running mouth. She did that, caught Emily off guard and made her smile. “It suits you,” she adds, with a look bordering on flirty.
Or. Well, bordering might be an understatement. Anxiety quieted, JJ easily falls back into the habit of employing every subtle tactic she knows in the art of flirting. Tried and true methods that have helped her have some very fun nights out.
“I appreciate that,” Emily says, composing herself. JJ mourns the loss of the blush and dimples. Emily slides her card back into her wallet and pockets it. Her eyes echo the look in JJ’s when her gaze flickers down to JJ’s nametag, then up to her face. “Have a good day, JJ.”
Emily said her name.
JJ’s heart thunders in her chest and she offers the next patron a shaky smile, Emily having stepped off to the side to wait for her order.
Does this mean she stands a chance? Unlikely. Will she still obsess over it anyway? One-hundred percent.
Matt doesn’t let her live it down either way. He hadn’t overheard their short exchange, but he’d noticed their matching blushes and grills JJ about it during their next break. He doesn’t heed her warnings to shut up and leave it be, and instead questions her about every little detail until JJ wants to sink into the ground and disappear.
“Why are you so interested in all of this,” JJ whines, knocking her head back against the brick wall, which, ouch, that hurts.
He gasps dramatically, throwing himself into a coughing fit that has her mouth twitching with repressed amusement. Serves him right for inserting himself into her love life, or distinct lack thereof.
“JJ,” Matt says seriously. “Barely anything interesting happens here. This is the most excitement I’ve had in months, and I desperately need that to fuel my will to live.”
“Matt,” she groans, rubbing a hand across her face.
“Besides,” he says, a touch quieter. “You deserve fun and good things, Jareau.”
JJ deflates at Matt’s sincerity. She knocks her shoulder against his in silent gratitude, knowing she wouldn’t be able to say it out loud. He’s not quite off the hook yet, but it’s hard to stay annoyed when she knows that everything he does and says is coming from an affectionate place. Matt is a good friend.
…Which is an assessment she briefly reconsiders when he barges into the back of the café the next day.
JJ has installed herself in the breakroom with her laptop and textbooks, furiously working on an essay she had kind of lost sight off with the whole ‘flustered at work’, ‘keeping up with her soccer training’ and ‘beautiful woman haunting dreams’ thing. She technically isn’t on her lunchbreak yet, but they’re past the morning rush and Matt had ushered her away, claiming he could manage the front by himself for now, giving JJ the opportunity to catch up on her course work. If anyone from corporate happens to drop in, she’ll make up an excuse, but she has seen them all of one time in her career at the café, so she isn’t too worried.
The breakroom is nothing but a windowless room with a table and kitchenette, the airflow so poor JJ is sweating buckets after spending an extended period of time stuck inside. She has long since shed her apron and long sleeves, leaving her in a tank top more suited for this stuffy place. When Matt barges in, he brings a flow of fresh air and a complete lack of explanation with him, simply ushering JJ to get up and head out to the front.
“What?” she says, snatching up her apron. “Do you need my help? Is everything okay?”
She can’t imagine it’s suddenly gotten busy at this time of day, but Matt must have a good reason to interrupt her study session. She steps across the doorway, twisting around halfway to try and catch his eye and figure out the sudden hurry, when the door slams shut in her face.
JJ blinks.
…Okay?”
“Excuse me?”
JJ’s eyes slam shut as she takes a measured breath, before turning around on her heels. That annoying meddler.
“Hi,” she greets Emily. “Sorry about that.” She slides her apron over her head and steps up to the register. God, Emily must think they’re the weirdest, most dysfunctional people running a café ever.
…But then again, she does keep coming back.
“Is he alright?” Emily asks hesitantly. “Your colleague, I mean?”
“He’s fine,” JJ assures her, before adding with an overly sympathetic look, “Bathroom troubles.” She takes in the sound of a muted, tortured cough behind the door with satisfaction. ‘How are you today?”
“I’m good.” Emily smiles and reawakens the butterflies in JJ’s stomach. “How are you?”
