Author's Notes: Long time no see! Umm...So I came up with this idea back when Coffee Shop AUs were all the rage. I just never wrote it down until recently when I started to do short stories from a book with writing prompts in it. This is based on the Allure of a Strange prompt from the book and figured this was the best chance to finally get this story out. So...Enjoy!

"Sometimes I really wish there was more than one Starbucks in this place," said a woman with short orange hair. She wore white sweatpants, a blue shirt and white zip up hoodie. The tapping of her flip flops could be heard as she stood in line annoyed that it was going so slow.

Eventually her turn came as the Starbucks barista gave her a smile to let her know she was ready.

"Welcome. The usual, Misty?" said the purple-haired girl. Her hair was tied in a spiky bun and wore a green apron around her purple tee.

"You know it, Janine, Make it quick! Gonna be late to work!" said Misty with a smile.

"Gotcha. One Venti Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. Light Ice. Caramel Drizzle. 3 pumps Chai. 3 Shots. Sausage, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich," said the teen as she took a Venti size cup and wrote Misty's name on it. The teen then put it to the side and took the next customer.

Misty walked to the side to wait for her order. Along the way, she bumped into a short woman dressed in a green dress with floral patterns along the top and side. The woman seemed to be in a daze of sorts before Misty had bumped into her.

"Oh hey there. Sorry about that princess," said Misty with a smile.

"Oh. No…Please excuse me," said the black hair woman with short hair. The woman at once turned around and started to make a quick walk out the doors of the Starbucks.

"Huh. Weird. Wonder what was up with her," said Misty who was curious about the woman. She stood there for a bit puzzled by that woman's behavior.

Eventually Misty's name was called. That had broken Misty's train of thought as she ran up to the counter to get her breakfast and coffee. After that, the redhead was running out of Starbucks in her attempt to get to work on time.

The next morning, Misty walked into the Starbucks. Still running a bit late but not as late as the day before.

This time Misty spotted the short woman in the green dress right away. She was intrigued by her. There she was. Slowly moving her head around as if looking for something. Misty didn't know what it was about this woman but something about her caught Misty's interest. Misty decided that it was best to go up and talk to the nameless woman.

"Hey princess! Need help with anything?" asked Misty with a friendly smile.

"Oh…Do I tell you what I want…?" said the woman with an airy tone to her voice.

"Wh-wh-what?" said Misty. Her eyebrow nervously twitched at this. She had no idea what this woman meant. Did this woman mistake Misty for a Starbucks employee?

"Oh dear…Please excuse me…" said the woman once again. She then, just like yesterday, walked out of the coffee shop.

"I…I have no idea what just happened there," said Misty as she decided to best leave this mystery alone and get her drink. Maybe getting some caffeine in her system would make Misty feel better. Too bad Misty had that woman on her mind the whole time she was in line.

Now Misty was determined to figure out what was going on with this newcomer in her life. There was some sort of attraction to her and Misty wanted to know why. No matter the danger. Misty was going to find out this person's deal.

And that is why Misty woke up early the next morning to arrive at the Starbucks as soon as possible. And why she will be asking for five shots of expresso when she gets her drink.

Misty dragged herself into the shop and looked around for the woman. It didn't take long to spot the short woman in the green dress. A white shawl was over her shoulders. The woman still looked clueless on what to do.

"Gotcha," said Misty as she walked up to this stranger. Misty's shoulders were slumped but knew what she needed to do.

The short woman kept looking around. A bit of confusion was on her face as she stood in the Starbucks.

"Hey Princess. Don't run. What is up? Need help or anything?," said Misty quickly before the woman even thought about running. Misty even stood up straight in front of her to establish dominance.

"Oh…Well…You see…," said the woman with a soft and unsure voice.

Misty blushed at this. Was she being too direct?

"Umm…You can tell me. I don't mind helping you out," said Misty. She then flashed a friendly smile.

"Oh…you will…?" said the woman looking up at her. "Well, you see…I wish to order one of the tea beverages from this…Establishment but I have no idea how."

"What…?" said Misty. She was dumbfounded at this situation.

