My name is Emily, I'm 19 years old and I work at a coffee shop. My family is kind of messed up; my older brother moved away young, my parents are divorced and whenever they see each other, everything turns into a fight. So yes, my life isn't the best.
One day, I was working at the coffee shop, when a brown-haired guy caught my attention. He looked at me, and I looked back when an old lady started to yell at me to take her order. She wanted a black coffee, no sugar, no anything; just coffee. I took her order, gave the lady her coffee and the next up was the most handsome boy I have ever seen.
"Hi, what can I get for you?" I asked with a polite smile.
"Matcha, pump of caramel, no sugar, " he said, coldly looking at the register.
"Ok...what size?" I asked, patiently waiting for an answer.
"Large, thanks, " I heard his answer.
"What's the name for your order?" I casually added.
"Nathan."
"Ok, your order will come to the register soon."
"Fine," he said, clearly annoyed. A few moments later, his matcha was done exactly how he asked. I took his drink and went to the register; it was time to say his name out loud.
"Order for Nathan!" I yelled but in a cheerful tone of voice, waiting for him to come and get his drink. Nathan came, grabbed his drink from the register and just walked out.
"Well, that was awkward..." I thought. I didn't know how to feel after his silent and clearly irritated gesture. I was too occupied with my thoughts that I didn't notice he had dropped his ID on the way out. I gasped realizing that the only right thing to do is to run after him!
"How did I find myself in this situation?" was the recurring question in my head while I was chasing Nathan and running out of my breath. My colleague Kate stepped in my place at the shop when I took off to give Nathan his ID like I was sent on a mission. As I was running and gasping, I saw the back of his beautifully combed hair disappear around the corner. I realized that this was the time to shout his name if I wanted to succeed , so I did that imagining I was an opera singer who was about to break the glass with her voice.
As expected, Nathan (and a few other bystanders) turned around. When he saw me, I was red and breathing heavily. My hair was no longer neatly tied in a ponytail and I surely looked like I have just got out of bed. He started walking towards me. When he came close enough, I showed him his ID.
"Do you recognize this guy on this card?" I said jokingly.
"I actually don't, " he said sarcastically. I gave him his ID card and he apologized. His attitude changed, he was talking in a softer tone of voice but he was still very serious. I said, "it's ok, don't worry about it." He explained that he quit his job, which was why he was nervous.
"I mean, I wasn't happy doing that job and I was thinking a lot about quitting but still, when that day came, I didn't know how to feel." Realising he said too much information about himself, Nathan nervously looked at his watch but managed to ask about my name before he left.
"It's Emily. My name is Emily, " I stuttered a bit and added, "I think you made a good decision, and I'm sure that in no time another door will open for you." We said our goodbyes, and I continued with my shift.
To my surprise, Nathan came the next day again. I glanced at my reflection on a coffee maker's surface and fixed my hair. I smiled hoping he would do the same but he ordered the same drink as yesterday while moving his lips only to speak. Interestingly, he stayed a little bit longer to chat with me. I was happy and sad at the same time wishing he asked me out and at least smiled. My helpful colleague saw my reaction and kindly whispered, "be patient."
As the days and months passed by, Nathan became a regular customer at my shop so we managed to know each other better each day. I enjoyed his company and he made my shifts go much faster than usually. I even offered him my help to look for a new job and we connected but still...no smile and no question to be something more than the person who would make the perfect coffee. After my shift, I went home, made myself a cup of tea and started thinking...maybe I should give up. It wasn't supposed to be that difficult to connect on a deeper level with someone. I should just give him his matcha coffee and stop offering my help and fixing my hair every time he walks in. Then, I imagined how sad would it be without his presence so I changed my mind.
The next day, I woke up and marched in the coffee shop. The door opened and Nathan entered. I didn't fix my hair, I went straight up to him and said, "I like you. I waited for quite some time for you to ask me out so I decided to do it all by myself." He was staring at me for a while, puzzled by my question and finally, he smiled. He didn't say anything but I knew the answer. I told Kate to fill in for me, took him by the hand and glanced at his smile again...a smile that changed everything and gave me a chance to have someone who will make me feel safe.