The Christmas Coffee

Bella's POV

"One large frappachino and a medium vanilla latté, extra sugar."

The Grey Café had always had its fair share of customers, but at Christmas the lines got even longer; which meant the days got even more hectic.

"Bella!" My best friend and fellow Grey Café employee Alice screamed at me over the intercom. "You are needed at the front!"

I scrambled to put down my cup of coffee - the one I had been drinking on the five minute break which I had just started and now didn't expect to finish.

Once I reached the front counter I realized why I had been called. There was even more a flood of customers than there had been about two minutes prior. The line was so long that the next customer was going to have to stand outside.

"Need some help there?" I said with a smile as I tied my employee apron back on.

I took the empty register beside her, and half of her line shifted to the left – just for me.

"I'll take a small black coffee," said a small, blonde woman who was digging through a laptop bag in obvious search of something.

"Is that all, ma'm?" I asked her, politely.

She looked up from searching through her things and gave me a look of sarcastic confusion.

"Wasn't that all I asked for?" She rolled her eyes and went back to searching through her stuff.

I guess I forgot to mention that the people at this time of year are not only in a hurry, but also rude about being in a hurry.

I got her coffee for her as quickly as I could, mainly because I didn't want her to be around longer than she had to be, and with one last sneer at me, she was on her way.

Alice had caught small pieces of the scenario from the counter over, and gave me a smile.

"You have to love the holidays," she said.

I prepared myself for the next customer – I was cool, I was calm, I was collected.

The next customer looked even more charming. A forty something year old who by the way he dressed thought he was still in his twenties. He was staring down at his I-Phone when he came to the counter, no doubt either texting or writing on someone's "wall".

"Two mochaccinos and a frappe," he said, taking his eyes off the phone very briefly to get a look at if I had heard him. "And quickly please, I'm in a rush."

Just like everyone else these days, I thought to myself.

"What sizes would you like sir?" I asked, maintaining my cool.

He glanced up again. "What size is the cheapest?" he asked.

There is a such thing as a stupid question, I thought.

"That would be the small, sir."

"That then," he made a hand movement as to gesture me away to go get the coffees, and because I could hardly stand to be near him, I did so.

I got them and returned to the counter a mere minute later.

"What took so long?" He asked, impatiently.

"I'm sorry sir, it's quite busy here today," I said, my voice rising just slightly.

"Well I'm first in line, ain't I?" he asked. "Shouldn't I be the first priority?"

I could tell I was about to lose it.

"There are two other registers and two other lines. Two other customers that are also our first priority."

"But the others are not your first priority," he said, and his anger and intolerance was apparent now.

I was too peeved now to even respond. I went to hand him his coffee and then …..

……then it happened.

The cup was Styrofoam, and a drop of the coffee had started running down the side. My hands were quivering slightly because of my anger, and everything happened all too quickly.

The coffee slipped from my grasp and hit the floor effortlessly, followed by a splash and a soaked floor.

The first thing I did was look up at the customer's face. He looked furious. He gave me a disgusted glance and walked quickly from the café.

The second thing I did was curse. Curse quietly, but loud enough that the next customer in line happened to catch it. And when I saw that the next customer was not someone old, obnoxious, or in a rush, I cursed again. No, the next customer was a young, attractive male whose every feature was positioned perfectly and whose eyes seemed almost….golden.

He looked at me.

"I am SO sorry," I managed to blurt out. I fumbled to pick the now empty coffee cup off the floor and had only enough patience to throw it on the counter beside the other abandoned coffees.

"And this is gonna have to come out of my paycheck, too," I mumbled to myself quietly.

Once again he heard me.

"That's quite alright, I'll pay for it," he said.

I looked up at him. "I- I can't let you do that," I stated simply.

" 'Course you can," he argued. "I'm the customer, and the customer is always right, is he not?"

He was smiling now.

"Well yes, but –" I started before he interrupted me.

"Are you denying a customer what he wants?" he smiled widely.

"Of course not," I said.

"Then go, get on it," he joked. "Time's a wastin'."

I smiled too. It may have been significantly smaller, but it was a smile nonetheless.

I chuckled. "One spilt mochaccino coming up."

I handed him the empty cup I had thrown down.

"That'll be $4.50," I said hesitantly.

"Very well," he said, "And I'll take these others, too."

I looked down at the other drinks. Even though they were in perfect condition, I still hesitated.

"I can't–" I started, but he interrupted me again.

"What the customer wants…" he said, expecting me to finish.

"….the customer gets." I smiled. I figured there was no winning with this guy.

I totaled up what he owed and handed him his coffees and receipt.

He looked up at me.

"I still feel bad," I said.

He smiled, but it was all in seriousness this time.

"Well don't," he said.

He handed me one of the coffees he had just bought.

"Merry Christmas."

I grabbed the coffee and clutched it in my hand, as I watched him walk out of the café.

"I'm finishing my break," I told Alice, who was currently busy with antsy customers of her own. She had seen none of what just happened - now that would be a story for later.

I went into what we called the breakroom and took a seat in one of the lounge chairs. I took a sip from the coffee, and then noticed something, small but legible, written on the side.

The name's Edward, Edward Cullen

Call me

875-2206

I smiled. I had a feeling I would be dialing that number very, very soon.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed it. It's a oneshot, so I won't be adding anymore chapters =(

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