The first day he came in was my first day at work. I was working the register, and he walked in.
"I'd like a caramel macchiato please." His voice was like bells, so sweet and clear.
"Uh, sure. That'll be £7.47 please." I responded. He handed me a £10 note, and I gave him his change. "It'll be ready in a minute." He walked over to wait for his drink, and I studied him. He had darkish brown hair, and soft chocolaty eyes. He was on his phone, smiling about something. I noticed how he had dimples; he was quite lovely, really. Too bad I didn't catch his name.
That was 3 months ago. He had been a regular since then. He always came in while I was working, and always ordered the same thing. I insisted to my boss Jenny that I take his order. This resulted in friendly teasing, but she always let me.
Today I had finally worked up the courage to ask him his name. I was making a coffee for a man when I heard the door jingle.
"Hey Phil, your favorite costumer is here again." Jenny giggled, and I glared at her.
"He's not my… Shut up, Jenny!" I whispered.
"Yeah, whatever you say." She grinned, and he walked up to the counter. "I'll finish making it." Jenny winked at me.
"Hello! What would you like to order?" I asked happily.
"Um, hi. The usual, please." I took his £10 note and gave him change, just like every other day. Jenny started to make his macchiato, and I took off my apron to go on my break. I walked over and stood beside him.
"I've been seeing you in regularly, but I always forget to ask you your name!" I chuckled nervously. I had just gone on my break; he was the last person that I took an order from.
He looked up from his phone. "I'm Dan."
"Phil." I sat in the awkward silence for a moment. "Are you doing anything tomorrow at 5? I don't work tomorrow…" I suggested.
"Uh, no. I was going to meet with my girlfriend, but something came up. So I guess I'm free." Oh. He has a girlfriend. Of course.
"I have an extra ticket to Muse tomorrow at 8. I was going to ask my brother, but he probably has plans, being the social butterfly he is. Do you want to come?" I asked Dan.
"You like Muse? And you have an extra ticket? Yes please! I love Muse!" Dan's long face turned into a huge grin. "But you hardly know me! Why would you ask me?"
"Well, I see you almost every day, it feels like I know you. Plus, I have no one else to go with. I don't exactly have… friends." I admitted.
"One caramel macchiato!" Jenny announced. Dan walked up to the counter to get it.
"What do you mean, you don't have friends? You have me!"
"Well, I was always bullied in school, and I was considered emo. Plus I have this weird obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and animes. And, I kind of never go outside unless it's for work. I just stay on Tumblr the whole day." I admitted. Now he knew what a loser I was, and probably didn't want to go to Muse tomorrow.
"Really? When I'm not at Uni I'm usually in my dorm watching Attack on Titan or Sherlock or playing Skyrim at 3 AM! Oh my god it's especially annoying when my girlfriend comes over she just doesn't understand how perfect Muse is and the point of playing Skyrim! It gets so boring with her around, honestly." Dan smirked. I was definitely in love with him now, if I hadn't been before.
"Why do you date her then?" I mentally slapped myself. You can't just ask someone why they're dating someone!
"Well, because my parents want me to. Our parents are old friends, and they want her family's money, even though we have plenty of it. I don't actually like her, but she's so clingy it's hard to break it off. How about you? I know you said you had no friends, but that can't be true! And a guy like you must have a girlfriend!" Dan exclaimed, and I cringed.
"Um, well I have a good friend, I guess. His name is Chris. But, as for the girlfriend thing, I'm kind of… gay?" I said the last part like a question. I waited for Dan to walk away from me or hit me or both, but it never came.
"Hey, it's ok. I'm bisexual, don't worry. I won't judge. Do you have the time?" By now, we were walking in Battersea Park, by the large fountains.
"Uhh, half 5." I responded, taking a quick glance down at my watch.
"Crap! I was supposed to meet Laura at 5:40 at Artusi! That's on the other side of the city, I'll be late!" Dan realized. He checked his wallet. "No money for a cab either." Dan groaned. "I'm late! Ugh, this was supposed to be an important thing, our one year anniversary. Fuck." He whispered the last word under his breath.