"I said that I wish to-," said the woman before being interrupted by Misty.

"No, no! I got that! Just a little surprise is all," said Misty as she waved her arms a bit. "So you just want to order a drink?"

"That is correct," said the woman in green.

"Well why didn't you say so before! Come and follow me! You can order your drink with me!" said Misty as she took the woman by her arm. There was no way she was letting her get away.

"Ah. If…You say so," said the woman as she was being dragged away.

Once in line, the two just stood there. The short woman just waited with MIsty and every so often would look around. Though, Misty was never one to be quiet. Especially with this woman who has been on her mind for so long.

"So…Princess. What is your name and all?" asked Misty with a smile.

"My name…? Ah," said the woman with a long pause. "My name is Erika Hanabusa. May I ask for your name…?"

"Well then Erika. Nice to meet you! Didn't know you were a foreigner," said Misty to Erika. "You can call me Misty. No need to get too formal with me."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Misty…I appreciate your kindness ever so much," said Erika with the same airy voice as before.

"Sure you want some tea? Maybe coffee would be better for you," said Misty in a joking tone.

"Oh no…I dislike coffee ever so much. Though…I simply love tea. I have always wanted…To try the tea from this establishment," said Erika who was trying to see ahead of the line.

"Are you telling me that you have never had Starbucks before?" asked a once again dumbstrucked Misty. "I am sure they have them where you are from."

Erika shook her head to say no.

"They certainly…Do have them but I have never once visited one. Much less…Order from such an establishment," said Erika as she looked at the people ahead of her. "Does one always…Order from this line…?"

"For real! Where do you usually get your tea from?" asked Misty. "And nah. You can do the app but I am always too busy to do that."

The redhead let out a nervous laugh. Granted, if she had used the app then maybe Misty would have never met this woman.

"My maids usually prepare my tea…For me. Sometimes I would do it myself if I find a…tea that I am most excited to partake in," said Erika with no change in her tone.

"Wait…Your maids. As in…You….," Misty was just shocked. She would ask more about this but they finally made it to the cashier to order.

"Hey Misty! Is that lady with you?" asked Janine as she eyed Erika.

"Yeah. Rika is with me. Can you get me my usual?" said Misty. She then looked at Erika. "Pr-princess. What are you getting?"

Calling Erika the nickname princess seemed to be more fitting then before.

"Good morning, Young Miss…May I request your Peach Green Tea…But asked for it to be heated…?" said Erika.

"Umm…That is an iced drink. Not sure if we can do that," said the teenager. "If you want a hot tea then we only have that for Chai."

"Is that so...?" said a disappointed Erika. "I was quite looking forward to trying your green tea…"

"Hey. How about this," said Misty who was trying to speed this up. After all, Misty could see a whole line filled with people waiting to order a Starbucks drink this early. "Try out the Iced tea. You will not be disappointed. I usually get coffee but sometimes in the afternoon I get their iced teas and trust me. They are the bomb dot com. You are gonna like it if you like tea."

"Hmm…If you are that confident then I will…Go ahead and give this beverage a try…," said Erika who gave a slight nod.

"Alright. Got it," said Janine as she repeated the order.

"Don't worry Erika. I got this," said Misty as she pulled her debit card out from her cell phone case.

"Oh no. I insist on paying for this," said Erika as she raised a hand up to stop Misty. "It is the least I can do after all your kindness.

Erika opened her fancy purse and pulled out a black credit card. Misty's mouth would have dropped to the floor if it wasn't attached to her skull. Those kinds of credit cards were only something she had seen in movies. Never in real life. This Erika girl must really be loaded.

With that said, the two women took a seat to wait for their drinks. Misty told Erika that she came to this coffee shop every day to get her daily dose of caffeine. Erika was amazed at this and believed this included weekends. At that point Misty would correct herself and said maybe not every day. Erika would tell Misty that she loves tea which surprised Misty. After all, why would a tea lover come to a coffee shop for tea? Erika smiled and thought that was funny but said maybe now she won't have to come anymore.

