Chapter One
"I still don't see what the big deal is" Killian frowned along with the rest of the group as they all took in the place around them.
They were currently in NYU students' favourite coffee hang-out. The cute kitschy coffee joint was definitely made for students, the layout itself speaking volumes. There were counter-top seats with bar stools for the in-and-out ten minute breakers, there were several cushy arm chair areas with low coffee tables and charging outlets for the well broken-in stuck-on-their-laptop dead-liners (judging by the furious typing being emitted, those deadlines were soon), the larger sofa and jazzed up cushions section, where the small group socializers were relaxing in between lectures and study sessions, and even small domed alcove areas for the first-daters who wanted a little more privacy.
Their own small group consisting of himself, David, Victor and Will had taken up residence on one of the only two larger group tables, under some low-hanging vintage lights which incidentally provided the best view for mapping out the entire layout of the place. As much as the place had an obvious appeal for young college students, especially being so close to campus, it didn't explain the very male-biased customer base that seemed to heavily populate the shop.
He and his friends had only just discovered the place now in their second year of study. A little late in the game according to a mutual friend Jefferson, who they shared a core science with.
"You guys have seriously never been down there?"
They all shook heads, not really understanding the point they were so clearly missing (if the look on Jefferson's face had anything to say)
"When you get a moment, make some time. Trust me, the view is well worth it" he smirked and headed off.
And he wasn't the first to mention it. Dave had heard similar commentary from some of the guys on his fencing team, and Victor had a few other pre-meds tell him it was a great place to take in some of the best scenery that NYU had to offer.
"Dream Bean Coffee Club, who came up with that?" Victor said distastefully.
They all shared a smirk. Victor had never been one to be into fairytales, hopes, dreams and happy endings. He was a realist through and through and the only fairytales he was into was the original Grimm Brother's stories where there was almost certified to be some gore and tragedy.
"What's wrong with it?" David sighed, ever the cheerful optimist.
"What's right with it? Actually, what is so right about this place? I have no idea what the hell Jefferson was going on about. Some view. All I see is coffee joint with way too many blokes" he scanned the room, getting impatient with what he saw as a waste of time.
Killian glanced around when he spied an acquaintance from his Creative Writing class, "Humbert!"
The unfairly handsome fellow Irishman spied them and made his way over, smiling charmingly at a girl he passed by who almost tripped over her own feet at the gesture.
Typical.
Smirking at his fellow native, they clapped backs in typical male greeting fashion before Killian introduced him to the rest of his mates.
"So, Graham is it?" Victor snarked, at this point too annoyed to bother with any polite pretences. Graham just raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Killian who just shook his head in a way that told him to just roll with it. "What exactly is it about this place that has ever guy on campus spending their time here?"
Whatever they were expecting, Killian hadn't expected both of Graham's eyebrows to shoot up in response, followed by a light tinge of red colouring his face.
"You actually blushing mate?" He asked, amused at the expression on his friend's face.
Clearly Graham knew exactly the answer to their question, and whatever the answer was had him highly embarrassed.
"It can't be that bad?" David frowned.
"What is it? Poker games in the back? Secret underground fight club?" Will was practically salivating at the idea of one of his dream scenarios coming true. The guy was too much of a cinephile at times.
"No nothing like that," he chuckled, and regained some of his usual laidback demeanour. He locked eyes with the group as though ascertaining something, "I'm guessing you were told to come here by someone else?"
"Jefferson Hatter, said something about the view"
"Sidney Glass mentioned the scenery..." David trailed off while checking for anything worth seeing out of the window. Which was basically nothing.
Graham rolled his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath. He stuck his hands in his pockets in an almost nervous manner, before addressing them which to be honest just made Killian that much more curious.
"It was a metaphor. They were talking about the girls"
"The what now?" Victor suddenly perked up.
"The waitresses that work the shifts at this place. There's eight of them and right about now there's a shift change, so the four working the evening will be coming out. Depending on their type I guess, guys time their visits here accordingly." Graham grimaced at that last part - the discomfort in his explanation telling Killian that he was probably one of the few that didn't plan his coffee schedule according to the fairer persuasion employed within its walls.