"Hey Dan? I have some money you can use for a cab." I spoke up, and he glanced at me.
"Really? Are you serious? I can't let you do that." Dan insinuated.
"No, it's fine, really. Just pay me back tomorrow and we're even. And here's my phone number if you need anything. Just call." I handed him a £20 note and wrote my phone number on his arm. "Have a good date."
"Thank you so much Phil! See you tomorrow for Muse!" With that, Dan darted away, leaving me alone in the park. I sighed and sat down on a bench. Why did I have to fall for the guys that had a girlfriend? It just didn't make sense.
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I was waiting after my shift at the coffee shop, waiting for Dan to get here so we could go to Muse. I jumped when I felt my phone vibrate.
Hey turns out I can't go sorry, gf stuff. Catch u l8r? –Dan
Great, just what I needed, another reason to be alone. I ended up calling my friend Chris Kendall.
"Hello?"
"Hey Chris, its Phil. What're you doing tonight?" I asked.
"Eh, not much really. Hanging out with my laptop and food. Why?"
"I have an extra ticket to Muse and I was wondering if you could go."
"Sure! Where should I meet you?" Chris wondered.
"Meet me at the coffee shop, that's where I am now."
"K, see you in a few." Chris replied, then hung up. I was glad I could get Chris off of his lazy ass. I sat on my phone for a few minutes, checking Twitter, when Chris came in. "Hello there, Philip."
"Hello, Christopher" I said laughing. "Good to see you mate, shall we go to Muse?"
"Sure, Philip" Chris cracked up. We were walking out of the shop when I bumped into a familiar face.
"Dan!" I exclaimed, not expecting to see him here, especially since he said he couldn't go to Muse.
"Oh, hey Phil. Sorry I can't come to Muse, I need to spend quality time with my favorite girl." His voice was oozing with sarcasm, and I glanced behind him to see a pretty girl that looked around 20. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was tall and skinny. She was incredibly tan and wore a lot of make-up. Actually, she looked like the typical white girl.
"Dan, who's this?" The girl asked, obviously annoyed.
"Oh, uh, Laura, this is Phil. He's a friend of mine. Phil, this is Laura, my girlfriend."
"Nice to meet you!" I said and stuck my hand out to shake. She sneered and backed up.
"C'mon, Dan, let's get Starbucks!" She exclaimed. Rude much?
"Laura, the coffee here is so much better! They don't over roast it like Starbucks does." Dan argued.
"I'll get you guys two drinks of whatever you want, on the house." I offered.
"See! Phil's nice enough to get us free drinks. Thanks Phil"
"No problem." I whispered.
"I still want Starbucks, and there's no way on Earth you can get me to drink this stuff." Laura protested.
"Fine, you get Starbucks, I'll have my usual, Phil."
"Okay. Stay here Chris, I'll be right back then we have to head off to Muse." I went behind the counter, leaving the bickering couple and my best friend behind. I made a caramel macchiato and returned to a pissed off looking Dan, a crossed armed Laura, and Chris standing awkwardly to the side. "Here you go, Dan. Have fun with your girlfriend!"
"You'll most likely have more fun than me" Dan mumbled.
"See you tomorrow then?" I asked.
"No, Dan will be spending the day with me tomorrow. So you can be sure that he won't come." Laura Spoke for Dan and pulled him away.
"Let's go, Chris." I said half to myself, half to him.
"You like him, don't you?" Chris inquired.
"Yeah, I do. He's just so nice, even though I've only talked to him for about a day, he's super sweet and cares a lot."
"I get you. Why does he have a girlfriend?"
"Parents are making him. He doesn't want to date her, or at least that's what he said. She's just so clingy. I feel bad for him." I replied. By now we had gotten to the Concert Hall, and we went inside. Muse was a blast. Chris ended up seeing one of his old friends from Secondary School, and went off to hang with him, while I just stood alone.