Eventually their drinks came and Erika may have to rethink her statement. It seems as if Janine had misspelled Misty's name as Mis-tea while Erika's name was spelled as Erica (as in with a c). At first Erika didn't get it but Misty explained it was a thing that happens at Starbucks. The new girl was still confused but Misty showed that they added the word tea to her name and that had made Erika giggled. It was now the moment of truth as Erika tried the tea she had ordered. While it wasn't what Erika was normally accustomed to, she did enjoy the drink.

"Oh shoot! I gotta get going! Gonna be late for work if I don't leave now!" exclaimed Misty as she finally saw the time.

"Oh dear…I am sorry if I held you up. Please forgive me…," said Erika upon realizing that Misty had to go to work.

"Nah! No bad on you. Just didn't realize the time is all," said Misty with a smile. "But I seriously gotta go! Umm…See you around or something?"

"Perhaps so…Thank you for your assistance today," said Erika as she bows her head.

"Yeah. No problem Princess!" said Misty as she grabbed her bag and started to bolt out the door.

Misty was really wondering if she was going to see Erika again. After all, it was a chance encounter that they met in the first place. Still, she didn't have to wonder for long. The next morning, Misty saw Erika sitting at a table.

"Woah! Well…Hello there Princess. Guess you came back," said Misty, seeing that Erika was sitting at the table. "Came here for the scenery or something?"

"Well…I simply wanted to come to try out their other tea beverages…You can say they enchanted me," said Erika as she slowly opened her eyes. A smile appeared on her lips upon seeing Misty.

"That is cool and all. Though I don't see any drink," said Misty who was still a bit confused.

"That is because I was hoping…You could assist me in ordering once again," said Erika who slowly got up from her seat.

"You don't need my help with that but hey. I don't mind having somebody to talk to as I wait in line," said Misty as they took a spot in line.

Eventually the two placed their order and talked. Erika was interested in the job that Misty had. The redhead told Erika that she was a swim coach at the local high school. Misty told her stories of the kids from school and all the crazy things that had happened there. Erika listened intensely as she sipped on her drink.

"Yeah. These kids are something sometimes," said Misty. She then saw the time and got up. "And that is it for me! I gotta go! Umm…See you again?"

"I would…Greatly love that…," said Erika with a smile.

"Sweet like the tea you are drinking!" said Misty back with her own smile. "Later Rika!"

Erika simply waved goodbye as Misty ran out the door.

And for the next few weekdays, it was a similar routine. Misty was eager to get up in the morning just for the chance to see Erika. She didn't know why but it was fun. The two women would talk about how the day before was or just some random thing. Misty would mention something she watched on TV and Erika would listen with wide eyes. Apparently the short young woman didn't watch too much television. Misty didn't know the reason why but figured it was something to do with being rich.

And then one morning, Erika was not there. It was the same thing the next morning. Misty would show up to Starbucks and would see that a certain guest for the store was missing.

"I hope she is okay…," said Misty after another run to the coffee shop had no Erika.

Misty wrapped her mind on anything Erika could have said to hint she was going to be gone. Usually Misty does most of the talking. How couldn't she? Misty was a talker and Erika was just so darn good at listening.

"Damn…Come on…," Misty said with a hint of frustration. It was unknown to Misty why she was so worried about some person she met at some random Starbucks café. Even more so on where that person went.

"She didn't get lost or something getting here…I mean. Rika is nice and all but sometimes I wonder if she is even fully awake," said Misty one day in line after another week of not seeing Erika. "Maybe I should make her drink some coffee one day. Even if she said she didn't like it. Sigh…Pumpkin…"

"Umm…Misty?"

"I mean…Where could she have gone?"

"Hey. Misty. The usual or what? Come on. Kind of holding up the line here."

"I mean…," said Misty who was just lost in thought now.

"MISTY!" yelled at Janine to the grown adult woman.

"Oh what!" jumped Misty who was now awake after that yell from the teenage college freshmen cashier.

"Please order something before I have to use my blackbelt in karate to fight off some angry customers," said Janine. She nodded her head over to the line behind Misty.

"Oh yeah. Umm…The usual? Maybe an extra shot?" said Misty as she finally came to her senses. "Hey Jay…Umm…Has some short lady who orders tea came by recently?"