He didn't know what surprised him more. The answer they'd been after or Graham's scowl when he gave it to them.
Not to mention, how the hell had they not figured that one out?
It was only now that they all knew, when suddenly it all made sense. The male to female ratio in customers were seriously outnumbered by the former. He could even recall the fond looks on Jefferson's and Sidney's faces when they spoke of the place.
The view.
The scenery.
"How the hell did we miss that?" Killian was almost disappointed in the lack of thinking.
"So I take it these girls are..." Victor waggled his eyebrows and shared a lewd look, one that they all saw far too frequently on his face when it came to the opposite sex.
Graham shrugged, "You can see for yourself, they're just about to start shift"
He nodded to the staff door to the side of the counter, where a matronly woman was taking orders, clearly covering the front until the waitresses were out. Killian spied more than a few other onlookers around the room casting surreptitious glances towards the door, which only cemented what Graham had just told them.
It was almost funny how all five of them stared at the door silently, practically willing it to open with their minds. Surely if most of the campus was constantly populating the place just to spend time watching the waitresses, then it was just basic research on their part to see what the deal was.
As soon as the door opened, Killian was sure that none of them moved a muscle.
Not a single movement.
Blinking was pretty much out of the question.
Not with the current vision in front of them.
The first sight of a short red, high wasted skirt with white low scoop round neck tee was enough to make all their eyes fall out their sockets. It helped that the uniform accompanied a pair of mile-long legs in heels, strikingly angular features, eyes that seemed to snatch up every man in the vicinity like a predator, and dark brown hair that hung straight down with bright red rebellious streaks sifting through them.
"Holy fuck." Victor was pretty much drooling.
Whoever she was, the waitress already had half the attention of the entire room on he, which considering her stunning looks was hardly a surprise. She walked over to the matronly woman, smiled sweetly (which seemed contrasting to the steely look in her eyes – the woman must be someone she held a soft spot for), and took over at the front counter.
The door went again and all four heads swivelled back to take in another recruit. If any of them had paid attention, they might have noticed Graham rolling his eyes and walking off to leave them to it, but then none of them were really taking notice of anything but the next set of legs out of the door.
This waitress was undoubtedly another beauty. Unlike the first one she seemed a lot more delicate and dainty, but nonetheless, just as show-stopping in her attire. Her long brown locks fell down in waves over her shoulders, her sweet brown eyes portraying a gentle innocence that was enticing all in itself. But the way she sashayed over to the counter showed an underlying feminine awareness. Where the first waitress seemed the type you could sweep through the sheets with for a night, this one was definitely the quintessential girl next door, take-home-to-your-parents type.
"Damn." Will's eyebrows shot up.
And that got all of their attentions, because Will never outwardly expressed anything when it came to women. Where Victor was the player, Killian was the flirt, David was the romantic, Will was the cynic. His first and only relationship had met such a vile end with his ex Anastasia shredding his heart before trampling it over again and again. The guy had sworn women were no good for anything but scratching an itch and had long vowed to never let some harpy take him for a mug again. It was safe to say that whenever Victor wanted a wingman, Will was pretty much out of the question.
So for the three of them to see Will practically ogling the brunette beauty was a feat in itself. A look was then shared between them of mutual understanding, in that if anything were to happen, then waitress number two was most definitely off limits. None of them were going to do anything to screw what might possibly be a once in a lifetime opportunity in Will actually being interested in someone for the first time in years.
The door shifted again and all heads flew back on cue. It was getting a little more difficult to see thanks to the queuing that had begun at the counter. The first two waitresses had already garnered a small fan base that was currently shouting out orders, numbers and some of the worst pick-up lines he'd had the misfortune of hearing.
The third pair of legs through (and yes that was pretty much where all their eyes honed in on first- after all the uniforms practically asked for it), had David choking on air.