Finally, the concert ended, and I went home alone. Chris left with his new friend, PJ. I knew Chris was bi, but he had never gone out with a guy, so this was new to him. I was left to ponder my life choices on the walk home. I wish Dan could've gone with me; he wouldn't have left me for someone he barely knew. After it seemed like years, I was home. It was 10:00, and I decided to go to bed. Sure it was early for me, but I was tired.
I dozed off into a deep sleep, dreaming of Dan.
Beep. Beep.
7:00 AM. That's what my clock said. I realized Jenny was going to be gone from the Coffee Shop all day, and I was the one that was supposed to be running it the whole day. I got my old friend Louise to help me. I told her to meet me there at 7:30, as the Shop opens at 8. I leaped out of bed and got dressed. I brushed my teeth and straightened my hair, then decided to go.
I got to the Coffee Shop right as Louise arrived, so I let us in.
"You'll be taking orders, since that's simpler. I'll make everything, just write down on a list what people order, and I'll cross it off as I make it. A list of everything and the costs are right here. If they have special orders, just write down exactly what they say, okay?" I directed her.
"Okay, I think I got it." I handed her a nametag and showed her how to work the cash register.
"Cole, Erica, and Chris are coming in later to help, so don't worry, we won't be stuck here all day." Thank god.
The day dragged on slowly. I wasn't expecting Dan to come in today, but I still kept an eye out. Around noon Cole and Erica came in, taking over for Louise and helping me fill orders. Around 2:00 Chris came in and I showed him how to take orders. I told Erica to help Cole make stuff, and went on my break.
I headed into the back room with a coffee, and pulled out my phone, going on Twitter. My ears perked up to a voice saying "Is Phil here?" I knew that voice. It was Dan. I got up from the sofa and peeked out into the shop. Dan was standing there alone with a huge grin on his face.
"Yeah, hold on. PHIL" Chris yelled, and I strode behind the coffee bar.
"Yes?" I answered, smiling slightly at Dan.
"Someone's here to see you." Chris said, motioning to Dan.
"Hey Dan, do you want your usual? I can pay for it."
"Sure, but let me get it. Then it'd be two days in a row that I haven't paid for my coffee, so let me pay."
"Alright. One Caramel Macchiato, coming up." I announced, and made Dan's drink while he paid. "Here you go" I said handing him the drink and walking out of the shop with him. "So, what has you so energetic?" I asked.
"I found out Laura was cheating on me!" He grinned.
"And that's good why?"
"Because it gave me an excuse to break up with her! My parents were mad, of course, but they got over it. It is my life after all, not theirs." He explained. I couldn't be happier; Dan wasn't forced into a relationship, and that might give me a chance with him!
"What are you doing tonight? Since Jenny isn't here we close up the shop early- 5:00, instead of eight."
"Not anything, actually. Maybe we could get a bite to eat then go over to yours?" Dan suggested.
"Sure! Come back here around 5, and we can go to Shakeaway." I agreed. Dan left, and I found myself not being able to wait the 3 hours until he would get back. Finally Dan came back in, and I had served the last costumer.
"Hey Dan!" I exclaimed, and finished wiping down the counters. "Off to Shakeaway?"
"Sure, but, uh, what is Shakeaway?" Dan didn't know what Shakeaway is?
"Shakeaway is this delicious milkshake shop, I go there at least once a week. I can't believe you've never been!"
"Yeah, Laura and my family always insisted we'd go to fancier restaurants. Let's go!" Dan took my hand and pulled me out the door. "Where are we going?"
I giggled and pulled him the opposite way of where he was going. "NOT that way" We arrived to Shakeaway, and I ordered my usual, and Dan ordered a butterscotch with white malteasers.
"I love Malteasers, they are god." Dan said when he got his. "Shit this is good."
"I know right! I can't come here too often or I'll get fat. Let's go to mine now?" I asked.
"Sure. Lead the way!" Dan followed me to downtown London, where my flat was. We went into the building, then he followed me up the large set of stairs and into my house. "This place is huge for just one person! How do you pay the bills?"
