Finding Love in a Coffee Shop

I'm working on changing this story to past tense because I've decided I hate present again, so for now this chapter is the odd one out while I go through the other five and fix them. Please enjoy now! Also, sorry if anyone liked the present... but it felt a little too... simple.

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               “Hey! There’s my favorite regular!”

               “Hi Dimitri,” I greeted, smiling at the dark-skinned barista as I approached the counter of the café. “How are you?”

               He flashed his incredibly white teeth at me (funny how all the workers at this coffee place had perfect teeth), shrugging. “Ah, you know. College. Fun stuff.”

               It had never occurred to me that Dimitri might’ve been younger than Will, so I was a little bit surprised. “You’re in college?”

               “Yep,” he responded. “Last year, just like you. I’m a biology major though, I want to be a micro-biologist… who’s this?” His eyes went over my shoulder, to where Dustin was standing.

               “I’m Dustin,” he said, stepping forward and squaring his shoulders. “The little brother.”

               Dimitri grinned at him. “Hey. I’m her friend, Dimitri.”

               “Good to see she’s no longer keeping up her sociopath tendencies.”

               Rolling my eyes, I ushered him closer to the counter. “Shut up. Order what you want. I’ll have the hot chocolate.”

               Dimitri nodded and went off to take my order while Dustin figured out what he wanted. Eventually he decided on a skinny latte, which caused both Dimitri and I to crack up. “I’m on a diet,” Dustin explained defensively as he received his drink. “I’m trying out for the basketball team. I need to get in shape.”

               “Right, because a skinny latte will make up for all that take out food you eat,” I joked.

               Ignoring me, he stomped over to the sofas in the back of the café, collapsing onto one of them and pulling a book out of his backpack. I sat on one of the leather armchairs, retrieving my laptop from my own bag. Time to write another essay— this time, all about A Separate Piece. Fortunately, I had read the novel in high school, so I already knew the themes and all that jazz.

               About twenty minutes into it, Will appeared by my side, peering over my shoulders. I didn’t notice him, however, until he spoke up, which caused me to jump violently, nearly making me spill my hot chocolate. “Sorry,” he apologized with an amused smile.

               “No, it’s fine,” I told him quickly, trying to force back the blush that threatened to blossom on my cheeks. “What did you say?”

               “I said, coming to steal my Internet again?”

               Now I did blush, crossing my arms over my chest. Will was still hovering over me, finding great mirth in making me feel embarrassed. “A-at least I buy something first,” I retaliated eventually.

               His gaze flickered over to Dustin for a moment as he opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it almost immediately, a strange expression crossing over his face. He narrowed his eyes at the book in Dustin’s hands, studying it briefly, before returning his attention to me. “Ah… what was I saying?”

            “I don’t know… What? Do you have something against the book Dustin’s reading?” I teased.