It's just coffee. There's no need to be nervous, but damn if he doesn't get antsy before each and every one of these dates. Mags is a sweet lady, and she's done a lot for him over the years, so he can't complain about her setting him up with her friend's granddaughter. If this woman is anywhere near normal, she doesn't want to meet up with some stranger that two book club friends think she should date.
And maybe she won't. A quick glance at his watch tells him she's ten minutes late. Five more minutes, and he's out of here. He can't squeeze in a swim before he's due back at work, but he can at least get a couple errands done. Finnick pops another sugar cube into his already-sweet coffee and watches the second hand tick away. Three minutes and thirty seconds, three minutes twenty-nine seconds…
"Excuse me?" A voice interrupts his countdown, and he looks up to see a dark-haired, green-eyed woman standing next to him. "Excuse me, are you Finnick?"
"I am." He extends his arm, and she shakes his hand as she slips into the seat across from his.
"Annie Cresta."
"Pleased to meet you." The conversation always lulls here, right at that moment where both parties try to figure out if they can stand to spend even the next few minutes with the other person or try to find a way to bow out right now. She seems nice enough, so he barely has to think about his response, and after those few seconds have passed, he realizes she wants to stay as well.
"I'm really sorry I'm late. A meeting ran long."
"I'm glad you managed to make it. So, can I ask what you do?"
"I teach second grade."
He nods, but he pauses for a moment when a thought comes to mind. "It's July. Are you guys still in school?"
Her freckles become more obvious when she blushes. "Um, well, it wasn't a work meeting. It was more a meeting of me talking to myself as I was getting ready and getting distracted."
"Oh." Not at all what he had been expecting, but certainly more charming than a story of meeting a friend on the bus ride here or forgetting her keys at home. "I hope it was at least an interesting conversation."
"You'd hope it would be, since I seem to be stuck with her. Gracious, that girl just won't leave me alone. Any time I look in the mirror, it's like she's right there with me." She winks at him, and he takes that as a sign that she's somewhat less than serious. Good, because a bit strange is spice in an otherwise bland dish, but add too much crazy, and your mouth is on fire. "I'm going to go get a drink. Be back in a couple minutes, okay?" She gets up, and her heels click on the wooden floor as she makes her way to the counter.
He knows that he shouldn't stare, so he forces his eyes away, but Finnick grins as he looks down into his cup. Someday, there will be love, a wedding, and a baby with his eyes and her smile, but neither of them knows that yet. For today, it's just an infinite set of possibilities and a couple cups of coffee.
A/N: Because I had to try my hand at the ever-so-overdone coffee shop AU.