Coffee People: A Collection of Short Stories

Chapter 1: Writer's Block

♡ Prompt: Write about two people seeing each other for the first time ♡

Tallie pursed her lips, the tips of her fingers hovering over her keyboard. It was all so difficult. How was she supposed to describe feelings she'd never felt before and smiles she'd never been given? Tallie started a sentence before quickly deleting it. This was all too frustrating. She'd come here for one reason. To write. She'd been holding off on it for ages.
Tallie inhaled deeply, pressing her clammy hands to her temples. She urged herself to formulate the words she knew must be locked away in some undiscovered portion of her brain. It has to be here somewhere. She closed her eyes to make an effort to concentrate harder, but it didn't seem to be helping.
With a grunt of annoyance, Tallie reopened her eyes and lifted her head just as the bells on the door of the cafe gave a jingle. A tall boy stepped into the store with an awkward shuffle, his eyes surveying the quiet tables spread throughout the room. Tallie wasn't the only one who came here to work, but it seemed like she was the only one who noticed his arrival. He wasn't a regular, or if he was, he was here at a different time than usual.
Tallie fumbled for her coffee, wrapping her numb hands around the heated cardboard as she watched the awkward boy make his way to the counter at the front, his dark eyes sweeping across the menu with apprehension. She exchanged a quick glance with the cashier, Kam. He grinned at her, jerking his head ever so slightly at the boy, who was still looking at the menu while fumbling for something lost in the too big pockets of his jeans. Tallie returned a brief smile. Of course Kam would find the boy's anxiety comical, after all, nobody was afraid of a 5'0 twig who worked the cash register and wore a shiny white name tag labeled Kameron. Especially not a muscular 6'6 giant who had to duck ever so slightly as he entered the door. He could probably knock Kam to the stars with a single breath.
Tallie returned her gaze to her glowing computer screen and continued to struggle finding words that suited the scene she attempted to describe. She paused and, without realizing it, tuned into the conversation the tall boy was having with Kam.
"Um, hi," He said, and it took all of Tallie's strength not to look back up again. She'd already stared at him for a long while. She didn't want him to think she was being rude or anything. Tallie started tapping her shoe on the floor.
"Hey there, how's it going?" Kam replied, smooth as ever. Tallie could practically see him perched with his elbows on the counter, his eyes bright as he smiled up at the boy before him, the space between his lower two teeth as present as ever.
"Good, thank you," The boy replied, his voice a little louder now. He wasn't as uncomfortable thanks to Kam. Tallie wondered how Kam could flip the moods of his customers so easily and silently felt jealous.
"What'll it be for you, sir?" Kam questioned, finally causing Tallie to look up.
She was curious about this new stranger. Perhaps she could guess what he would order. Tallie quickly racked her brain.
"Gotta be a latte guy," She guessed, whispering to herself as she scooted her chair closer to the table, watching him carefully as she waited for his order.
"Co-Could I have a pumpkin spice latte?" He fumbled for the few dollar bills tucked into his front pocket and Tallie beamed, grinning to herself.
She almost did a victory dance but thought it might attract too much attention.
"Yup," Kam took the bills and headed off to prepare his order while the boy continued to stand there, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He was so painfully awkward that it made Tallie smile even more. How could someone so intimidating be so nervous?
She was just lifting her coffee off the table when all of a sudden, he turned around. Their eyes locked and Tallie found her arms stuck in midair as she stared at him. His huge brown eyes bore straight into her narrower, blue ones. She swallowed sharply and slowly, a smile played across his lips, causing goosebumps to crawl up Tallie's spine. That was it. That's what she was trying to put into words. Her brain flooded with sentences and letters and Tallie quickly set the coffee cup back down, whirling towards her computer screen as her fingers flew across the keys.
When she finished her paragraph she smiled victoriously, but when she looked up, the boy was gone. The only person that stood at the counter was Kam, who waved and smiled at her. Tallie paused, glancing over her shoulder before waving softly back.