Coffee and Cafés - Book Two of the Café Latte Trilogy

Herbal Tea

Herbal Tea

Angelo did not sound particularly pleased. I stared at the ground. Cinzia did not speak. I heard a sigh, not daring to look up, and Cinzia quickly got to her feet. "I'm going back inside," she announced, and hastily made her exit with a guilty expression.

I kept my eyes fixed firmly on my feet, and Angelo sat opposite me. He sighed wearily again and said, "I'm sorry about Cinzia, she means well."

"How much did you hear?" I asked awkwardly, glancing up at him.

"Enough to know she was meddling." Angelo smiled ruefully and said, "I really am sorry. Cinzia has it in her head that I'm very lonely, and she likes to theorise that I have fallen head over heels for anyone I'm fond of."

I felt my heart sink. "Well, I can see why you'd fall head over heels for me, obviously," I tried to joke. "I am obviously the most attractive person you know."

Angelo laughed at my joke. "Yes, obviously. But it's inappropriate for my sister to try and set me up with anyone she barely knows. Especially when I am clearly much too old for that person."

I couldn't help it; I laughed at him. Angelo looked at me strangely, as though that was the only response he hadn't been expecting, and I laughed a bit harder. 

"You think you're too old for me?" I asked, genuinely surprised that that was his problem with Cinzia approaching me. "Have you seen my friendship group?"

He smiled at that. "I'll allow you that, you do have a group of friends much closer to my age than your own. But that is very different to a romantic relationship with someone. I'm sure you wouldn't want to end up with someone fourteen years older than you."

I laughed again. "I've dated guys older than you, Angelo."

Angelo was surprised, and said, "Still, Cinzia didn't know that, and she shouldn't have tried to meddle with my life - or my colleague's life."

"Oh, that I agree with," I laughed a bit. "It would seem that both of us have the problem of everyone close to us trying to set us up with people."

Angelo grimaced. "It can be somewhat exhausting."

I grinned, and said, "Really don't worry about it, Angelo. I like Cinzia a lot, she's great, and she does truly mean well. I promise I won't put any stock in her words if you don't want me to."

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and nodded. 

I could practically feel my logical side insisting that the conversation was done, that we should leave it there, that I should make him come and dance with me. But the alcohol in my system pushed aside my logical self and left a clear tunnel from my heart to my mouth.

I sighed, and looked him in the eye.

You are so getting fired.

"I don't like there being miscommunication," I said firmly. "I don't want people to mistake my words for something else. So I'm just going to say this now. If anything that Cinzia said was accurate, and you do have a thing for me, then that is reciprocated. I think you're beautiful, and kind, and a very nice person, and if we were to find a way to get rid of the work-life obstacle, I would like very much to take you on a date. And, if Cinzia was completely wrong, then know that I will not let any attraction to you stop us from working together."

I had never seen someone look so startled. Angelo was completely flummoxed by my words. It took him thirty seconds just to stop looking so shocked, and then his skin flushed a deep pink and he swallowed nervously. I had no idea what he was going to say.