Once his gaze travelled north, Killian suddenly understood why.
"Is that Mary Margaret?"
David nodded frantically, pretty much blushing to the roots of his blonde hair.
"That's the girl from your Creative Writing class that David's been crushing on for almost a year?" Victor clarified, almost gleeful at the coincidence.
"I have not been crushing out on her" David protested, almost indignant at the assumption.
"Mate don't bother, you're not even in the class and yet you always insist on meeting me afterwards with one pitiful excuse after the other just so you can see her walk out the room"
It was sad and so true. Killian had noticed the first awestruck look on his friend's face when he'd showed up once the class ended to give Killian notes to a core science class he'd missed a week prior. David had managed to bump headfirst into the lovely Mary Margaret who had been giving Killian her notes at the same time and the way he stared at the pretty young woman had Killian convinced that his good friend had just fallen in love at first sight.
After that David kept finding excuses to come find Killian when the Creative Writing class had ended. And Killian had noticed early on that the wandering eyes and the way his features lit up on sight of the brunette, meant he was not the reason for his friend's consistent presence.
As they took in the sight of their friend's affection, it couldn't be denied that she was extremely attractive. She had a petite frame and demure nature, which again seemed to contrast with the edgy pixie-cut hair that showed her Snow-white-esque facial features off all the more. She definitely looked like she could pull off the 'fairest of them all' look. She had a certain poise and grace to her movements that pulled more than a few stares in her direction.
"This is so great, we have an in" Victor was two seconds away from clapping his hands together.
"An in?"
"Yes Nolan." He rolled his eyes dramatically, surprised his friend hadn't cottoned on to his ploy already. "Since Killian actually knows one of the waitresses, we can totally get in with them!"
David sighed loudly at another one of his friends hair-brained schemes to get to the fairer sex. It was well known that Victor can, has, and will try anything to get a girl that had attracted his eye. And although they were all appealing in their own right, it seems that the first waitress (who looks like she could have been a huntress in a past life) was the one that his mate had his eye on.
Will likewise had not taken his eye off the second waitress, who was currently laughing out loud at something Mary Margaret had just whispered to her as they bustled about making the orders as they came through. For once it seemed he was in agreement with Victor, that made for a change.
"Well come on then" Killian stood up. David and Will immediately followed suit with no arguments.
When Victor didn't move, they all stared at him confused. He looked at them and gestured back to the door. "Graham said four waitresses"
They all groaned in unison and rolled their eyes.
Victor Whale, ladies and gentleman. Anything for a skirt.
"Besides Killian, this one can be for you"
"Mate, if you think I need any help with getting a woman then-"
He immediately cut off as the door flew open again and the second he looked up, he was pretty sure he lost all ability to speak.
If he had thought anything of the previous women, then they all paled in comparison to what he currently saw before him. Long, luscious legs, beautiful golden waves, wicked green eyes, and a face that could looked like it belonged to the heavens.
Bloody hell.
"Certainly sounds like you're interested mate" David grinned out a poor imitation of his accent, and it was only then Killian realised he'd said that out loud.
And he was gawking.
And for the life of him he couldn't stop.
He just watched as she moved flitting from table to table, an expert by now to be spinning in those heels across the shop floor. Giving out polite customary smiles as she cleared off tables, her lithe frame wonderfully accentuated by that uniform (the uniform Killian was currently thanking any and all gods for the conception of).
It was a testament to how distracted he was by the angel personified bussing the tables that he hadn't even realised that he and his friends were now at the counter, a sharp cough gathering his attention.
He was met with the aforementioned pixie herself.
"Hello Killian,"
"Mary Margaret," he smiled "fancy meeting you here"
"Not such a huge coincidence considering I've been working here for over a year now" she smiled back charmingly. "First time I've seen you grace us with your illustrious presence Killian Jones" He grinned at that.
He and Mary Margaret had been paired up for an assignment in the first semester on deciphering poetry and its hidden meanings. It was at that point they both realised they had a real love for the English language and despaired at consistent assassination of it with colloquialisms and local slang. Since then they would try and throw as many adjectives into their conversations as possible.
