Cafe AU based off a tumblr drawing/post by iwannakissallama. This is a two-shot, I'll upload the other chapter tonight! Chapter 2 will be Beca's point of view.
'Ting!' The café bell tingled softly as the door swung open. Chloe glanced up at the clock hanging above the counter and her heart skipped a beat.
4pm.
Chloe's eyes widened as the brunette stepped into the small café quietly. There weren't many people at this time but this girl always managed to arrive at 4pm everyday for the past two weeks. Chloe ducked into the kitchen and took a deep breath. Peeking out from the curtains that separated the kitchen and the main store, Chloe saw that the girl slid into her usual booth again.
"Get your shit together." Chloe grumbled softly before pushing the curtains aside and stepping out. She grabbed a pen and a pad of paper before walking over to the mysterious girl.
"The usual?" Chloe's voice came out squeaky. She cleared her throat and asked again.
"Yeah." The brunette softly replied, her eyes meeting Chloe's for a split second. Chloe nodded stiffly before scribbling something on the pad of paper and walking back into the kitchen. The brunette always ordered the same thing. Every single day, she would appear in the same booth and she never changes her order.
Chloe exited the counter again holding a cup of milkshake and a slice of strawberry cake. The girl smiled and Chloe tried smiling back but it turned out to be more of a grimace. Her heart pounded in her chest, dying to burst out. The redhead excused herself before she could say something stupid.
Chloe busied herself with the other customers, who were starting to file in. About half an hour later, the brunette was gone. Chloe looked over at the booth where she sat and her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. The girl left the cake untouched again. Chloe angrily walked over to the booth and cleared up the cup and plate. She sighed dejectedly.
The short brunette always ate the strawberry on the cake but leaves the entire cake untouched. For two weeks this girl had been wasting her precious cake. Chloe had been wanting to ask the girl about this but each time she prepared herself, she backs out.
'What if she has relations to the mafia,' Chloe gulped as she stared down at the girl's ear spikes and tattoos. Each time, Chloe gave herself a new reason not to ask about the cake. Today was no exception. The redhead trudged back into the kitchen and slumped her shoulders.
That night, Chloe decided that she would ask the girl tomorrow. No backing out. She breathed deeply. No backing out. She went home and put on an angry look before staring back into the mirror and practicing how to ask the girl about the cake. Chloe sighed as she anxiously waited for tomorrow.
The bell ringed again and the slapping of worn out converse brought Chloe to its attention. The brunette walked in, plaid shirt left unbuttoned, white tank top hugging her small figure, ripped jeans on and her headphones around her neck as usual. She made her way over to her booth and Chloe immediately walked over.
"Hey," Chloe placed both palms on the table. "I know you always want the same thing you come into the café at four pm every single day and you order the vanilla milkshake and a slice of cake but why is it that you never ever eat the cake you finish the drink and you eat the strawberry but you always leave the cake untouched and I want to know why, I wake up every morning to bake the cakes before I go to school and after school I have to work and you're wasting my cake each time." Chloe took a breath. "Please tell me why."
"Um are you quite alright?" The brunette asked, concerned about the way Chloe's face was red and puffed up.
"I'm fine! Now answer my question." Chloe huffed angrily.
There was a moment of silence when both girls looked back into each other's eyes. Chloe swallowed.
"Uh I don't like eating cake." The girl responded haltingly. Chloe looked back at her, confused.
"But you order cake everyday." Chloe cocked her head to one side.
"Maybe I just wanted an excuse to see you?" The brunette awkwardly arched her eyebrows. Chloe's response came in a stiff nod. "So, you make the cakes?"
"I—yeah I do." Chloe was thrown off by that unexpected question.
"Can I have the same again?" The girl asked, pointing her finger towards the display cabinet where the cakes were stored. Chloe mumbled something that the girl didn't quite catch before dragging herself back into the kitchen. She never came back out though, her face flushed from the encounter. Another waiter brought the cake over to the girl. By the time Chloe emerged from the kitchen again, the girl was gone but something was different.
Chloe made her way over to the booth to clear up. An empty cup sat on the table with a cleared plate. The cake was gone. In its place were a few crumbs left over. Chloe's heart hammered in her chest as she picked the silverware up gently and brought them in.