Chell hated coffee shops, but she loved coffee and cake, so she found herself frequenting them. Today it was one just down the block from where she worked, at the Aperture Science testing facilities. She was even wearing her work uniform, a white shirt under an orange jumpsuit with leg bracers. Her colleague, with a doctorate in fashion, had said the jump suit looked horrible on her, so she wore it unzipped to her waist with the sleeves tied like a belt. The bracers though, had almost gotten her kicked out, as they weren't technically shoes.
She sat at a little table, waiting for them to call her name. At the table next to her, a girl was furiously typing on her phone. "Caroline? Is there a Caroline here?" called the man at the counter.
The girl stood up and went to grab a coffee, only looking up from the screen to flash a smile and say, "Thank you. I'm sure Mr. Johnson will be very pleased." She returned to her phone, probably working, and walked out of the café.
The man (if you could call him that, he was tall and gangly and awkward, with messy brown hair and blue eyes, not exactly masculine) went back to making coffee. He started to fill a cup, but then spilled boiling water all over himself. "Ah! Hot! Hot! Hot!" he said, jumping everywhere.
"Smooth move, moron," came another voice from behind the counter."I don't need your attitude, GLaDOS."
"Well obviously you at least need a reminder on how to properly work a machine." Chell watched as GLaDOS came up and took the cup from the man, sauntered up to the machine, flipped her black hair in the poor guy's face, and filled the cup."Wheatley, you're lucky I find you entertaining, or else I'd have fired you long ago." She handed him the cup. "Now finish up, and try not to spill everywhere."
The man, Wheatley, finished up the drink, grabbed a slice of cake, and went up to the counter. "I'm looking for a Chell? Chell?"
Chell stood up with a sigh and went to the counter.
"Are you Chell?" asked Wheatley.
"No. I just came up to steal her coffee." She rolled her eyes."In that case, I'm not going to give it to you," he said, pulling the stuff towards him. "Wait- that was sarcasm wasn't it? Sorry."Chell just stood there, her hands ready to receive the coffee and the slice of cake."Oh. Right. Coffee." Wheatley handed her the beverage. "We were out of caramel, so there is none. I hope that that's okay with you. If not I can get my manager. Please don't be mad. I understand that frustration would be a perfectly normal reaction-"
"It's fine," Chell smiled and took the coffee. She paid and sat back down at the little table."
As she sat down, GLaDOS came up to her and seated herself on top of the table across from her. "Wow. That Wheatley is a real ditz huh?"
"I don't know, I think he is rather nice." Chell felt defensive of the awkward guy.
"I don't know why I keep him around. He's rubbish at his job." As she said this, cream started to come out of the machines at an alarming rate.
"Shouldn't you help him?"
"I prefer to watch and see how he reacts to these situations. It fascinates me." She looked contemplative."Well, I supposed I answered my own question. Why I keep him around, that is."
"Pardon me, but why are we talking?"
"I don't know. I like you. You seem like the type of person who could grow on me, but like a fungus."
"GLaDOS! I could use a little help!" came Wheatley's voice.
GLaDOS sighed. "I suppose I should go help." She got up and left, leaving Chell slightly baffled. Chell shuttered, stood up and went to go do some tests.