Coffee and a Double Chocolate Muffin

Remus was waiting.

His friend James was going to introduce him to his girlfriend, a woman named Lily, and he had insisted that they meet at this coffeeshop. But James had just informed Remus that he was picking this Lily girl up, and there was traffic, and so he was going to be about fifteen minutes late.

Great.

He wondered what this Lily would be like. James, who was always one to blabber, had been remarkably reticent disclosing details about her. All Remus knew was her name, and that was because James had been mumbling it in his sleep. He had been pretty embarrassed when he realized.

"Hi, what can I get you?"

He looked up at the girl who was serving him. The first thing he noticed was her bright smile. As he took in her appearance, he noticed that she was wearing the standard white blouse and denim overalls, but her hair was a vibrant bubblegum-pink, wavy, and brushing her shoulders comfortably. He couldn't help but think that she looked exceptionally cute.

"Sir?" she prompted, her eyes twinkling, and Remus snapped his eyes back to her face.

"Yeah, sorry," he mumbled. "Er, a coffee, and a double chocolate muffin."

"Sure," she mused. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, thanks," he answered.

"Yep. I'll be back in a minute."

He watched her go, her pink hair bouncing around her shoulders cheerfully. Once she was out of sight, Remus glanced around the coffeeshop. It was small, but apparently cozy. There was a warmth in the air, which he could probably attribute to the coffee, and the desserts they most likely sold here. Sunlight flooded through the windows, giving it a more bright, colorful appearance. Cheerful conversations were being held, and overall, the atmosphere was light and chatty.

In a few minutes, she was back, placing a cup of coffee and a small plate with a muffin wrapped in wax paper in front of him.

"Here you go," she announced. "Coffee and double chocolate muffin. And the muffin's supposed to be really good."

"Have you ever tasted one before?" he queried, a smile playing at his lips.

"That's what I've been told to say," she responded with a smirk, leaning against his table. "But I'm sure it's pretty good anyway."

He broke off a small chunk and held it up to her. "Here, try it."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious? You're the one paying for it!"

"Please. I insist." He didn't really know why he was insisting.

"Thanks," she replied with a glowing smile, and she accepted the piece he was holding out to her, popping it into her mouth and chewing slowly.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Well," she answered, swallowing, "at least I haven't been lying the entire time. It is pretty good."

He laughed, taking a bite. "Yeah, I like it too. Very chocolate-y."

She giggled. "It's like we're connoisseurs on a reality cooking show, trying out muffins. Very chocolate-y."

He laughed again, sipping his coffee. "I hope you've tried the coffee, at least."

"Yeah, I have," she replied, running a hand through her hair, causing his breath to catch. "I've had it before I started working here."

"Right," he responded, a little breathlessly. "When did you start working here?"

"A couple months ago," she answered. "You know, part-time gig. You haven't been here before, have you? I would've remembered seeing you."

He could swear his heart started beating faster at that. "Yeah, no. I'm actually here since my friend, James, wants to introduce me to his girlfriend, Lily."

"Oh, I know James," she remarked, smiling. "He's around here all the time, and so is Lily. They're really nice. Always tip me and everything."

Remus nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. "Yeah, I've never met Lily before."

"She's got red hair," she offered.

"Oh, really? I was thinking brown."

"Brown is boring," she sighed. "That's why I prefer pink. No offense, of course. The brown looks nice on you."

"Thank you," he mumbled. "I like your hair, by the way. It makes you look really pretty." He wondered where this sudden boldness had come from, and quickly stuffed another chunk of double chocolate muffin into his mouth.

She blushed almost as pink as her hair. "Thank you."

At just that moment, Remus saw his best friend enter the shop along with a woman who was, indeed, redheaded, with a freckle-filled, but pretty face. The waitress stood back upright, her eyes twinkling.

"Hey, James," Remus said casually. "I take it this is Lily?"

"Lily, meet Remus," James introduced, messing up his hair. "Remus, meet Lily."

"Hello," said Lily. "James has told me a lot about you."

"That's right," James said proudly, and then he turned to the waitress. "The usual, please."

She smirked. "Yeah, okay."

It all happened so fast Remus almost missed it; she brushed her hair out of her face again, offered Remus one last smile, and discreetly slipped him a piece of paper. Then she turned around and headed towards the back of the coffeeshop.

Holding the slip of paper under the table, he unfolded it cautiously, and saw her number scribbled across it. He couldn't help but smile.

"Remus?" James inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he replied, still smiling. "The muffin's really good, that's all."

That was when he realized that he didn't even know her name.

It was a perfect excuse to meet her again.

A/N: Yeah, so, a short little oneshot that popped into my mind a few weeks ago. I've wanted to write a Coffeeshop!AU for the longest time, and I hope it turned out okay! Please let me know what you think! Thank you so so much to everyone who reviews this! :D