~Ian's POV~
I work in a little coffee shop, creatively named 'The Coffee Shop', and nothing interesting ever happens there. That is until..he walked in that door (cliche as it sounds). And I suppose that is when this story really starts..
It was a normal day of work for me on that late afternoon, taking orders, serving them. Polite customers, not so polite customers, the average day pretty much. I had just gotten on my break and was heading out the door, looking at my phone intending to call my friend Mari with my small amount of spare time, when..something hit me. No, literally, someone hit me with the glass front door. I stumbled back, clutching my forehead and dropping my phone to the ground in the process. I felt a strong grip on my shoulder to keep me from falling and heard laughing from some of my asshole co-workers, who found it funny how clumsy and uncoordinated I was.
"Whoa, careful there," I heard a deep and silky-smooth voice say to me. Oh my, that voice is very hypnotic in a way.
I released my head and glanced up, almost doing a double take at the guy who went along with the voice standing in front of me. He was breathtakingly good looking with big brown eyes and dark, almost black, hair that went along perfectly with his sun-kissed tan skin. He was only a bit taller than me, a few inches maybe, but with the attitude he seemed to possess he looked taller and more intimidating than me by far.
"I-I'm sorry, Sir. That was my bad, I wasn't looking where I was going," I spluttered out in response as I trained my eyes on the floor that suddenly seemed very interesting when I was caught in the gaze of the handsome stranger.
I glanced up as he raised his eyebrows, with a small yet somehow devilish smirk on his face. "Be more careful next time, okay? Don't want you damaging your cute little face." He patted my shoulder and brushed past me to walk towards the counter. I turned and watched him go, my eyes gravitating down his body, straight to his backside. I couldn't stop my mind from getting these little dirty thoughts before I removed my view from his butt as he turned around and gave me a wink. I blushed a deep red, knowing I'd been very much caught so blatantly staring, and picked my phone up off the floor, checking for any cracks or chips before finally pushing the door open to call Mari to tell her my shift will be over soon so she can come pick me up.
~
I pushed the door open again and walked to the back of the shop, closing the employee's bathroom door behind me. I stood in front of the mirror, touching my forehead with a wince of pain. The bright red mark will be there a while, for sure. I frowned and jumped a bit as my phone buzzed in my pocket, telling me my break was over.
I put my biggest smile on my face as I entered back into the main shop. I walked up to my manager, Melanie, to see who I have to deliver to next. I smiled a real smile at her and said, "so all knowing Melanie, who am I, as a good servant, serving first?"
We could joke like this because of how close we'd been for years considering we'd met when we'd both been awkward teenagers, finding friendship in both of us being so nervous for our first day of work at our first jobs; a friendship I've treasured for all these years.
She laughed, "funny enough, good sir, a handsome gentleman has requested for you specifically to bring him his two coffees," she said, adding a wink at the end.
I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion but nodded anyway. I picked up the tray containing the two mugs of coffee and read the table number off the order. Table four. I focused on my feet as I walked across the shop, heading to said table. I was attempting not to trip, not being a fan of spilling scalding liquid all over me (which may or may not have happened before). I didn't glance up once while placing the tray on the table, sighing in relief when the first coffee was off the tray safely and I was lifting the second when I heard a voice, that voice. The same one from when I had practically received brain damage after getting my head rammed with a door.
"Hey Blue Eyes," he said, smiling like a maniac (which worried me a bit). I jumped at his voice though, causing a few dribbles of hot coffee to spill out of the mug and down my hand. I tried not to curse out loud as I practically dropped the coffee on the table and rubbed my hand on my apron as he chuckled and spoke again. "Careful, you're gonna spill all your coffee."
I was momentarily distracted from my burning hand at that line. "M-my coffee? I didn't order a coffee, I'm on the job." That sounded stupid. Because you become a babbling idiot around ridiculously hot customers, my subconscious quipped at me.
He laughed again, a beautiful sound. "Well I did order it specifically for you, and after all the effort I went through, asking your friend over there what your favorite kind of coffee was and making sure you personally brought it over as well, I was kind of hoping you would sit with me," he said, nodding his head in Melanie's general direction.