“Good,” JJ answers in kind. She takes the opportunity to retie her apron, looping the strap around her waist for extra security. There’s no one else in the queue right now, and she figures Emily won’t mind waiting a second. Her silence seems to indicate so, at least, though it feels… lightly charged?
When JJ fastens the last knot, she glances up to find Emily’s eyes stuck on the rippling muscles of her biceps. She bites at the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as a sly confidence fills her body.
She straightens up and casually tucks a lock of hair that always escapes her ponytail behind her ear, in a way that shows off the arms she has spent hours training for and the stack of piercings adorning her helix. It works as intended, drawing Emily’s attention and bringing back that lovely rosy blush from before.
“What can I get for you today?”
Despite her obvious distraction, Emily has no trouble relaying her order, easily regrouping in a way that has JJ envious. Now that seems like a useful skill to have.
To no surprise, Emily’s order is identical to her last.
With Matt still hiding out in the back and a lack of new customers, JJ sets about making the drink herself. She’s overly aware of Emily’s eyes on her, the attention both thrilling and nerve-wracking, but then she remembers Emily’s open interest in her and straightens her shoulders.
“Needed the mid-day caffeine boost?” JJ asks. It’s an idle question, one of those lines she falls back to when filling the air with a customer, but it makes Emily smile either way.
“Something like that.” She sticks her hands in her pockets, briefly inspecting the floor beneath her boots before directing her attention back to JJ. “And it’s a great excuse to escape from the office for a bit.”
The sliver of information sparks JJ’s curiosity. “What is it you do?”
“I work for the government,” Emily says. It’s not what JJ would have guessed, but then again, she isn’t sure what she’d expected instead. “Our office is just a few blocks away from here.”
JJ nods along, taking the vague answer for what it is as she waits for the coffee to finish brewing.
“A colleague of mine recommended this place, actually,” Emily offers.
“Oh?”
“She said you guys were the best around.”
JJ grabs the carton of milk. “And, what do you think?”
A small grin pulls at Emily’s lips. “She wasn’t wrong. She isn’t often wrong about much of anything.”
JJ pauses at the undercurrent of the words and peeks at Emily to find brown eyes trained boldly on her, a gaze that beckons her closer, whispers to have a look, see and taste and find out for herself who this woman is.
She clears her throat. “I’m glad to hear that.”
When she finally hands Emily her drink and their fingers brush again, the touch sends a zing of electricity up JJ’s spine.
“Thanks,” Emily says, tilting her head slightly, and oh.
Maybe that wasn’t a coincidence this time.
When Emily adds, “See you next time,” it sounds suspiciously like a promise.
A promise she keeps. Over and over again. It’s not always the same time, but on days JJ needs to work, Emily inevitably appears during her shift. When it’s busy their interactions are limited to flirty smiles, but when JJ has more time, they exchange short conversations.
The flirty and playful transactions genuinely brighten her day. JJ knows she’s got it bad when she starts to look forward to needing to work, because she knows it means she’ll see Emily again.
The air between them charges, as they get a feeling for each other. JJ gets comfortable with the interactions, knowing she can make bold comments that Emily delights in just as much as she delights in the way JJ still inevitably flusters when Emily gives her a pointed compliment.
Though Emily’s order is imprinted on JJ’s brain since that very first day, she still falls back to the habit of asking, and Emily always plays along obediently.
It’s sickening, according to Matt.
“I didn’t know I’d unleash this monster by encouraging you,” he jokes during another smoke break. “It feels like I shouldn’t be allowed to listen in, but it’s still a public place, you know.”
“We’re not that bad.”
“But oh well,” Matt continues as if he hasn’t heard her. “I guess I’m just reaping what I sowed. Besides…”
JJ rolls her eyes. “What?”
“I’m living vicariously through you. I may have sworn off dating during college, but you haven’t. Seriously, why don’t you just ask her out? It’s so clear you’re smitten, and she for sure isn’t uninterested either.”
