He walked quickly through the city; the rain began to pick up and instead of walking at a steady pace he began to jog to the nearest coffee shop, avoiding cars and bicycles as he did so. He saw a sign up ahead that read "Downton Coffee" and decided to walk in and sit down for a bit. Upon entering he took off his coat which had become drenched. He ran his fingers through the mop on his head in an attempt to untangle and comb it back a bit. He looked up at the menu they had behind the counter and as soon as he found something to order he walked up to the register and couldn't help but stare at the cashier. Her curly black hair was pulled back into a pony tail, her beautiful blue eyes had a natural twinkle in them and her smile was warm and welcoming.
"Can I help you sir?" She asked with her English accent. Tom had been living in the area for a while, but never had he heard someone with such an adorable accent. He noticed that he had been staring at her for a minute to long when her cheeks began to turn a deep red and she smiled and bit her lip in a flirtatious manor.
"Um... Can I get a medium coffee, extra sugar please." He said. He pulled out his wallet and handed her a five dollar bill.
"Raining out there pretty hard huh?" The girl said as she took his money.
"Yup, it's raining cats and dogs out there." He replied with a smile.
"Your accent... It's Irish? You're not from around here..." She counted his change.
"I'm from Dublin, I moved here last year with my brother. He wanted to start an auto repair shop out here, so here I am."
She couldn't help but smile. He was so friendly, and somehow he brightened her day. Business had been slow so she was the only one working. She went over to the counter and made his coffee. She could feel his gaze upon her and began to blush. He was cute, she had to admit that, but her sister Mary had advised her not to flirt with the customers but to simply be polite and continue on with work. A few months back her older sister Mary had an admirer coming in every day ordering a coffee just so he could talk to her for a bit. He finally packed up the courage and asked her out. For, five months Matthew and Mary dated; he had made her the happiest girl in the world. But like all good things, their relationship came to an end after a silly argument.
She walked back over to the register and handed the Irish man his coffee.
"Here you go sir." She said with a smile.
"Thank you. Can I have my change please?"
"Oh I'm so sorry..." She handed him his change as her cheeks turned crimson red out of embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it love." He took the change from her, and the instant he touched her hand, he felt warm fuzzies spread throughout his body. He politely nodded a thank you and took a seat at a nearby table and pulled out his phone.
She continued on with her work; cleaning the counters and serving a few other customers who walked in but the whole time, she watched him out of the corner of her eye, eager to learn more about him; his name, what he did for work, whether or not he had a girlfriend... She quickly shook her head as if to tell herself it was wrong to wonder if he was in a relationship.
Tom was watching her clean the counters. She moved the cloth in a circle motion as she worked hard to make sure the place was spotless. He pretended to focus on his phone until he heard her yell.
"Damn it..." She had knocked over a pot of coffee which had spilled all over the floor and all over herself as well.
Tom is instantly stood up and walked over to her wanting to help. He grabbed some napkins and began to wipe up the floor since the girl seemed to be in a very frazzled state. She went out back to grab a mop and came back. After she had finished mopping she looked down at herself; her entire shirt and jeans were soaked from the spill. Tom took a napkin and gently began to dab at the hem of her shirt, trying to absorb some of the coffee. He froze for a moment realizing how close the two of them were. She looked up at him and for a brief second; she was tempted to lean in and kiss him but instead she said "thank you", took some napkins and headed out back to change her shirt and pants.
From her bag she pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a V-neck. After working in the coffee shop for a couple of years, she learned that it was best to pack a spare change of clothing.
Tom had finished his coffee and stayed sitting at one of the tables debating whether or not he should say goodbye to her before he left. Before he could make up his mind, she had finished changing and came back out to the front. She continued to clean the counters almost as if nothing had happened.
"So um... Do you need any help?" Tom asked awkwardly.
"No I'm all set but thank you... What's your name?" She asked. She liked to learn the names of the regular customers and had a feeling he would be stopping by more often.
"Tom, Tom Branson, and yours?"
"Sybil Crawley." She said with a smile.