Coffee Shop Encounter

I had a bit of fun with this one. It has a touch of the ridiculous about it, I must admit, but hopefully people can still enjoy it. The start is slow, but from there it goes from zero to a hundred fast.

Carpe diem!

I stared blearily at the erratically scrawled message on the bathroom mirror. After a few seconds the memory started to materialise, pushing through the fog inside my head. That's right. I'd scrawled it there hastily late last night in a moment of drunken clarity. You know what I mean. Those moments where an idea makes perfect sense and you wonder why sober you had never thought of it. I'd written it using some lipstick I'd dug out of a drawer in the bathroom cabinet. I wondered now whose it was and how it came to be there. Probably a relic from a past girlfriend I guess. I shook my head. That wasn't the point. Drunk me had left sober me a message, and now I had to decide whether to listen to the half cut rambling bastard, or do what I'd been doing every week for the last six months and pussy out.

Carpe Diem!

I guess I should introduce myself properly. My names Tyson, Tyson Jones. But everyone calls me Ty. I'm an accountant at a large firm in the middle of the city. For the last six months I've been buying my coffees from a small cafe six blocks away from where I live. Every morning I make the long walk down to pick up an overpriced flat white before crossing the street to wait at the bus stop. Must be some amazing coffee, huh? Wrong! The coffee is mediocre at best.

You might ask why would someone walk six blocks for some mediocre coffee? Most of you have probably already guessed why.

A girl.

And not just any girl.

Her name was Shazza.

I know, you're probably thinking "no one has every waxed lyrical about a girl called Shazza" and I may be the first, but here goes.

Shazza is the girl at the checkout who takes my order each day. She's about five foot five with long brown hair and the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen. Her body is slim and toned. Somehow she manages to make a polo shirt, pencil skirt and cap look like a sexy ensemble. She seems to have an aura about her, a certain energy. For those few moments each day, it's as if time stands still and unfortunately so does my brain, as I turn into the most incoherent imbecile to ever walk the planet. Shazza doesn't seem to care though, she just laughs and smiles as I stumble along.

I paused to look at the mirror a moment longer.

"Fuck it."

I then proceeded to follow my normal strategy which was to defer any important decision until the last possible moment and pray that in that moment I will be struck with a bolt of clarity or reason.

Twenty minutes later I found myself back in front of the mirror. I'd showered, shaved and necked a berocca by this point. I looked past the words, examining my reflection. I tried to psych myself up. I mean look, I'm no body builder, but I'm in decent shape. I have short blonde hair and light blue eyes. If I'm being honest I don't think I'm too hard on the eyes. The problem is that compared to the goddess who serves me coffee I look like a bag of potatoes.

I sighed as I rolled the sleeves of my white dress shirt back past my elbows. I had on my best pair of tanned dress pants and a brown pair of RM Williams.

My eyes focused in on the words again. Suddenly I was filled with a surge of energy.

"Fuck it!" I said out loud. "You miss all the shots you don't take."

I'd been walking in every day and passing up my opportunity. Well not today. Today I'm shooting my shot.

I grabbed my wallet, phone and keys off the kitchen table and headed out the door with my head held high and a sense of purpose to my stride.

So the problem with sudden surges of confidence, is that they don't always last as long as you'd like. The longer I walked, the less I felt confident and the more I felt nauseous.

Six block later, I ground to a halt in the alley that ran adjacent to the coffee shop. I looked down, checking my watch.

8:20

I had a ten minute window to get in, get shot down and get out. Otherwise I'd miss my bus and be over an hour late for work.

At this point you may be judging a little and wondering why I was hitting the piss on a Sunday evening before work. But hey, no one's perfect.

I'm in the unfortunate situation many people find themselves in, where their job is too good to give up, but not good enough to make me want to get out of bed in the morning. I was well paid, with good benefits, but zero opportunities to move up the ladder. The job too, was relatively simple, after six months I had a handle on what was required and I've pretty much been coasting ever since.

Anyway, I digress. So I'm standing in an alley

and I looked up at the sky searching for a sign and can you believe it there were zip, zilch, nada. Apparently the gods had bigger issues than my pathetic love life.