"Barely. I get a lot of money because I am co-owner at the coffee shop. But it just barely goes by. I eat a lot at the coffee shop because I get it free, but I have a little bit left over to buy fun stuff. Like I have a PlayStation 4, and an Xbox 360. I'm saving up to get a MacBook Pro, but it will be a while. Wanna play Sonic?" I explained.
"Sure. Bet I'm better at it, though."
I put the disc in, and of course he won. I'm not very good at it, though. "Hah! I won!" Dan gloated. "Do you have any horror films?"
"Yea, I have The Ring, The Shining, The Blair Witch Project, The Purge, Insidious, Carrie, and Annabelle. Which do you want to watch?"
"Let's watch The Shining. I haven't seen it yet." We ended up watching 3 or so films, when I realized it was 1 AM, and Dan and I were pressed up against each other on the sofa.
"Dan, its 1:00 in the morning. Maybe we should go to bed."
"No, one more. The Blair Witch Project, then bed." We ended up watching that one as well, but this time, Dan was scared half to death. Just 30 minutes into it, he was clutched onto my side with his head in my shoulder.
"Do you really want to continue watching it? We can go to bed now if you want." I suggested.
"No, let's finish one more. I won't be able to sleep anyways." We watched through the end of it, well, I did. Dan was hugging me really tightly, his head towards my chest.
"Dan," I shook him when it was over. "Can we sleep now? I'm tired."
"But I won't be able to sleep, and I'm afraid to be alone." He whined.
"You can sleep in my bed with me if you want. There's plenty of room."
"Sure."
In the morning, around 8, I woke up with a ball of warmth in my arms. I realized was Dan and sighed contentedly. Then I realized the time. I jumped up, waking Dan.
"What? Phil why are you up this early?" Dan asked me.
"Work. I'm late!" I panicked as I discarded a pair of sweats and pulled on some skinny jeans, not even caring that Dan was staring at me. I shrugged on a shirt with Gengar on it and rushed out of my room. I pulled on my black converse All Stars and glanced at Dan who had followed me. I tossed him a pair of keys that was sitting on the counter. "Lock up when you leave. I don't want robbers. Bye!" I rushed out the door and ran the whole way to the Coffee Shop. I opened the door and saw Jenny behind the counter, looking annoyed.
"You're late, Phil." She said.
"I know, I woke up late. Had a late night." I explained quickly. By now it was half eight; I was half an hour late for work.
"Better not happen again soon" Jenny laughed. "Sooo, what had you up so late?"
"Well, Dan came over and-"
"Dan came over! Eeeeeeeee! Did you do it?"
I laughed. "No, Jenny, we didn't do it. I only just found out his name! But we did watch a few horror films, and we got Shakeaway. He slept over and is still at my flat right now." I explained.
"I totally ship you two. You're perfect for each other!" Jenny squealed.
"Shut up Jenny! No we aren't! I might like him, but that doesn't mean he likes me back!" Of course, Dan chose that moment to walk in.
"Doesn't mean who will like you back?" Dan raised his eyebrows.
"N-no one!" I stammered.
"Bullshit. Who is it?"
"Yeah Phil, who is it?" Jenny pushed, and I sent her a death glare.
"No one." I said, firmer this time.
"C'mon Phil! Tell me who it is!" Dan asked again.
"Fine! I'll tell you who it is!" I looked at Dan, and he was smirking. "It's you." I murmured.
"Sorry? I didn't catch that."
"It's you!" I said clearer this time, and I ran out of the building, tears rolling down my face. One of my only friends would now hate me. Good going, Phil. I heard my name a few times. I was at Battersea Park by the fountains again. I looked around for the person calling my name, but I didn't see anyone.
"Phil!" I heard again. I turned around and saw Dan. "I don't hate you Phil! I-I like you too." He whispered, looking down.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Prove it." I whispered. He stepped forward and kissed me.
Dan pulled away. "Happy?"
"I love you." I replied.
"I love you too."