JJ’s traitorous heart jumps at Matt’s observation. It’s not like she hadn’t considered it once, twice or a million times, but… “I don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“She’s clearly older, for a start,” JJ says. She isn’t the best at estimating ages, but she puts Emily in her early thirties. That means a ten year age-gap, minimum. “She is well put-together, has a steady government job and probably a whole life beyond that.”
“And that’s an issue how, exactly?”
JJ’s mouth snaps shut.
Matt sighs. “You have a type, Jareau.”
“I do not,” JJ protests, though she knows it’s futile.
He plays with the lighter in his hand, tossing it in the air. “I have been to clubs with you. I know who you pull onto the dancefloor for some fun. I have seen you checking out our customers, though admittedly none as extensively as your Emily. There’s no shame in admitting you fall for somewhat older, accomplished women.”
JJ’s face is on fire. She tilts her head up in hopes of finding a stray cool breeze, but no such luck. Sure, she had kind of known this about herself, but she didn’t know it was this obvious to outsiders.
“So, again,” Matt says slowly, as if wanting to make sure the words clearly reach JJ’s stubborn ears. “Why should that be an issue? It’s not like you’d be proposing marriage, but there’s clearly tension between you two that could be worth acting on, on some level.”
“But I’m” – JJ gestures vaguely towards herself – “me, and she’s…”
He shrugs. “Sure, you’re younger, a student, but you’re ambitious and driven and you’ve got barely a year of college left before they release you into the world of full-on adulting anyway. Why not shoot your shot with the beautiful customer?”
She opens, then closes her mouth.
“In fact,” Matt continues. “I dare you.”
It’s that singular word that sparks a flame in her body. “Matt.”
“Oh, I know,” Matt says dead serious. “I’m not playing about this at all. I dare you, Jareau.”
The fire roars to life as she glares at him. Fuck him, and fuck him triggering her competitive streak, which is about a mile long. JJ has never been known to back down from a challenge. She’d rather run herself ragged than give up. Give in. How is she supposed to ignore him now?
A satisfied grin sits on his stupid face. “You miss all the shots you don’t take.”
A cliché and true saying, but JJ is equally hesitant that it might not work out like that. What if Emily just has a good time flirting here at the café, but is completely uninterested in anything outside of those bounds? What if JJ fucks up this fun dynamic and highlight of her day by gathering up her courage and asking Emily out?
Still, Matt’s words nag at her. His dare nags at her until a plan forms in her mind. What if she doesn’t ask Emily outright? She could play it safe, give Emily a chance to reject the offer by simply ignoring it, and maybe they could still continue their fun flirting either way.
JJ is going to give Emily her phone number by writing it on her next cup.
Simple, but effective. Gets the point across and gives them a way to communicate outside of their interactions at the café, if Emily decides she wants to.
During an idle moment, JJ grabs a cardboard sleeve and a black marker, scrawling out a short message and her phone number. She adds a cheeky smiley face as an afterthought, before giddily recapping her marker and sliding the prepared sleeve into her apron pocket for safekeeping. Now it’s simply a waiting game.
A pretty foolproof plan. Or about as foolproof as they come, at least.
Until Emily doesn’t show up during JJ’s next shift. Or the one that follows. Or the one after that, or—
An entire week passes without a sight of Emily. It’s the longest JJ has gone without seeing her since she first appeared, and when closing time approaches that Friday, her heart is in her stomach. She mentally berates herself for how stupid she is. How stupid she was for hoping. She should have known that this is what happens when something good happens in her life. It’s always gone, just like that, with no proof that it ever existed.
Matt is very sympathetic, offering consoling shoulder pats and cigarettes. It’s bad enough that JJ is almost tempted to take him up on the offer. He’s frustrated on her part, she can tell, but he doesn’t need to be. JJ should have expected it wouldn’t last.
With the last customers vacating their seats, she turns her focus to getting everything cleaned and ready to close up. She mixes up the cleaning solution and starts aggressively scrubbing away at the stain on the counter, pouring her frustration into the tedious task. The cardboard sleeve still sits in her apron pocket. It’s a little wrinkled, after a week. She should really throw it out.
Her hand cramps from the force she’s exerting on the stainless steel surface.
