Everyday for Kevin it was the same thing: get up, go to the coffee shop, go to work, and come home. And everyday the same things would happen. He would always hit his toe on the corner of his bed frame. The coffee shop would always be out of almond milk and the barista would always apologize. At work his boss would always comment about how he needed to find a girl so that they could double. And then finally he'd go home and eat something that wasn't good for his stomach.
Kevin had always had issues with food, through no fault of his own. It wasn't until he was a toddler that his parents started noticing he didn't take well to certain foods. After a few doctors visits and multiple tests it turned out that not only did he have Celiac disease, he was also lactose intolerant and allergic to a variety of foods. It never stopped him though. He was always eating something that made his stomach react in unpleasant ways. That's why he took his coffee with almond milk, he knew that if he didn't have something lactose free he'd blow up the office bathroom before the end of the day.
All of this swirled in his brain as he waited in line to order his coffee. He thought about the mundaneness of his routines and the annoyances of his digestive system. But then he caught sight of the barista in the beanie that was always so kind and it all fell away. He suddenly felt himself smiling even though he knew his coffee wouldn't be what he wanted. He'd been trying to convince himself that the only reason he kept coming back was because even though the coffee wasn't his cup of tea they had the least sucky coffee in town.
But upon seeing the man with gap toothed smile and sparkling blue eyes he knew the real reason. He quickly pulled out his wallet so that when he ordered he wouldn't take up too much of the man's time. The person in front of him ordered quickly and was on their way.
The barista's smile seemed to widen a bit seeing the red head before him, "You want the usual today, Kevin?"
Kevin grinned his best lopsided grin at hearing the man speak his name. "Yeah, Edd the usual will be fine. Maybe throw in a peanut butter cookie too."
Edd put the order into the cash register and told Kevin his total. While Kevin counted out the bills in his hand Edd walked off to fix his cup of coffee and grab the cookie. When he came back Kevin handed him the cash and told him to keep the change. Edd smiled in thanks and waved.
As Kevin walked away he took a sip of his coffee and stopped dead in his tracks. His coffee tasted different this morning, it had a hint of vanilla in it and Kevin knew immediately what it was. He turned around and was glad to see that there was only one person in the line. When the person was done with their order and Edd looked at him his smile dropped a little.
"Is there something wrong with your order?" He asked with a worried expression.
Kevin smiled at him reassuringly. "No definitely not. I just noticed that my coffee tastes different today and I was wondering if you guys had finally gotten in the almond milk."
Edd's cheeks flushed red and his eyes darted down to the counter before looking back up at Kevin. "Actually, I spoke with our manager about it and she said that she would put in the order but she wasn't sure how long it would take. So I took it upon myself to go to the store and purchase some because I know you ask for it often. And I don't think you'd insist on it unless you were suffering from some sort of dietary restrictions which required you to keep lactose products out of your system."
Kevin's smile widened as the barista rambled on. "So not only are you the nicest barista in the world, you're also a book worm."
Edd's eyes dropped to the floor again and Kevin noticed that he was biting his bottom lip.
"No, I didn't mean it as an insult. I think it's kind of cool. You know, in a dorky sort of way." Kevin laughed as he tried to explain that he meant no harm.
Edd looked back up at him confusion clear on his face. Someone cleared their throat and his eye searched for the noise. There was a young girl with her arms folded across her chest tapping her foot impatiently behind Kevin. Kevin's eyes followed Edd's and he suddenly realized that he was going to be late for work.
He quickly grabbed a napkin from the counter and asked Edd for a pen. When Edd handed over his sharpie Kevin jotted down his name and number.
He handed the napkin to Edd and walked quickly from the shop.
Edd's eyes scanned the napkin quickly and he chuckled when he read the note at the bottom.
In neat cursive the red head had written "Call me some time, maybe we can do coffee?"