"Glad to see you agree that my being here only enhances the experience" he winks at her.
She rolled her eyes but smiled good-naturedly.
"So what can I get for you and your friends?"
She looked over the group, her eyes seeming to do a double sweep over David, with whom she shared a small smile.
Interesting, Killian noted. It might be that David's one-sided crush isn't so one-sided after all.
"Well Mary Margaret, these louts here are David, Victor and Will"
Each of them greeted her in good form, (surprisingly even Victor), and gave her their orders. Pro that she was she easily manoeuvred all four orders straight on to the current barista behind the counter, Belle if her name tag read correctly. And just under the name itself was another word in italics reading Creamy.
He caught Will staring at the tag with intrigue, his face wavering between the name and the barista's face.
"It's a coffee tag"
Both guys looked up as Belle addressed them, having caught them both out.
"What?"
He almost winced at his friend's boorish tone, which judging by the red tint to Will's ears, hadn't been what he was going for. Killian sighed, they really had to teach him how to speak to women.
Funnily enough, Belle didn't seem at all bothered by it.
"The titles underneath our names, they're our coffee tags. They represent a different type of hot drink. Each waitress gets her own"
She smiled at Will as she passed over his coffee and Killian was sure his friend was having a heart attack. Smiling tightly at the brunette, he nudged him discreetly until Will choked out some form of a 'thank you' before retreating over to the sugar station.
Mary Margaret had finished taking their payments and noticing the lull in customers at the moment, she was making small talk with Victor and David. Spying a look at her coffee tag, he saw the word Sweet.
Fitting.
It seemed Victor had seen the tags too.
"So if you're creamy and you're sweet, what does that make you gorgeous?" where Will had been shy and stuttering, Victor was loud and proud as he addressed the red-streaked brunette who had just sauntered up to the till.
"Way out of your league," she sassed, much to the amusement of everyone but Victor.
"You seem sure of that sweetheart, but I bet I could change your mind" he leaned across the counter, eyeing her up and down in a lazy manner. Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows at David and himself in question.
"He's harmless really," Killian assured as Victor and Ruby (as identified by her name tag) traded more barbs.
"Yeah, he just has a tendency to think with his other head" David quipped, causing Mary Margaret to chuckle. Killian swore David almost puffed out at that point.
"So Saucy, seems about right" Victor remarked comparing the tag to the brunette whose favour he was currently trying to win.
"Oh it is," she flirted right back, "not that you'll ever know" she breezed past him with a now empty tray and didn't give him a second look.
Victor on the other hand just stared after her like she'd taken the sun with her.
This just gets better.
"Hey Belle, the guy on table 5 wants a refill on his caramel mocha, the first one seems to have found its way onto his face"
And better...
He turned to his right as the beautiful blonde he'd been mooning over earlier appeared by his side.
And by gods she was even more spectacular up close.
"And how did he end up wearing his coffee?" Belle's sweet saccharine tone was teasing.
"Hey! It wasn't me this time," the blonde sparked back in mock outrage
"That's a first" Belle remarked as she passed over David and Victor's orders.
Killian quirked an eyebrow, "You make a habit of throwing drinks in people's faces lass?"
"You make a habit of eavesdropping on conversations you're not a part of?" she turned to face him, a sardonic tone to her voice and defensive attitude in her posture. It only served to egg him on.
"Oh absolutely." He smiled and moved in just a tad closer. "You find out the most interesting things that way" If he wasn't much mistaken, he could have sworn she'd moved in closer too.
"Well there's nothing interesting for you to notice this way, trust me on that"
He took in her wild green eyes, a stormy brew of mixed shades and emotions that made him want to drown in them endlessly. Her lips were pursed unimpressed, that didn't hinder him from taking how full and luscious they were, sparking the urge in him to want to pull them between his teeth.
Bloody hell.
"I very much doubt that love" He smirked at her, his eyes scanning all over her face, as her mistrustful expression only deepened.
