Simple Submission

Chapter 1-revised-SYTYCW Entry

Chapter 1

"I would like my latte sometime today please!" 

The woman standing in front of Aubrey, would have been gorgeous had it not been for the sour look on her face.  She was everything Aubrey wasn't.  Tall, thin, blonde, well put together, not a blemish on her perfectly smooth skin, except for the deep frown line between her eyes.  Aubrey was this woman's polar opposite. She was of average height and a little on the heavy side which her black slacks, purple work shirt, and apron did nothing to hide. 

"Yes ma'am, I apologize for the delay!"

She had been several minutes late today and she could feel her boss glaring at her.  Jacob Furman, manager, had hired her as a favor to his girlfriend and Aubrey's cousin Cheryl, a decision he was sure to be regretting.

The line was almost out the door when she began taking orders at the counter, her coworkers pumping out foamy concoctions at a record pace. 

“One grande cappuccino,” ching “two mocha frappes with peppermint,” ching, “three bran muffins and two regular coffees,” ching, on and on it went.

Finally, the line was down to one. She took a breath and after what seemed like ages she was able to look up, smiling at the next customer in line.  She felt her heart stumble and her smile falter. Standing in front of her was the most sublime example of the male gender that she had ever laid eyes on.

He was blonde with wide shoulders, nearly a foot taller than her so he had to be about 6'5 or 6'6.  His eyes were iciest green she had ever seen, almost a pale mint color in the center with a dark hunter green ring around the iris.  His nose was slightly crooked, perhaps owing to one too many fist fights in his youth, indicating he probably had a rowdy and rebellious side.  His cheeks were high and marred with slight stubble and a goatee adorned his chin.

Shaking herself out of la-la land, Aubrey forced her glazed look of amazement to retreat.  She stared for another moment then shook her head and her smile returned.

"Good morning sir, how can I help you?"

He looked amused. He probably got that reaction from silly little girl's like her on a regular basis.

"Plain black coffee and a blueberry bagel, toasted."

His voice was rich and creamy to her ears, soothing the ragged nerves caused by the morning’s late start. 

"Not a problem, sir. Would you like your bagel toasted?"

"I said toasted," he grumbled.

"Oh, right! I'm sorry, I missed that."

She handed him a coffee cup and pointed to the carafes on the bar against the wall.  Aubrey went to the back and reached for a bagel, placing it in the toaster oven. She craned to look over the counter to see where he was sitting so she could take it out to him.

She watched, taking in all of him, as he walked over to a table.  He was well dressed, black slacks with a grey silky-looking dress shirt and a maroon tie. “He would match the blondie from earlier perfectly”, thought Aubrey. She was probably exactly the type of woman this handsome man would be interested in.  The sunlight was hitting his golden hair, revealing an undertone of red she hadn't seen before.  It made his eyes all the more enchanting.

Aubrey was pulled out of her reverie by the smell of something burning.  She yelped, realizing it was the bagel she had put in the toaster oven.

"Shit!" She exclaimed. She was so busy daydreaming about the sun soaked Adonis she had ruined his breakfast.  Without thinking she reached in and grabbed the now blackened bagel from the toaster oven, singeing her hand.