I began to weigh the pros and cons. If this went badly I would lose my thirty seconds of magic every day. On the plus side, I could get a coffee from the place on my block that actually sells nice coffee for almost half the price, and I'd only have to walk 50m to catch the bus. That still wasn't enough of a pro, but then I had a thought.

Regardless of what I do, one day things will change. She will quit, or move. Anything could happen. If I asked her today, then at least it would be on my terms. I wouldn't just turn up one day to find her gone, ripped from my life.

I practically charged out of the alley and around the corner.

I slowed myself as I entered the coffee shop, being careful not to slam the door. My gaze turned to the front counter.

It was empty.

I could see the tops of a few baristas heads behind the machines, but I knew none of them were hers.

My chest constricted with fear. Was this the day? Was I too late?

Then she appeared like a vision, gliding out from the back kitchen.

Our eyes met and she gave me a warm smile.

"Hey Ty," she greeted me.

"Just the usual?"

"Mmmhm." I nodded awkwardly stepping forward to the register.

"Great," I thought. " The mindless idiots back."

I looked at her as she punched in my order. I took a slow steadying breath and shot my shot.

"Hey Shazza," my voice came out choked at first but grew in clarity as I spoke. "I was just wondering, I mean I've been meaning to ask you. No pressure of course but I just thought."

I was blowing it. I gave a long sigh. I raised my eyes, staring into those deep blue orbs. They seemed to calm me and I felt a weight lift off my chest.

"Would you like to get a bite to eat with me sometime?"

Shazza paused, staring at me intently. Her eyes travelled up and down my length. I got the sense that she had never really looked at me in all this time, at least not as a potential romantic suitor. In one simple sentence I had changed the whole dynamic of our relationship.

She seemed to hesitate, undecided.

"I totally understand if it's a no. There'll be no hard feelings," I said. Trying to soften the blow.

Then she gave me the thrill of my life. "No I'd love to get a bite, I'm actually due to finish in fifteen minutes if you're free now?"

I hesitated for the barest of seconds before blurting out "Yeah, absolutely. That sounds great."

Shazza gave me a smile and it damn near melted my heart.

"Why don't you grab us a table and I'll see you very soon."

"Ye-yeah no worries. Absolutely." The words seemed to fall out of my mouth awkwardly as I attempted to keep a lid on my excitement.

She gave me another one of those smiles and then tilted her head to the side seeming to peer around me. It was then I realised that a line had formed behind me and I was holding up traffic.

"Oh god. Sorry. Sorry, sorry." I apologised profusely as I shuffled to the other end of the counter where I knew my order would be served.

A few minutes later my name was called by a short, dark haired barista and I stepped forward to receive my coffee. I peered back towards the register, hoping to make eye contact with Shazza, but she was busy taking a customers order.

The cafe was filled with white square shaped tables with black chairs. I picked a table only a few steps from the counter and sat down. Immediately I realised my mistake. I'd sat with my back to the counter meaning that every time I wanted to see Shazza I would have to turn myself around, making it bleedingly obvious that I was pining for her. I sighed and accepted my fate. After a few more minutes of waiting I did what everyone does when they find themselves alone in public. I whipped out my phone and started to mindlessly scroll through social media. I don't know why but it seems like the modern day version of a security blanket, as if by having my phone out I'm telling the rest of the world "Hey I have friends and people who care about me and a job. I'm not just some loner sitting at a cafe."

Oh yeah... My job. I hastily scripted a rather convoluted text message about an imaginary illness. I sent it off to my manager and put the phone back down. Would she be pissed? Absolutely! But opportunities like this don't come around every day and to quote the Thundamentals, "I ain't employee of the month."

I went back to waiting. Another twenty minutes went by and still no sign of Shazza. I figured it had been long enough, I twisted in my seat hoping to see her striding towards me with a big smile on her face. No such luck. She was still standing at the register taking orders. I checked the time. It was ten past nine, already ten minutes after she was meant to finish. "No problem," I told myself "maybe she's just waiting for a lull so that she can get away. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.

I went back to waiting. I pulled my phone back out. I had my adult safety blanket and as pathetic as it sounds, I felt a little better. Instead of looking at it, I began to survey the café, observing the other patrons. A couple had sat to my right. They looked to be early forties, both of them were wearing fitness gear and appeared to be in good shape. The woman had long dark hair and a tanned complexion. The man had shoulder length blonde hair that hung loosely. I didn't want to assume that he was a surfer, but he certainly would have fit the stereotype.