"I'm not your love" she sassed. Grabbing the drink from Belle, she took her leave, and Killian stood there grinning and watching her the whole way.
"Her name's Emma. Emma Swan" David told him discreetly later on. Apparently he and Mary Margaret had spoken quite a bit while he'd been distracted.
Emma Swan.
It suited her.
Beautiful and graceful.
Of course he was also partial to her coffee tag. The one he'd snuck a quick look at just as she huffed and turned away from him.
Spicy.
And wasn't she just.
"They're back again" Ruby commented as she made her way into the back room.
Belle was mid-pinning her badge to her uniform, Mary Margaret was stuffing her things into her locker, and Emma was braiding her hair to the side. All three of them looked up at their fourth friend and immediately knew who she was referring to.
"Seriously? It's been a week, how much coffee do they drink?"
"About the same amount as the rest of campus" Mary Margaret said dryly, "honestly I don't see the big deal, they're okay"
"You would say that. You've got a thing for David Nolan," Ruby remarked, brushing out her hair and getting her uniform on.
"I do not!"
"Oh please, even I can see it" Belle added.
Emma chuckled. The classical beauty wasn't very aware when it came to men, and always seemed to be the last to know when a guy was interested in her. She didn't always pick up when there was potential interest between two parties. It almost caused a bind once when she unknowingly caught a guy's interest that Ruby had been really into at the time. It was only the sincerity in Belle's plea that she had done so unwittingly which stopped things going sour with their friendship at the time.
"Like you can talk Creamy," Ruby added, "that Will guy can't seem to get near you without forgetting how to speak"
It was Belle's turn to protest. Though hers seemed pointless when her face was currently resembling a tomato.
"Well Ruby, it's not like Victor's really hid his hard-on for you," Emma quipped, giving Belle a break who threw her a grateful look.
"Oh I'm very much aware, trust me" Ruby winked, grinning.
"Wait, do you like him back?"
She shrugged, "it's not always about liking. He's hot enough, and if I'm horny enough..." she wiggled her eyebrows and Mary Margaret gave a long suffering sigh. Ruby really stirred up her maternal instincts at times.
"What about you Emma?" Ruby asked
"What about me?" she stuck her heels on, and turned to find three sets of eyes – and smiles – on her.
"Oh come off it, we've seen you with Killian" Ruby looked at her pointedly.
"Nothing to it Rubes, he's a pain in the ass and that's it."
And it was the truth.
The entire week their group had been in, she'd watched Will staring at Belle from afar, and flinching a mile high when she appeared to check on their table. She'd smirked as Victor seemed to try every line in the book and out of it to try and get Ruby to go out with him, and the many intricate and amusing ways that Ruby would purposely blow him off. (It was obvious to anyone and their son that no matter how Ruby span it, she did enjoy the attention and pretending to them that she was only in it for potential sex wasn't fooling anyone). And Emma would have been blind not to notice the simmering chemistry between Mary Margaret and David.
What she had really hoped not to notice, was the recent shadow she'd acquired.
One by the name of Killian Jones.
Emma had no idea what on earth she had done in a past life to end up with a blue-eyed, raven haired, British stalker who used vocabulary like an art form; but somehow that's exactly what happened. She was pretty sure he was a serial flirt, with just the right amount of rugged handsomeness and endless charm to sweep many a gullible girl off her feet.
The problem was, Emma Swan was not one of those girls.
The type that fell for well practised lines, and oodles of charm. She didn't swoon over sparkling blue eyes and talented wit that wouldn't be out of place in an eighteenth century romance novel. She was most definitely not a damsel in distress or forlorn princess waiting for a knight in shining armour - or in this case a dashing Brit with a brilliant smile.
No.
Emma Swan was just fine by herself.
And she was not looking to change that any time soon.
Maybe it was high time she got that across to a certain dark-haired flirt.
"Everyone ready?" she asked.
They all nodded and headed out the door, all lost in their own varying thoughts which none of them would admit were centred around the same group outside.