For Snowbarry Week's Day 3 - Shop AUs (Coffee Shop AU, Florist AU, etc)

Rushing into CC Jitters, Barry offered his manager a tight smile as he slipped behind the counter and grabbed an apron. He was late. Again.

"Sorry, Kendra, but I can only get here as quickly as the bus can take me."

Her chin rose, but her eyes were soft and understanding. "I know," she told him. "You're getting here less late every day though, so that's something," she humorously mused.

"I guess all the running is making me faster," he said, shrugging with a lopsided smile.

She rolled her eyes. "You've got a customer coming - get to work before I think better of it and fire you," she told him, though he knew she was joking. She said the same thing to him everyday.

Barry quietly chuckled to himself as he fastened the apron's strings around his waist before turning around and nearly tripping over himself as he saw his next customer. She was nothing less than beautiful. She had long, elegant wavy hair, the color of coffee beans. Her cheeks were flushed presumably from the cold outside and her plumped, rosy lips entranced him.

"H-Hi," he stuttered out as he made his way to the register. The resulting smile she flashed his way made his stomach flip. He swallowed. "Welcome to CC Jitters, how may I help you?"

"I would like a medium sized latte," she said, and damn, even her voice was heaven sent. He then blinked back to reality, realizing she had said something else.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Do you happen to have almond milk?" she asked, biting down on her lower lip. His eyes flickering to the indent her teeth were making, and this truly was not fair! "I'm lactose intolerant."

He scratched the back of his neck. "Umm…" he ineloquently let out, "I-I'm sorry, but we only have lactaid."

Her nose cutely scrunched up as she sighed. "I guess that is fine then," she bartered.

"Sorry about that," Barry said as he punched the order into the register, feeling the need to apologize for some reason. "Maybe ask again some other time - we're always adding new things to the menu."

She sent him another heart-stopping smile. "Thanks, maybe I will," she said before walking to the end of the counter to wait for her drink.

.

And as the days rolled on, Barry was happy to see that a certain brunette – who he learned was named Caitlin - was also around. It looked like she was becoming a new regular, getting her latte fix everyday around 4pm. But despite the fact that he had taken her order every day for the past two weeks, he still found himself getting tongue tied around her.

"Still no almond milk?" she lightly inquired, her lips tipping upwards in a knowing smirk. It had become sort of an inside joke between them now for her to ask and him to politely tell her no.

He felt bad. He even asked Kendra if they could get some, only for her to turn him down.

"Barry, this is Central City, not L.A.," she countered. "There's no demand for Almond Milk, and we're not going to get it just because you have a crush on one of the customers."

To say he was a little embarrassed would've been an understatement. He hadn't thought that he had been that obvious, but apparently he was. He only hoped Caitlin did not know. Though she kept coming back every day, so he guessed he hadn't thwarted her off either way.

"Sorry, but not today," he regretfully told her.

"Shucks," she let out before giggling, and he thinks his feelings surpassed the depths of a mere crush. "Well...another day then…" to which Barry mutely nodded as she walked away.

.

It was a week later and Barry finally bit the bullet. He was probably going to be later than usual to work, but he stopped by the local market on his way, getting stupidly giddy over buying a thing of almond milk.

It was even more perfect that Caitlin seemed to be extra stressed that particular evening, carrying what looked to be a bag full of files to look over. Her mind was too preoccupied that she didn't even ask Barry about having almond milk, so he figured it would be an extra nice surprise, especially on what seemed like such a hectic day.

After she paid and grabbed her drink, Barry couldn't help but inconspicuously watch her from the corner of his eye, waiting with baited breath, and wondering if she would recognize the difference.

It was nearly 10 minutes later, while he was taking the order of another customer, when he saw her finally take a break from her work and take a sip of her latte.

After the initial sip, he saw her head cock to the side, her eyebrows scrunching with confusion as she studied her drink for a moment. She then took another long sip, swirling it around her mouth, only for her lips to widen in a smile after she swallowed. She then looked up, her eyes finding his through the crowded cafe.

Getting up and abandoning her work at the table, she began to make her way to the counter. His heart pounded faster and faster the closer she got - he felt like he had run a marathon by the time she reached him.

"You finally got almond milk?" she mused, leaning casually over the counter.

"Shh," Barry spoke quietly, putting a finger to his lips, though he was having a hard time keeping his smile at bay. "Technically we still don't…"

Her one eyebrow raised. "Wait...so you bought that for me?"

Barry shyly shrugged. "It's nothing - I just felt bad for telling you 'no' everyday."

Something in her eyes shifted. He could tell she was touched and grateful, but there was another type of feeling swimming in those brown eyes and it made his heart skip its next beat.

She licked her lips. "Could I please have a napkin?"

Slightly confused by the sudden request, Barry complied. She then whipped out a pen from her pocket and scribbled something down on it before sliding it over the counter back towards him. "Maybe we can talk later."

Looking down at the napkin and seeing numbers etched on the cloth, his chest bloomed. "Uh, y-yeah" - he cleared his throat as he safely pocketed the napkin in his pocket - "I - I'd like that."

Her smile only grew bigger. "Can't wait."

A/N: Something short, but hopefully sweet! Let me know what you though of it! :)