igor shesterkin-ночная муха

three

The next day, I had work. Figures. Waking up early wasn't a problem, it was the fact that I had to go to work after drinking at a hockey game.
It was while at work that I thought I was dreaming. It was a little past 10:00 and I had a missed phone call. On the dot.
I called Artemi back. "Hey, sorry—"
"It's fine. You busy?"
"Not really. I'm on a break."
"Good."
"What are we talking about...?"
"You. And Igor. Don't worry, I'm not pawning you off to him if you don't want him. I just wanted to talk to you about it."
"No, it's fine. As long as me and my brother get free tickets to all of your home games."
"Not just home games. Away games, too. If you're in the area," he added hastily. "I'm not sending you off to all of our games."
"So why are you pairing me up with Igor?"
"I'm not exactly pairing you up. I could see you checking him out. You're really obvious."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I guess you're just helping me then."
"Exactly. Igor's just been... a bit lonely recently. It would be nice for him to have someone other than his friends to help cheer him up." My eyebrows furrowed. "So is that a yes?"
"To what?"
"To talking to him."
"Yeah, but when am I—"
"Autumn!" Someone yelled.
"I have to get off. My break is over."
"Have a nice shift." I heard him laugh in the background. I grumbled and hung up on him.
Asshole.
Speaking of assholes, I went back to the counter. "Tyler, you couldn't cover me for ten minutes?" I hissed.
He shrugged. "Sorry. I wanted to smoke."
"Fuck you."
Tyler went to the back as I went to the register to serve the next customer.
"How can I help you today?" I asked.
"Uh... Can I get a..." he looked up and tried to read the words. As he was hesitating, I studied his features. Round, puffy cheeks, brown eyes. He was wearing a jean jacket, a grey sweatshirt, and jeans. He had on a ball cap that hid some of his long brown hair.
He struggled to pronounce specifically the word "macchiato." When he said it, his thick accent spilled out.
I chuckled. "Sure thing. Anything else?"
"No. Thank you."
"Can I get a name for your order?"
"Igor."
I froze. Igor. The name slid down my throat like ice. I slowly looked up and his lips curled into a smile.
"Hi," he whispered awkwardly, glancing towards outside. I noticed a small black car parked and still running.
"Uh—hi."
"Sorry for dropping by," he said as I started making his coffee. "Artemi drove me here."
My cheeks burned. "Oh. It's okay. My name is Autumn."
"Igor, obviously. It's nice to meet you in, uh, person."
"It's nice to meet you too. Give me a minute and I'll make your drink."
"I was actually wondering if you wanted to sit with me," he said suddenly.
I laughed. "I'm on a shift. We can go to dinner after work, though."
His face lightened. "Okay."
"Order for Igor," I said quietly, handing him the drink. "Seven. I'll text you the address."
"You don't even have my number—"
He looked down at his cup and noticed a few things scrawled in sharpie next to his name. He looked up with a smile.
"Smart."
I laughed. "I know a few things. You'll see."
He smiled and waved as he walked out the door. "I'll be waiting."