You learned her name exactly one week after you first laid eyes on her.

She wasn't working that morning, but instead sat at a table at the back of the shop near the fireplace, behind the screen of a laptop, typing away furiously at the keys. Her eyebrows were furrowed in either concentration, or frustration, you couldn't really tell, but she was intensely focused on whatever it was that she was doing, a set of headphones in her ears blocking out any distraction.

Her hair was tied up in a messy bun on top of her head, mussed from sleep, her face was clear of any ounce of makeup, she was wearing what looked to be absolutely ridiculous sleepwear, and there was a steaming mug of what you presumed to be hot chocolate to her right, which she absentmindedly took a sip of every couple of minutes only to wince at how hot it still was.

You couldn't stop picturing her through the lens of your camera, smiling that infectious smile that she's given you every day, for the past seven days, when you walk in and you catch her eye.

You were interrupted in your staring contest with the freckles forming constellations over the bridge of her nose when one of the annoying gingers - the bio nerd one - cleared their throat. You acknowledged them with a disgruntled ' what?! ' and they simply raised an eyebrow and handed you your order. You didn't even need to say it out loud anymore, they knew your order by heart. You paid in silence, left your tip in the tip jar, and was just turning around to make your way to the door when the object of all your photographic fantasies looked up from her laptop and met your gaze.

An immediate smile lit up her face the second her eyes met yours and you couldn't help the little lilt of your lips and the way they formed into a small smile of your own. Before you knew it, your legs were moving against your brain's wishes and you were soon enough standing in front of the woman and she was closing her laptop, removing her earbuds, and gesturing for you to take a seat. You found yourself pulling out the chair opposite hers before you even realized it.

It all started with a cheeky 'hey, come here often, Americano - no cream, one sugar?' from her slightly curved lips.

You laughed and replied with 'clearly, too often' .

You asked her what she was working on, she told you it was a personal project. You asked what kind of personal project, she said, "the personal kind". You left it at that and decided not to push her… that hard.

With a teasing smirk, you said you liked her pajamas, she blushed. She said she liked your leather jacket. You told her it was a gift from your father - from before he left and when he still acted like a dad and you didn't only hear from him when he sent Christmas cards from him and his new husband and their golden retriever, Bosco. You conveniently left that part out.

You asked what she was listening to before you came over. She actually showed you. Little did she know, the type of music a person listened to, reveals a lot about them. She was halfway through a song by the name of "River" by a Leon Bridges. You weren't familiar with him. You made a mental note to listen to the song when you got back to your apartment for the evening, desperate to figure this girl out.

You commented on her hot chocolate intake (she had had three cups by this point). She countered with a remark about your coffee problem. You didn't warrant that with a response.

The two of you shared a plate of chocolate chip cookies for lunch and you made a comment about her sweet tooth. She said she got it from her mother and quickly changed the subject, practically giving you whiplash. She started talking animatedly about a 13th doctor and you briefly wondered why anyone would need 13 doctors and silently questioned if she was dying or something. Then she said something about a Tardis and your face flushed. You ignored it. She didn't seem to notice.

You learned a lot by just listening to her talk and actually hearing and registering what she was saying.

You even added a few things to your mental list of things you knew about the girl in front of you, hands waving wildly through the air.

5. She was a complete nerd.

She loved Doctor Who with such a passion that it was nauseating to an extent and she could quite literally tell you anything you wanted to know about the show. You made the mistake of asking her what the sonic screwdriver was and she went on an hour long tangent. With pictures.

6. She clearly worked out.

If her mention of nothing but sweets and no actual food was any indication of her poor diet (because you most definitely did not stare at her crazy fit figure when she was facing away from you anytime she was behind the counter and she definitely did not catch you that one time).

7. Her mother wasn't in the picture.

She had no problem mentioning her overprotective forest ranger dad that sent her day of the week bear spray, but the second mothers came into the conversation, she breezed over it with practiced ease, even though her body involuntarily flinched every time. You also noticed she would reach up and rub the middle of her chest. You didn't question it.

8. She's known the annoying gingers since she was a freshman at NYU.

Perry (the one with the curly red hair that baked) was her floor don in her dorm. Lafontaine (the one that practically blew the kitchen up last month while trying out a new recipe for their extra espresso espresso) was Perry's roommate and best friend. Coffee shop girl literally ran into them on move in day.

Maybe you could add the fact that she's clumsy onto your list. You probably could've added that fact the first day you met her.

The list of things you knew about her was growing. You were slowly solving the puzzle that was coffee shop girl.

Then, you decided on one last question that you needed answering.

You asked her name right before you stood to make your way out of the shop, just after three o'clock.

"Laura. Laura Hollis," she replied. You smiled and held out your hand.

"It was nice to properly meet you, Laura. Laura Hollis ," You smirked. She shook your hand with her cheeks tinged pink. When she let go, you turned around and started making your way to the exit, stopping to throw your empty coffee cup away.

She stopped you with a panicked 'wait' . You turned around, eyebrow raised.

"What's yours?"

Your smirk slowly grew into a smile and you winked at her before you opened the door, causing the bell above you to ding.

"I have to keep some of my secrets, or I'll lose my air of mystery, won't I?"

And then you left the shop, shoving your hands in your pockets, crossing the street, and taking a right at the next block, taking the long way home. You couldn't even try to deny the fact that there was smile on your face the entire walk to your apartment.

But, you got her name.

Laura . Laura Hollis .

You liked the way it sounded on your tongue.

You never actually made it into work that day.