I turned to look at her and she sent another wink my way. Oh no. She thinks he's my next love interest or something and this is "oh so romantic". Her and Mari are constantly trying to hook me up with both guys and girls, as if they're my wing-women or something even though I have no interest in most of the people they introduce me to. I turned back to face him and stuttered out another response. "I-I can't have a coffee, I'm working. And I don't even know your name, you could be an ax m-murderer for all I know."
He smirked at me and goddammit, that's really..hot. Just him staring at me made me squirm where I was standing, causing him to give a full blown grin at me. "My name's Anthony. And your name's Ian." I went to interrupt him, but the interrupter became the interrupted. ''You have your name tag on, if you're wondering how I know."
"Well it was nice to meet you again Anthony, but I really must be getting back to work now."
"But I ordered this coffee just for you, and confirmed with your all too kind friend that you sitting and having this coffee with me is perfectly okay," he said while shooting me a triumphant look.
I sighed, giving in, and sat in the seat across from him. I lifted the coffee in both hands and blew on the top, attempting to cool it faster so I can get away from Mr. Too-Attractive-To-Be-A-Real-Person. I took a burning sip of the coffee and glanced up, freezing as I saw Anthony's eyes trained on my mouth as he bit on his own bottom lip. I quickly looked back down and gulped another sip of the hot liquid, trying to finish as fast as possible.
I looked up upon hearing his voice. "So, what are you into?" He asked, leaning forward.
I blinked slowly, surprised, and set my coffee on the table carefully. ''Well, I like video games," I answered in response to the question I was asked.
He leaned farther forward with his elbows resting on the tabletop as he half-smiled. "That's great to know, and a very naive and innocent answer from you, but by what I meant who. And by who I meant gender? Women...Men...Both?''
My cheeks lit with a blush and I rushed out my lie, "girls, just girls. I'm the ultimate ladies man.." I trailed off when I saw him laughing.
"Yeah, right dude. Because all straight men just love to check out my ass when I'm going to order a coffee.But then again most people who check me out aren't so cute, so I'm flattered," he declared, shooting me that smirk once more, making my heart beat faster. He called me cute again.
I couldn't think of a sassy enough response so I just grabbed the now cooling coffee and gulped mouthfuls of it without glancing up from the table- so I missed him writing down something on his order sheet with my pencil from the forgotten tray.
"And so what if I like guys or girls, either, or? What's it matter to you anyways?"
He smiled again, causing me to shove down the thoughts that were fighting to inhabit my brain about how pink his lips were and how he had a killer jawline. "Oh, I'm just a naturally curious guy. Although information like that is, ah, interesting to know."
Something about the guy was off. A mysterious and attractive guy flirts with an average looking pale guy who has a bowl-haircut and works in a coffee shop? It just doesn't add up, this whole thing doesn't. This isn't a romance story and he isn't the hero who'll sweep me off my feet (although I wouldn't want to actually be picked up), and I need to get away from him before I do something on impulse.
I all but slammed the now empty mug on the table and stood up too fast, almost making the chair flip over backwards. "Now that we've finished talking about my gender preferences and I've finished my coffee I'm afraid I must be going. It was great spending time with you, and thanks for the coffee, but my shift has just ended and I see my friend coming to get me now. Maybe see ya' around," I spoke quickly, putting my empty mug back on the tray.
"Oh you'll be seeing me, but first one quick thing." I looked at him in alarm as he stood up as well and stepped close so that I was looking up at him, which was directly invading my personal space.
I was frozen to the spot as he looped one arm around my waist, causing me to jump in surprise as I felt him slip his hand in the back pocket of my jeans. He kept it there for a second before removing it and stepped back again. I spun away and grabbed the tray, speed walking towards the counter. I nearly collided with Mari in my haste and she placed one hand on my arm for a few seconds before removing it and glancing behind me with a look of surprised worry on her face.
She looked at me with panic showing vaguely in her brown eyes. "Ian Hecox, please tell me you were not just conversing with Anthony Padilla?"
"Not by choice, no. Why? He doesn't seem..too bad, I guess?" I said, as more of a question than a statement.
"Oh, Ian. You have no idea who you have just gotten yourself involved with."
No, I really did not know who I'd gotten myself involved with.
Not in the least.
And if only I'd known what was to come from but a simple meeting in a plain little coffee shop.