Is Everybody In Love With You?

One - a generous tip

A generous tip

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The café was a lot busier than usual. It was expected, I suppose, seeing as finals were incoming and a lot of college students were charging in to receive the liquid energy that was coffee. But that didn’t explain why most of the tables were taken. I felt slightly crowded, even though I was separated from the customers by the counter. My barrier may be a slim slab of wood but the cash register, coffee machine and other accessories made me feel slightly hidden. Although, not hidden enough.

“Lissette, darling.”

I gave a polite smile to Meredith, a regular. It annoyed me when she said such things as ‘darling’ or ‘sweetie’. She was only two years older than me, twenty, and hardly matronly.

“I haven’t seen you around school lately. You haven’t been skipping, have you? You really shouldn’t worry your father.” She smiled widely at the tall guy next to her, very likely her date for the day. He was smiling back but I noticed that his eyesight was below her chin, where her curled blonde hair ended at her cleavage.

“I went to school today, and yesterday,” I said softly. She worked part-time in the school library but spent most of her time chatting with the seniors in the hallways. I had seen her plenty of times today; I was just easily passed over. Because I wanted to hurry the conversation along, I added, “Was it a cinnamon mocha again today?”

“Oh, yes, thanks, sweets.”

I stole a glance up at her as she turned her head away from my direction so she wouldn’t have noticed my frown. Her demeanor was sickly, all I wanted was to get her out of the line.

“And would you like anything else?” I asked, inwardly hoping she’d need nothing else.

“And a cappuccino,” she said firmly, “Right, Harry?”

The handsome guy nodded, and turned to me with a grin. “Merry has been telling me that this place makes the best coffees. Reckon you’re up to fulfilling that promise… Lissette?”

I was surprised that he’d remembered my name, seeing as it was unusual. I nearly gritted my teeth, irritated by the fact that I was forced to banter with this stranger. Even worse, a male stranger. I didn’t talk to guys that often, mostly at work, and I still couldn’t control my blushes, even when all they did was pay me the slightest attention.

“I’ll let you be the judge,” I murmured quietly as I took the money from Meredith’s hand with care. I rang up the costs and gave her the change before swiftly heading behind the coffee machine. This was another reason why the shop was crowded. Yasmin, my workmate, had been on break for way over the required time, and she’d chosen to take the break during the busiest time of day.

I set two cups beneath the flowing coffee and started the milk. I had to do two, plain milk and low fat chocolate, which also irritated me. I could get to the next customers quicker if it weren’t for the low fat chocolate.

“So, have you been working here long, Lissette?”

The way he kept repeating my name put me on edge. Not only did he have to talk to me but he had to remind me that we were now acquaintances because he knew my first name. On the positive side, he didn’t try to shorten it. Lissy was the worst.

“Two years, Harry.” It was rude of me, to push out his name like that. But maybe he’d get a hint.

I poured the milk in to his cappuccino and then did the mocha, adding the flavor of cinnamon and swirling the milk in. I finished it off with chocolate syrup on the mocha and powder on the cappuccino and handed them over the counter with a smile.