Maybe Emily got tired of their coffee. Maybe she just didn’t feel like seeing JJ around. Maybe she’d gotten uncomfortable with the flirting and JJ hadn’t noticed. Maybe she—
“JJ?”
JJ whips her head around, eyes wide. “Emily?”
They’re less than twenty minutes away from closing time, but there she is. Emily, trying to hide she’s heaving for breath, looking a little worse for wear, but she’s here. She gives JJ a small wave when neither of them know what to say. Her hand falls back to her side and JJ gets a glimpse at her busted knuckles.
JJ’s gaze flickers back up to Emily’s face, spotting the light bruising that climbs up her jaw and the small butterfly bandage near her eyebrow. She sets down the cleaning supplies and twists around to lean in closer. “Are you okay?”
Whatever had happened during Emily’s absence at the café couldn’t have been good. JJ had been so self-absorbed she hadn’t even considered that something bad had happened to Emily to prevent her from coming in. The guilt settles in her chest like a rock, but the relief at Emily’s reappearance is still stronger, lighter, allowing her to breathe through it.
Emily nods with a small smile. JJ hadn’t even realised how much she’d missed the sight, until it’s right here in front of her. Even with the injuries, Emily is the most gorgeous person JJ knows. It’s totally unfair. “I’m fine.”
“What happened?”
“Just—" Emily visibly struggles to find the words. “Work stuff.”
JJ lifts a brow in scepticism. Since when did office work for the government get people beat up? She studies Emily, absentmindedly taking enjoyment in the way that still manages to make Emily blush, when it hits her. Government stuff. The building around the block. Emily’s injuries. “You’re FBI?”
Emily blinks in surprise. “I— Yes.”
“Huh.”
Emily is a federal agent. Agent Emily. (JJ really needs to figure out her last name). If JJ had thought she couldn’t get any hotter, she was dead wrong. This is giving her so much new ammunition to think about.
(Dream about. She is only human.)
“I had to travel out to California,” Emily explains. She watches JJ and hesitates, then, as if… Almost as if an apology for her disappearance is on the tip of her tongue. As if she’d missed the interactions with JJ as much as JJ had.
“Do I want to know?”
Emily’s laughter is lighter, now. Relieved. “Probably not.”
“Okay then.” JJ pauses. She’s still reeling from the whiplash Emily’s sudden reappearance has given her, but the hint of their usual banter is familiar. Good. She smiles. “A latte with cinnamon for you, then?”
And just like that, it’s okay again.
Emily understandably doesn’t offer details from whatever FBI stuff she’d been working on, but she does complain about the terrible coffee the café near the California precinct had served. JJ offers dead honest sympathy for Emily’s suffering and swears she’ll make this latte the best Emily has ever tasted.
It’s as if nothing has ever changed.
JJ doesn’t even remember the plan that had occupied her mind all week until she presses the lid atop Emily’s cup. There’s a moment of hesitation, then, a second of is this truly the right time, but a voice that sounds suspiciously like Matt’s whispers, it’s now or never, and she fishes the slightly dinged cardboard sleeve out of her apron pocket, sliding the cup into it.
Internally, she cheers herself on for the sneaky movement. She even makes sure the side with the bold black numbers faces her when she hands the cup to Emily.
“Thank you,” Emily says, genuine as ever as JJ’s heart hammers in her chest.
“You’re welcome.”
Usually, this is the moment where Emily says her goodbye and disappears for the day. JJ has counted on it, in fact.
Therefore she can’t help the slight rising panic when Emily lingers instead, absentmindedly twisting the cup in her hands. Any other day, her hesitation to leave would be cute, but the timing is truly, spectacularly bad.
“I’m going to—” JJ starts, halfway through a motion towards the cleaning supplies she put down when Emily looks down at her cup and blinks in surprise. JJ freezes.
All blood rises to JJ’s face as her hand falls limply back to her side. She must resemble a tomato by the time Emily lifts her head, but she refuses to the let the inherent embarrassment fully inhabit her, desperately holding on to the knowledge that they’ve been doing this playful flirting for a good while now.
A beat of silence passes.
