This is my first fanfic on ! Yay! Please comment! I'm more than willing to listen to advice and make alterations.
Carlton Lassiter waited in line to get his coffee, glancing at his watch with an impatient sigh. He wished he could flash his badge and skip to the front but Chief Vick saw that as an "abuse of power". However, it was Lassiter's opinion that risking his life to protect justice should earn him the right to get his coffee first.
The woman in front of him was making an order that sounded more like an essay than java. Lassiter tapped his foot with a frown. He wished complicated orders were illegal so he could arrest this lady and get his coffee already! Finally she finished with, "and rainbow sprinkles on top" and moved out of the way so Lassiter could take his place at the coveted front of the line.
"Quadruple Americano. Tall." He said, wallet in hand. See? How hard was it to order coffee? It had taken Lassiter a grand total of five seconds. And who asked for rainbow sprinkles on their mocha anyway? He pulled a crinkled five-dollar bill from his wallet and offered it to the young, lady cashier.
"Oh, no charge, sir. The woman in front of you asked to pay for your coffee." She replied. Lassiter looked down the length of the counter at the woman, who was waiting for her order. She smiled and waved. Lassiter didn't respond. He looked down at the rumpled bill in his hand. He really didn't want this woman to pay for his order but as a keeper of the peace he certainly couldn't allow his coffee to be paid for twice. It would mean anarchy. So, finally, he hesitantly returned the five to his wallet and moved out of the line. He shuffled down to the other end of the counter, leaving a few feet of empty air between himself and this strange woman. People who paid for other people's coffee, especially his, were probably up to no good.
"Hi." The woman said. Lassiter glanced sideways at her.
"Hello." He replied shortly. He wished the workers would hurry up and make her coffee so she would leave.
"My name's Amber." She said, offering him her hand. He shook it promptly and then turned away.
"Carlton Lassiter." He replied quickly. He glanced at his watch.
"Running late?' she asked, casually drumming her fingers on the counter.
"Yeah."
Silence.
Well, even if she was probably up to no good, Lassiter didn't want to seem rude so he said:
"Thanks for the coffee."
She turned to look at him and smiled. "Anytime."
"Amber?" a teenage worker called, holding up a cup.
"That's me!" Amber chimed, reaching over the counter and taking the cup. Lassiter gave an inward sigh of relief. He hated the awkward conversations that people insisted on initiating with complete strangers. Couldn't they just get their coffee in peace and quiet and allow others to do the same?
Amber took a sip with a contented expression. "See you around, Carlton." She said before turning to leave. He certainly hoped not.
"Carlton?" a second worker called. Lassiter accepted the cup and walked past the long line of people to get to the exit. He couldn't help but notice several female heads turn as he walked past. He found it extremely unnerving.