096. WC - Coffee
Die in a Fire
Words: 1071 (just a LITTLE over limit this time)
01/09/15

"Black coffee."

"Dark roast, breakfast blend, or house?"

"Dark roast."

"Large?"

"God, yes."

"Only two more hours."

"Die in a fire."

"And you have a good night, too!"

It was really sad that her daily exchange with him was the highlight of her job. She couldn't help it. Something about the deep blue of his eyes, the strong lines of his face, the width of his shoulders -

"Oh, for god's sake, you're drooling again," Mina, her fellow inmate in coffee shop hell said in disgust. "Honestly, Serena, just ask him out already! What's the worst he could say?"

Serena looked at the blonde who had, on more than one occasion, been mistaken for her sister. "Oh, I don't know - how about 'die in a fire', maybe?"

"Even HE can't be that unpleasant," Mina chirped.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Serena muttered, shooting a glare at her perky coworker.

Every day, it was the exact same exchange, and every day, Serena stared at him, in his perfectly-fitted slacks, his crisp, button-down shirt, the fabulous hair - and wondered why guys like that never looked at girls like her. He probably had some Amazonian model of a girlfriend, with fantastic red hair (she'd always secretly wanted to be a redhead) that trailed in perfect waves to her waist and a bust that Serena would die for. The Amazon (if she existed) probably didn't even know how he took his coffee, to absorbed in her own looks to bother with making sure her perfect boyfriend had a fresh pot brewed exactly on time for his breaks every day. Not like Serena. No, she knew that exactly 6:02, he would stroll into the tiny coffee shop, demanding his dark roast without a thing in it, drinking the bitter brew like his life depended on it as he sauntered out of her shop with that little sway to his hips that made his perfect, tight butt practically wink at her - she shook her head - or do something else that butts could actually do. She really, really needed to lay off the caffeine.

The mall closed at eight, and if she and Mina cleaned really quickly, she could be walking towards her convertible pink Beetle just in time to see him slide those deliciously long legs into his low-slung red sports car that probably cost more than she made in ten years.

"Serena, he ordered his latte without drool," Mina trilled from the register, and she attempted to focus, once more, on her shitty, horrible, no good, very bad job.

Unfortunately, they were not quick in their closing duties, and by the time she made it out to her car, he was long gone. "Don't forget I traded shifts with Drew tomorrow!" Mina called as she headed for her little blue Honda.

At four sharp the next afternoon, Serena was tying on her red apron and smiling cheerfully at Drew, the franchise owner. Since it was a Saturday, she didn't have much time to feel nervous about working her first shift with 'the boss', she barely had enough time to glance at the clock every so often to keep an eye out for 6:02.

What she didn't expect was for Drew to spot him first.

"Darien!" Drew called, reaching across the counter to give the other man a 'manly' handshake. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Serena couldn't help but stare; tall, dark, gorgeous, and surly was actually smiling at Drew! Her brightest, most winning smile hadn't even gotten the guy to look up from his effing cell phone once in the two weeks she'd been working there, and he was smiling at Drew!

"Hey, man," 'Darien' said. "We lost a floor manager and two cashiers, so I've been pulling double-duty for the past few weeks while I get Nate up to speed. Kael's still got night classes this term, so I couldn't ask him to fill in."

"What about Jack and Zane?" Drew asked, and Serena filed away the names like she'd be tested on them the next day.

"Zane's in school full-time and he's running the store downtown, and Jack is useless for anything but sales, and he knows it," Darien answered, laughing.

Drew turned to pour Mr. Surly's coffee, and Serena realized that they were completely out of dark roast and winced a little. "Oh, sorry, man, looks like we ran out," he said. "Wanna stick around while I brew a fresh pot, or did you want something else? From what Mina's told me, Sere's pretty good at the mocha lattes."

Serena's eyebrows rose. She was 'Sere' now? And Mr. Surly Darien had a sweet tooth? And since when did Mina have time to compliment her to Drew?

"Sere?" he asked, turning that smile to her. "That short for Sarah?"

She shook her head. "No, Serena, but you can keep calling me 'die in a fire'," she muttered the last bit.

Drew looked at her curiously, but Darien laughed. "I'm sorry about that, Serena," he said. "A mocha latte sounds great, actually. I could use a little sweetness in my life right now. And I'm sorry I've been such a jerk. My store's having some trouble lately, and I've been taking it out on you."

"Darien, how many times do I have to tell you to stop abusing my employees?" Drew asked, shaking his head. "I suppose you're the reason that sweet little Amy quit on me?"

"Nah, from what I hear, she got a job over at the bookshop," he said. "I did scare off that one girl, Raye. She must have asked me out every night for three weeks before she quit."

Both men laughed, and Serena steamed the milk, fuming at the utter arrogance of the jerkwad.

"Listen, Sere, it's been a rough few weeks, it's Saturday night, and if I know Drew, he's got absolutely no plans when he gets off," Darien said, winking at her (just like his perfect buttcheeks, her traitorous mind whispered). "Why don't the three of us grab some dinner? My treat."

Serena carefully walked his perfectly made mocha latte to the counter and handed it to him with her biggest, most cheerful smile. "Die in a fire," she said, storming to the back room.

When she was out of sight (and earshot) Drew started laughing. "You really need to get out more," he said. "Your flirting stinks."