The Hues of Liza

Chapter 4: The Dark Hues of Coffee

"Liza" he repeated after me, smiling as if he was testing my name out on his lips and liked the flavor. We held eye contact for a bit until the sound of Sam walking towards us broke the silence. I cleared my throat and turned back towards the sink I was leaning on.

"So what are you doing going on a run so early?" I asked trying to strike up a conversation.

"I always run this early, I feel like its a good discipline to have." He responded. We both started to head out and meet Sam who was headed towards us. She noticed us coming out of the back and lifted the counter again. The shop had a few new customers inside, and Sam had music going on in the background. I hear a throat clearing to grab my attention, Sam was standing there with my new smoothie and another one but green beside it. Before I could grab my money out of my pocket Luke handed her a card and paid for it as he grabbed both smoothies and handed me mine.

"Thanks" I said as I walked towards a table Luke had started to walk to. He nodded his head as if to signal me to sit with him. I checked my fitness band and saw it was already 6:15, great. "Oh I really shouldn't, I have to get back to my place and get ready for work" I started to walk towards the door when I heard a chair scrapping against the tile on the floor and a hand grab my wrist ever so gently.

"Can I at least offer you a ride?" He said smiling with a hint of being nervous in his eyes.

"I mean no offense to you but I just met you officially and with everything going on I'm not sure if thats smart of me." I said internally face palming myself.

"No no its okay I get it. How about this, I'll let Sam know all of my contact info so if anything happens to you she'll know who to go after?" He said walking over to Sam who was eavsdropping on the conversation. She had a pen and paper in her hands ready as he turned to her and gave her his info. He turned around and lifted his eyebrows at me "well?"

"Fine, but only because I'd be really late without the ride." I said as I followed him out and down the beach front to his black SUV. As we got closer to the car it dawned on me that I was still pretty much covered in smoothie. "Hey Luke? I'm covered in smoothie I don't wanna ruin the seats in your car."

"It's okay I was gonna go get it detailed this week anyways." He said unlocking the car and opening my door for me.

"Thank you for this" I said as we pulled away from the parking lot and I started giving directions to my place. Soon enough he pulled into my driveway where Adams car is usually parked. "Again thank you! You just saved me from the scut work." I hopped out and turned back to him before closing the door, "Hey if you wanna come by the coffee shop I'll treat you to a free coffee, you know as a thank you for all this." He smiled and nodded as I closed the door and walked inside my place. He hadn't pulled out of my driveway until I had closed my door, how sweet. I turned and rushed to take a shower and get ready for work. The second I saw my appearance I cringed, I looked like a gremlin, my hair was everywhere, I had smoothie from head to toe. Turning to the shower I turned it on and pulled my work clothes out and placed them on the counter while I waited for the shower to get hot. I rinsed my body and quickly scrubbed my hair, wrapped a towel around my body and did my makeup in a haste as well as doing my hair routine and threw it into a messy bun with two strands of hair down and tied a blue hair scarf between the bun and loose hairs.

Once I had arrived at work I was two minutes early, I tossed my apron on and made myself a cup of tea. Thankfully for me my shift manager, Megan, gets here at 6 and sets everything up before I get here. I turned the open sign on and took a sip of my tea, luckily for me Megan doesn't like talking to people so she let me have register for the first half of my shift. It was pretty routine and slow after our 'before church' rush and I started to think that Luke had blown me off until 10:15. 

   I was cleaning off one of the machines when I heard the jingle of the door, I looked up and saw a group of tall sweaty guys walk through, all in workout clothes. I walked back to the register when I noticed Luke walk in after them , he made eye contact with me and smiled. I started to take the orders for the group of giants and they all said the same thing when I asked if that was all "Luke's got it." The guy before Luke was the same guy from yesterday, tall tan and handsome number 2. I liked him he was kinda funny, he placed an order for a vanilla frappe and three cake pops than passed the order off to Luke. Once Luke stepped up I looked at him with a 'really?' look. "Soo you're gonna pay for their drinks right?" I said giggling, "I'll get you but I'm not sure how my manager would feel about 20 free drinks." He laughed at my question like I was kidding or something.

"I'm not gonna make you give me a free coffee, in fact I'll go ahead and get a large black coffee and your number?" He said as he went to scratch his neck. He handed me his card as I just stood there staring at him, he cleared his throat and I snapped out of it. I closed his tab out and went to make the drinks without answering him. He went to join the guys and some laughed while others were patting him on the back comforting him. I finished all of the drinks except for his, I saved it to be the last one. I pulled a little blue sharpie out of my apron pocket and jotted my number onto the side of his cup and put my name with a heart next to it, then called his name after I placed his coffee on the counter. He looked defeated and they all left with him not noticing my number on the side of his cup. 

  The rest of my shift went by pretty quick, luckily I didn't have to work the rest of this week since I had requested off. I had a lot of school work this week so I needed to focus on it. Once I had gotten home I placed my bag with my phone in it on the counter and went to change out of my work clothes and into a pair of grey sweats, fuzzy socks and a black cropped tank top. From my room I heard my phone starting to vibrate in the kitchen, I ran to catch the call and noticed it was Adam. Decline.

He called again immediately, Decline.

He called again, Decline.

Finally I got another call, not even bothering to look at it I answered and yelled "Leave me alone Adam! In fact don't even bother coming back anytime soon, you messed up big time."

I heard a growl as I hung up the phone. I turned around freaked out and realized the growl had come from the phone. I looked back and realized the last call WASNT from Adam, 'Suggested: Luke Pierce'. Damn it, he probably thinks Adam is my boyfriend or something.

I started to text Luke's number 'Hey Luke, it's Liza I didn't mean to yell at you I thought you were my roommate... sorry :/, ps not my boyfriend or anything, totally single' I had it typed then realized how dumb it sounded so I deleted it and started from scratch

'Hey it's Liza, thought you were my roommate! I didn't mean to yell at you like that!' I sent it and got a text back almost immediately.

'It's all cool, I probably should've made sure you knew it was my number first. Do you mind if I ask who Adam is? He's not your boyfriend or anything is he?'

'God no! He was my sisters boyfriend, now my roommate, and my used-to-be best friend.'

'Good, it would've made the next thing I was gonna ask really weird.'

'And what is that?' I said as I started to walk to my bathroom to brush my teeth.

'Would you like to go on a date with me, Liza? I'd like to get to know you.'

I stopped for a second rereading the message I had just received.

'When? ' There was a pause before his response. I finished in the bathroom and climbed into bed.

'Wednesday night? I was thinking dinner and a surprise activity after?'

'Okie :) I have class in the morning so I'll text ya tomorrow, goodnight!'

'Goodnight Liza' 

With that I placed my phone on the charger on the night stand and closed my eyes.