"You mean the one that you hang out with sometimes?" said Janine as she jolted down Misty's name on the cup. Misspelling it in all kinds of wrong ways.

"Umm…Yeah. That one," said Misty with a slight blush. She didn't think it was that noticeable.

"Not really. Granted. I only work the morning shift. My classes are in the afternoon. So maybe she comes over then," said Janine as she threw the cup over her back. It landed perfectly on the back counter.

"Oh…Alright. Well. Thanks," said Misty as she walked over to wait for her drink.

It has been another week without Erika. Starbucks was beginning to lose its appeal to Misty. After all, it was pretty boring to just stand there waiting for a drink. At least with Erika it was fun to just talk and laugh while they waited for their drinks together.

Misty let out a long sigh as she saw another order was filled. Not hers. She was kind of tempted to just leave without getting her drink until a small tap was felt on her back.

"Huh? What is it?" asked Misty as she turned around. Soon her frown began to widen into a grin upon seeing a short figure in front of her.

"Misty…?" said Erika in a soft voice.

"Princess! Pumpkin! Where have you been!" yelled out Misty in a busy Starbucks filled with people. Some of the customers had turned their heads in the women's direction.

Erika was a bit confused while Misty realized that she may have yelled too loud.

"Umm…How about we take a seat?" suggested Misty as she led Erika to an empty table.

"That would…Be much lovely," said Erika as she took a seat.

From there, Erika explained the last few weeks. Apparently her dad is a bit of a traveler due to work. With that said, Erika's dad decided to take her on a business trip to learn about the family business. It involved a trip to Japan which was the only reason why Erika agreed to go in the first place. She was able to visit different flower gardens and temples. This time Misty made sure to listen to every word. Or at least try to pick up on every word in between sips of her coffee.

"I do apologize if I…Caused you any distress due to…My time away. It was not…my intent to do so," said Erika who looked a little sad.

"What! Princess. I was as cool as a cucumber! No bothers whatsoever!" smiled Misty in an attempt to put on her best façade.

"She is lying!" yelled Janine from the counter.

"Oh. What was that…?" asked Erika who looked up a bit.

"Nothing! Nothing!" said Misty with a nervous smile. She waved her hands as if attempting to wave away any nervousness in her voice. She then looked at the clock that was inside the Starbucks. "Oh shoot! I gotta go! Like for real!"

"Oh…Time for work…?" asked Erika with a slight frown.

"Yeah. For sure!" said Misty as she gathered her bag and began to run out. Though, she stopped and made a u-turn back to Erika. "Princess!"

Erika jumped up upon Misty's return.

"Give me your digits," said Misty.

"My…Digits…?" asked a confused Erika who didn't understand Misty slang.

"Your number!"

"Number…?"

"Your phone number! You got one right?"

"Why yes. Of…Course I do. Though…I am confused on why you would want such a thing...," said Erika who was a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"Well..You know. In case something like what happened just now happens again. Like you gotta go to Spain or something. That way you can…Like tell me something?" said Misty who was a bit nervous.

"Oh…I see…," said Erika as she dug around into her own purse for her phone.

"But…also…Maybe…" said Misty who was unsure about asking this next part. "Maybe we can hang out. You know…Outside of this coffee place. Perhaps get a bite to eat for dinner? I can show you a few more places that maybe you haven't been to. If…If you like or something."

Misty never had trouble being bold but now that wasn't the case.

"I would…Love that ever so much," smiled Erika as she fished out her phone from her purse. It was in a yellow phone case that had flowers painted on it. A phone charm of a small round blue figure with green leaves could be seen hanging from it.

"Cool! Here is mine," said Misty as she whipped out her phone. Hers was in a cool blue phone case that had a yellow-brown star on it. In the middle of that star was a gold ring with a red circle in the middle.

The two traded numbers and with that Misty ran off.

"So I will text you later! Alright?" yelled Misty to the stranger that had allured her. Misty stood by the door.

"I will look forward to it…," smiled Erika to the stranger that her allure had pulled in.