Diagonally to my left was a group of three tables that had been joined together. Sitting around it were eight elderly women who I surmised were part of some sort of book club.

There was another table against the wall directly in front of me. A young couple who looked to be about twenty were seated there. I could only assume that they were madly in love, based on all the excessive hand holding and long meaningful pauses, where they stared lovingly into one anothers eyes. I rolled my eyes. Okay maybe I'm just a bit bitter because my date was now thirty minutes overdue...

I checked over my shoulder. She was still at the checkout and once again I failed to catch her eye. I turned back to the table and stared blankly at my phone. I started to wonder if this was a set up. Get me sitting over here on the hook and then they would all put bets on how long I'd wait. I looked around suspiciously at all the staff but they all seemed engrossed in their work and paid me no notice. I looked back at Shazza. Surely she wouldn't... I examined the line of customers banked up back to the door. She certainly had a reason to keep working. "Screw it," I thought. I had nowhere to be and while there was still hope, I wasn't giving up.

Another five minutes later and my confidence was starting to waver again. Then I heard a voice come from beside me.

"Hi Ty, this is for you."

I looked up to see the young dark haired barista who had served me before. She smiled at me.

"Shaz says she's sorry to keep you waiting. We've had two people call in sick. She said if your willing to wait then she should be free in half an hour. She said if you do she promises to make it up to you. She told me to bring you this muffin."

I practically beamed up at her.

"That's fine. Tell her not to worry, I'm happy to wait."

She nodded in affirmation and headed back towards the kitchen. I felt like a large weight had lifted from my shoulders. "I knew there must be a good reason,"I said to myself.

The next thirty minutes rolled by quite quickly, the young couple across from me had stepped things up a notch, breaking up their conversation with the occasional passionate kiss. Meanwhile the elderly ladies continued to debate the finer points of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Then it happened, I heard her voice.

"Hey Ty, sorry to keep you waiting we had two people call in sick and I just couldn't get away."

I looked up quickly, there she was in all her beauty, standing with one hand on her chair and an apologetic look on her face.

"It's fine," I reassured her.

Her face split in a smile and it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds. As I recovered from that dazzling experience, I examined her further. She had removed her black cap and apron, leaving her long dark hair tied back in a ponytail. Her black polo shirt whilst not being a particularly flattering garment, gave a hint to the incredible curves beneath. Her legs were clad in a pair of tight black exercise pants. Where her polo had shielded her figure, her pants left little to the imagination, putting on display a pair of toned and athletic legs. My gaze came back up to meet her intelligent blue eyes.

It was at that point I realised I'd become distracted by her presence and had been looking at her dumbly for way too long. I shook my head slightly, breaking the trance. Shazza was looking at me with a look of uncertainty on her face.

"Sorry," I apologised. "You just took my breath away. I just can't believe you're actually here with me."

A saw a touch of colour on her cheeks and her smile took on a coy almost embarrassed quality. I wasn't sure if I was making things better or worse, but I plowed on.

"Please Shazza, just sit with me for a little while, I promise you won't regret it."

Her smile went from coy to mischief as she cocked an eyebrow at me. Slowly she slid her chair out and sat down.

"My friends just call me Shaz."

"Oh. Right. Sorry Shaz." The name certainly fitted her better. It rolled off the tongue sounding chic and elegant rather than downright bogan.

"Why the name tag?" I asked pointing to her badge.

She smiled sweetly. "That was my new manager having a quirky sense of humour. They gave me this badge the first week I started and the name kinda stuck with all my customers."

"Oh. That's funny." I said giving a polite laugh.

She smiled at me and gave a small nod. At that point my brain seemed to stop working and I stared back at her trying to hide my fear and self loathing as I searched my brain for an intelligent topic.

Shaz put me out of my misery mercifully.

"So Ty, tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do?"

"Ahh, I work in finance at Finance Global in the city. It's not a bad gig and I live in Auburn so it's an easy commute in and out." I paused and she just smiled at me, waiting for me to go on.

"I've been there three years now. I got the job straight after I graduated and I've kinda been coasting ever since. It pays the bills so I can't complain. How about you?"

