John looked at the clock for the eighth time in ten minutes while he cleaned the steam wand on the espresso machine. The dishes were all done, the floor had been swept, and the pastries were covered in the case. It was almost time to close for the day, and she still hadn't come in for her evening coffee.

"She" was his favourite customer, a blonde with a breathtaking smile. Rose, he remembered from reading her name on multiple takeaway cups. She was always polite and cheerful, but never stayed long enough for John to do much more than hand her drink to her.

Apparently though, he talked about Rose a lot, because his cousin had threatened him with physical harm if he didn't talk to her by the end of the week. "If you're going to moon over one of our best customers, Spaceman, at least try talking to her."

Hard to do if she doesn't come in, John thought morosely. He picked up the broom and dustpan and carried them into the back.

Of course, the door chimed as soon as he stepped away from the counter. "I'll be right there," he called out.

"No worries, I'm just glad I got here before you closed."

John shoved the broom into the cupboard and hurried to get up front; he know that voice. "Rose! I didn't think I'd see you tonight."

A delightful blush crept across her face. "Am I that much of a regular then?" she asked, smiling bashfully.

John grinned at her while he started making her drink. "Oh, I think so. Twice a day, everyday. A six shot latte every time." He raised his left eyebrow. "Should I be worried about how much caffeine you're consuming?"

Rose pulled out her bank card and John rang her up, then turned to the refrigerator. "Are you suggesting I come in less frequently?" she asked as she keyed in her pin.

John nearly dropped the carton of milk. "No! Oh, no no no! Donna would kill me if I scared our best customer off."

She took longer to put her card away than she usually did, leaving John to sweat until she came around to the bar. "Best customer, eh?"

He caught the hint of a smile then and realised she'd been teasing him. "That wasn't very nice," he said as he steamed the milk.

Rose tilted her head and gave him a smile that showed just a hint of her tongue, and John completely lost track of the conversation. He'd thought her smile was gorgeous before, but this… he'd never seen this smile.

He was vague aware that he was staring, and that the milk was ready, so he put the pitcher down and started pulling the shots. "So, what do you do that you need so much caffeine?"

"I'm working full time at Henrik's during the day, and studying for my A-levels in the evening." Rose rubbed at her forehead. "Not much time left to sleep."

John saw the dark circles under her eyes that he'd never noticed before. "I guess not. You must be tired all the time."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well this is my punishment for leaving school for a wannabe rockstar. It woulda been much easier back then, with no job taking up my time."

Rose obviously wasn't still with the musician, but the thought of her in a relationship stole the confidence John had managed to muster up. He poured the steamed milk over the espresso and put a lid on her cup, trying to think of something to say.

"Well, you always know where you can get more caffeine," he said as he handed the cup to her, wincing at how lame he sounded.

Judging by the furrow in her brow, it wasn't quite the response Rose had expected. "Yeah… thanks for that. For this," she amended, holding her drink up. "I'll let you close up now."

John locked the door behind Rose, then sighed as he walked back to the counter. He spotted a piece of paper next to the register and picked it up absently, glancing at it as he started to throw it away.

It was a name. A name and a number. "Rose Tyler," he said, liking the way the syllables rolled off his tongue. Then he realised—she'd left him her number.

It only took a second for John to figure out what to say.

There's a chippy just around the corner, if you're hungry.

He tapped his fingers against the counter, waiting for a reply, but when his phone vibrated in his hand, he almost threw it in the air. Catching it just in time, he took a deep breath and forced himself to look at her reply.

Starved.

John bounced on his toes, feeling his face stretch into a grin.

I'll be there in ten minutes.