Then a coy smile pulls at Emily’s lips. “Bold move.”
JJ holds back a squeak.
Emily tils her head. “I like it.” She lifts her cup to JJ in a silent acknowledgement and turns on her heels, leaving JJ gaping like a fish.
JJ watches her disappear from sight, the bell sounding as the door opens and falls shut, before turning her back to the empty café, burying her face in her hands and screaming a muted scream. She practically floats back towards the cleaning supplies to finish her task, her mind blank.
When Matt returns from the backroom, he takes one look at her and grins.
“She came back?”
JJ nods mutely.
“And did it work?”
JJ opens her mouth. Then closes it. “I’m actually not sure.”
The words have barely left her or her phone buzzes in her back pocket. She scrambles to pull it out, nearly dropping it in the bucket of soapy water and turns on the screen with shaking hands.
Unknown number
You said to call, but I hope this is okay too
:)
JJ presses her lips together to contain her joy. She immediately adds Emily to her contacts as if waiting a second longer will make her spontaneously lose Emily’s number. When she returns to the new message thread, she bites at her thumb and tries to figure out a reply. It has to be cool. Casual.
JJ
it’s totally fine!
…Okay, well, she tried at least.
Emily’s typing bubble appears mere seconds later, and JJ stares impatiently until a new set of texts appear on her screen.
Emily
<3
Sorry for disappearing on you last week
Let me make it up to you?
Oh, they’re so on. JJ grins.
JJ
what did you have in mind?
Emily
I’ll be busy next week
But I should be free next Saturday?
JJ
i get off at six
Emily
I’ll be there
;)
The noise that escapes JJ has Matt folding in on himself with laughter, but she has no issue ignoring him this time. He can suck it. She has a date with Emily.
Some part of her expects Emily to leave it at that. Let JJ simmer in nervous excitement all week until Saturday finally arrives.
Instead, she continues the texting chain. When JJ isn’t at work, she taps away on her phone, easily picking their flirty banter back up, whilst getting to know more about each other beyond the café walls. And despite being busy, Emily does show up during every one of JJ’s shifts that next week.
“I didn’t think I’d see you here today,” JJ admits, pleasantly surprised when Emily pops in halfway through the afternoon that next Saturday.
“Couldn’t skip out today, of all days,” Emily says with a wink, tapping her card against the reader.
“Hard to go a day without our lattes?”
Emily hums, warm and mischievous as she looks at JJ. “Something like that, yeah.”
When JJ is less pissed at Matt for playing at her competitive streak, she knows she owes him big time for pushing her towards this. It’s getting easier to forgive him, though, especially now that she’s scheduled to close up with him and he offers to finish the last of it by himself.
JJ quickly gets changed in the breakroom, switching her shirt for something less ‘customer friendly’ and more date appropriate. She touches up her make-up in the bathroom and stuffs everything she won’t need in the storage room to take home after her next shift. With one last check, she finally puts on her jacket and says her goodbye to Matt before hurrying out to the backdoor, pushing it open, stepping outside and—
“Hi,” JJ breathes in surprise.
Emily looks beautiful, leaning against the wall, partially hidden in the shadows. She smiles at JJ’s appearance and steps forward, allowing JJ to take her in. Allowing her to take JJ in.
“Hi.”
JJ’s eyes flicker across Emily’s face. She feels a smile tugging at her lips when she notices Emily is wearing the same lipstick JJ complimented.
Emily’s arms open for a hug in greeting, and though it’s new, JJ easily slots into the embrace. She breathes in and is delighted to realize Emily smells not only of floral perfume, but a hint of cinnamon as well.
JJ’s mouth quirks up when they pull apart as she wonders faintly whether Emily might just taste of cinnamon, too.
Maybe she’ll get to find out.
“What are you thinking about?” Emily asks. Even in the dim light of the street lantern reaching into the alley, JJ swears Emily’s eyes sparkle.
“How I’m looking forward to tonight,” JJ says. The smile hasn’t left her lips yet, and she figures it’ll likely stick around for a while.
Emily entwines their fingers. “Well, let’s get on with it then, shall we?”