Shaz looked at me, seeming somewhat bemused and immediately I realised my mistake.

"I work at a coffee house." Her smile teased me and I tried to cover my mistake.

"Oh yeah of course, but are you studying anything else?"

"Why? Isn't working at a coffee house enough." She cocked an eyebrow at me with a look that suggested danger. I could feel my cheeks going red as I back-pedalled hard. I couldn't believe how royally I was fucking this up.

"No, no, that's fine of course. I'm sorry I shouldn't have assumed. It's a great job."

"Fine?" She replied. "It's fine that I work at a coffee house?"

"Ah... Um... That's not what I... Um... Sorry?" I stumbled over my words like the buffoon I am.

Her face broke into a smile.

"I'm an arts major at university. I'm majoring in animation with a minor in graphic design."

Her grin widened as she saw the realisation on my face.

All I could do was laugh and clasp my hand to my chest in mock relief. Even though my heart was still racing and I could feel the blood pumping through my ears.

"God, you got me good," I admitted.

Shaz just gave a small laugh. Then she paused cocking her head slightly

"So if you live in Auburn and work in the city. Why are you here buying coffee every morning?"

"Ah... Um... Well I just really love the coffee." I offered meekly.

A look of scorn crossed her face. "The coffee? The coffee here is mediocre at best. So why come here?"

"Ah... Well... The thing is..." I was floundering, trying to find a reasonable excuse. When none presented itself I just sighed and took the only option left to me. The truth.

"Your right. The coffee sucks. Every morning I walk 6 blocks so that I can come in here and share a few minutes with you." The words tumbled out of me. I paused and when she didn't speak I continued on.

"But not in like a creepy, stalker way." She cocked an eyebrow at this. "I mean, your just so beautiful and intelligent and funny. You always say something to brighten my day. Last month when you were sick for a week, it was the worst week of my life."

I looked down, averting my eyes in shame. When I looked up I saw a shy smile on her beautiful face and a touch of pink on her cheeks.

"You know that's about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

I smiled back at her and we shared a moment before she continued.

"So why wait so long to ask me out?"

I looked away again before lifting my gaze to meet her eyes.

"I don't know. I'm a coward I guess. I couldn't count the number of times I planned to but chickened out. I guess I was afraid that if you said no it would be the end of our morning encounters."

I saw a spark in her blue eyes and the look of mischief was back, almost taunting me.

"So what changed today?" She asked.

"Well I woke up this morning feeling a little rough around the edges and I looked in the mirror and decided I'd had enough of being a coward. It was time to 'seize the day' so to speak."

She cocked her eyebrow again almost seductively. "Really? And how's that working out for you."

"Well to be honest I'd say it's going better than I could have ever imagined."

She gave a small laugh at this.

"Really? This has been better than you could have ever imagined? Ty, you really need to dream bigger."

I just gave a shrug and grinned back at her.

Shaz leant forward almost conspiratorially, resting her arms on the table.

"So does this 'seizing of the day' just involve asking me out? Or do you plan to take whatever opportunity comes your way?"

She stared at me intently and I suspected there was more to this question than she was letting on.

"Based on how well asking you out has gone, I think I'll be sticking to that motto for today at least."

Her smile brightened wider and her eyes seemed to light up.

"I'm glad you said that Ty. You know how I promised I'd make it up to you, since I kept you waiting for so long?"

I cut in quickly. "You don't need to do that. Honestly you owe me nothing."

She just smiled back at me, her face a picture of excitement and mischief. "I know that, but all the same I think it might be fun, especially now I know you're planning to 'seize the day.'"

Shaz leant back in her chair, her back straightened and her hands disappeared under the table. I watched in shock as her hands returned grasping the hem of her shirt. Slowly, sensually the shirt rose up revealing her smooth, toned stomach. The shirt continued to rise. It caught on her breasts for a second, lifting them along with the now bunched handfuls of shirt. Then in a magical instant they sprang free, the two most perfect breasts dropped into view. I stared in shock at her two perfectly proportioned orbs. Her breasts weren't too big, nor were they too small. To put it simply, her breasts were 'Just right!' Her areoles were small and pink, only a few centimetres in diameter. In their centre sat her two delicate nipples. I only looked for a fraction of a second, but in that moment I took in every detail, every contour, every colour, committing them to memory.