Cafe Owner Ëš
! synopsis: you specifically order two matcha lattes every morning for your boss. however, one day, the cute café owner's kind gesture breaks your repetitive schedule and begins a new chapter with him.
! word count: 722
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you hurriedly got in line, relieved to see the short line in front of you.
"next in line, please," a familiar face welcomed the customer: it was the café owner.
a week ago, the café opened on the first floor of your company. in contrast to the past cafe's unpopularity, employees rushed to get a cup of coffee and especially a look at the café owner's face. his charismatic smile could only attract more customers, warming the café, with his built figure defining more clearly as he poured the drinks.
despite also finding the café owner cute, your daily mission was to get back to your desk with two iced matcha lattes in your hand; one for you and your boss.
you looked down at your watch to check the time: 8:30. you had exactly 30 minutes before making your boss cranky- which was the absolute worst.
"i can help the next person," the owner's eyes lit up as he called for you next.
you walked up to the register, being welcomed to a smell of warm coffee from him.Â
"hi, how are you?" he greeted you with a charming smile.
"i'm doing well, how are you?" you asked back.
"i'm doing well too," his direct yet gentle eyes made you freeze as he looked down at the screen to input your order.
"would you like your regular today?" he asked, wanting to confirm despite it being your daily order. you stayed silent, your eyes not wanting to track off his face.
"two matcha lattes?" he looked up from the screen after your silence.
"um, yes please," you embarrassingly smiled. you looked away, wondering if he just saw you as the girl who only ordered matcha.
"and order for y/n..." he muttered as he plugged your order and name into the system. hearing him mutter your name, you couldn't help but look at his name tag: jay, you quietly said under your breath.
"yes?" he said, looking puzzled.
"oh, no. sorry," you awkwardly laughed. embarrassed he heard you. "you have my name memorized but i think it's the first time i've ever seen your name tag," you said.
"no, i understand. i see you're always in a rush, and i couldn't miss a regular customer" jay laughed. "and you know what, i'll have your drink covered today."
"what, are you sure? i use the company card anyways,” you looked puzzled at his kind gesture.
"yeah, i'm sure. it's on me." jay assured you.
"okay, thank you," you thanked him.
although it was nice of him to pay for your drink, you were curious to whether or not this occurred to other regulars. is he interested in me or am i reading the signals wrong? you thought to yourself.
anticipating to be discouraged with his answer, you shyly asked, “do you usually do this for other regulars as well?”
he laughed at your question, finding it silly. “not at all.” a small smile appeared on your face, making you feel special, even if it wasn’t true.
"your drink will be out soon," he said. you nodded and left to wait at a table.
within minutes, he came with a tray with your two drinks and a small packaged cookie. "here's your order!" he placed the tray down carefully. "the cookie is for you so don't forget to eat it."
"thank you. i needed this." you said, appreciating his thoughtful gesture.
happy with your response, jay gave you a genuine smile and left to go back to work. as he left, the corner of lips raised as you curled your lips in. unable to hide your smile, you grabbed the cookie and saw the note attached to it.
"i see you come to the cafe every morning and i think you're really cute. i want to get to know you better! i was wondering if i take you out on a date today after work if you have time. :)"
you looked up from the note to look at him working behind the counter. he noticed you looking at him and raised 7 fingers, mouthing the words, "is 7 pm okay?"
you nodded, happily agreeing to the date. you looked down at the note one more time, anticipating that maybe, you weren't going to find ordering two matcha lattes as a chore anymore.
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