A/N [Best when listening to "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard][Although I repeatedly listened to the Kris Allen version] Special thanks to Laraaelric for Beta-ing.
Aubrey pushed the door to the coffee shop open, and as she stepped over the threshold and on to the wooden floorboards, the warm air flooded over her and counteracted the chilly wind gusting outside. Aubrey loved Autumn, but as November drew to a close so did the New York weather; the days shortening and the sky clouding were clear signs that winter was coming. And honestly, Aubrey didn't really mind that either.
She had begun taking refuge in the quaint shop roughly two months ago. After a particularly overwhelming day at the firm she had chosen to revel in the free time she had that night, shrugging on a coat and scarf and aimlessly walking the busy streets. She remembered clearly the afternoon sun warming her face as the frosty air bit at her nose and cheeks, her breaths rising up in small puffs and her fingers searching for warmth deeper into her pockets. It was the smell of freshly brewed coffee that drew her into the shop, and it was the quality coffee and croissant that made her come back the next day. It was the light-hearted atmosphere and vintage paintings that made her begin to visit multiple times a week...and it was the friendly redheaded waitress with the bluest eyes she had ever seen that made her deem it her favourite establishment.
She wasn't always working when Aubrey would come in, and sometimes when she was, she wasn't working the counter. It all had to rely on timing, and Aubrey loved those moments when the timing was right. Unfortunately today, the timing would have been right except for one roadblock: Aubrey's father was in town for the afternoon and had requested to meet to discuss work.
The smell of coffee filled her lungs and warmed her insides as she closed the door to the cafe, spotting her father instantly at a table by the wall, already with a few papers neatly spread out on the wooden table. Her glance shifted to the counter and for just a second made eye contact with those cerulean eyes she couldn't ever forget before snapping back to her table and the man in the flawless suit. She gracefully made her way over and greeted him with a shoulder hug and kiss to the temple before dropping her bag and removing her coat. He had already ordered and was sipping on his black coffee as he welcomed her to the table.
"Aubrey, you look well."
"As do you, Father."
"Have you had lunch yet?" he asked as his fingers tapped lightly against the side of his mug.
"Not yet."
"Well you'd best order before we get started. We'll also have to drop by the office after this, so you had better make it quick."
Aubrey didn't need to read the board to know what she was going to order, but she couldn't help but hesitate before stepping up to the counter, eyes locking with the unbelievably pretty waitress that made her heart flutter.
"Triple shot latte and a croissant please."
The girl's smile was instinctual and she grinned warmly at the blonde, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face and writing down the order. "Long day?" she asked warmly, a strange sense of familiarity in her voice.
Aubrey sighed. "Only just beginning."
"And what, may I ask, is an occupation that only begins to get difficult as it nears the end of the day?" The redhead smirked, her blue eyes boring into her own.
"That, would be one of a Lawyer," Aubrey flirted back, her hands fiddling nervously with the bottom of her blazer.
"Of course," the waitress whispered, biting her lip. "Now tell me, Girl Of Law, how is that I see you so often and I didn't even know that? Let alone your name?"
"I-"
"- Caramel Macchiato please." The man in the hoodie was oblivious to the interruption as the two girls snapped out of their conversation and Aubrey looked anxiously at the ground.
"Coming right up!" came the chirp, and Aubrey braved a glance up, once again meeting her eyes with a smile. "And for you, Girl Of Law." The waitress handed over her coffee and pastry with a wink before placing attention on the next customer in line.
"Thanks."
Aubrey tried to focus on the work presented before her, but every time her father was distracted she couldn't resist stealing glances at the redhead. She was enthralled by the concentration on her face as she worked the coffee machine, her breathless laugh as she bantered with a regular customer, the glint in her eye when she caught the blonde looking, or the light slap to her co-worker after he whispered a stupid joke in her ear. And Aubrey couldn't help but wish that she had more of an opportunity to talk to her; the five minutes that she'd normally steal didn't ever seem enough.
Her hand fiddled with the napkin tucked under her mug as her other hand scrawled notes onto the pad in front of her, documenting what her father was dictating. They were nearing the end of the meetup and both had business to attend to back at the firm, rushing to note down the last points of an upcoming business deal and shuffling their papers into order. Finally, she closed the pad and handed it across the table, watching as he slipped it into a folder with the rest of the papers and leaned down to put it in his suitcase. It was here that Aubrey took another opportunity to glance across the cafe in search of the redhead, finding those mesmerising eyes already looking at her.
A soft smile grew on the waitress's face and Aubrey couldn't stop her own grin as the two stared unabashedly at each other.
Then the snap of the suitcase shook Aubrey out of her reverie as her father stood up and prepared to leave. She hurriedly grabbed her bag and coat, following him out of the warm cafe and into the chilled mid-afternoon.
Chloe couldn't get the blonde's smile out of her mind as she watched the woman walk out the door with her business partner. Her heart rate began to slow down to a normal pace as she closed her eyes and tried to remember the piercing green ones she had seen only moments before.
She would give anything to see them again.
Regaining her composure, she grabbed a tray and the table wipe before making her way over to the table that she swore she could still see the blonde sitting at, sipping lightly at her coffee and reading the description for the painting mounted on the wall. A sigh escaped her lips as she began to clear the table of the mugs and plates, spreading them evenly across the tray. She had just placed the woman's mug down when the napkin that had previously been tucked in between the cup and the saucer slipped loose, flipping open and draping itself across the plate and onto the tray.
This wasn't too much of a surprise; napkins had a habit of fluttering around and being generally inconvenient. This time, however, something caught her eye as Chloe went to crumple it up. Ink.
Looking closer, she read the small but neat handwriting hidden away in the corner:
Aubrey Posen
Aubrey was running late. Well she wasn't late per se but rather, later than her fifteen minutes early. She burst into the cafe with a pant and ordered her latte from a teenage boy, tapping her fingers nervously on the table as she watched the clock. By the time she made it to the firm a few blocks away, the meeting for the business deal would be starting in mere minutes. She had little time to dawdle but couldn't help sweeping the shop for the mysterious redhead. Nothing.
She turned around and leaned backwards against the counter, looking out the glass doors and into the early morning streets. Watching the clouds roll in at a menacing pace, she wished she'd had the forethought to pick up an umbrella before leaving her apartment.
"Triple shot latte?" the boy called out. She spun around to grab the takeaway cup with a tight smile, but a flash of red caused her to do a double take, and looking back, she spotted the familiar redhead cleaning the coffee machine. Torn between wanting a conversation and needing to arrive at work on time, Aubrey resigned herself to the latter and made her way to the door, bracing the back of her arm against the handle and pushing it open.
But something caught her eye. Still standing awkwardly in the doorway, she lifted the cup up to eye level to reveal a messy scrawl in green pen: "Chloe Beale". She twisted her head around and instantly found the girl drying her hands and subtly smirking at her from across the room. Raising an eyebrow, she returned the smirk before heading out the door and into the cold.