Alex

Meeting The New Kid

     I jiggled my key into the back door of The Bean, letting the door slam behind me as I quickly walked into the dark shop. What the fuck? This new kid was supposed to be hear already, turning on the lights and getting things set up. "Holy shit." I heard someone behind the registers say, his head popping up over the counter. The sun light was just bright enough for me to see his silhouette. He looked to be about six foot with kind of broad shoulders. "You're the new guy?" I asked, walking over to the light switches and turning them all on, everything illuminating around us. "The name's Alex." he walked over to me and I turned to face him. His hair was a dirty blonde and styled on the top of his head. His jaw was structured nicely and his eyes were a piercing blue. He stuck his hand out to me and smiled. And he was hot. But he had no idea what he was doing. "Mia. Flip the chairs." I shook it and pointed to the tables. 

     He nodded and quickly moved over to the chairs, flipping the chairs down at one end of the shop as I did the others. "Is this your first time opening or something?" I asked him, glancing over at his muscles as he flipped chair after chair. "Well I opened one day last week with Krissy, but honestly I don't remember much." he shrugged at me when we had flipped the last chairs. "Yeah well if you're going to be opening with me you better remember next time. You remember how to run the register?" I pointed to the counter, I wasn't exactly in the mood for a newbie. "Now that, I can do." he smiled and it was contagious. I smiled back, "Good. Sara will be here soon and I'll put her on drive thru so you and I will have to be on our A game to get through the morning rush." "Yeah, it gets crazy busy in here. When I opened with the other girl she kind of flipped out." Alex laughed a little, staring at me through his long lashes. He was really really cute. "Yeah well, welcome to the morning shift." I smiled back to him, noticing some people pulling into the lot. "What's up motherfuckers?" Sara came barreling through the back door, going behind the counter and grabbing a radio. Sara had been working there for about a year and she didn't care about a single thing. She argued with customers, cussed at other employees, and usually showed up late.  But we didn't fire her because even though she argued customers loved her, and she got the job done. I was the only Supervisor she listened to, she never showed up late on my shift. 

     "What's up Sara, you know Alex?" I pointed to the new kid who seemed to be making himself at home behind the register. "We've worked a couple shifts together. He's good on the register, fast with the money." Sara nudged Alex who smiled back at her. "Good, better keep that up today. Let's get this morning started!" I smiled at them and unlocked the front door, letting the customers already lined up inside. "Welcome to The Bean! How are we doing on this fine LA morning!?" I yelled, running behind the counter and taking the register next to Alex. I could see him watching me laugh and interact with the people lining up in front of us. "I can help someone here!" he waved a couple over to him and quickly took their order and their money. "Damn, you are fast." I smiled at him as we both started making drinks. He smiled back at me, staring at me for a long time before turning back to his blender. 

     I was wiping down the front counter three hours later, after the rush had gone through when Alex came up to me. "I just want to say you handled that rush like a boss. I mean that was way better than Krissy. How long have you worked here?" he asked me and I looked up at him. He had a blender in his hands and was wiping it down. "I've been here six years." "Wow. I mean shit, that's a long time. And Krissy?" "Just a year longer I think, so seven." "Well I can already tell you're a lot more chill than her, and the customers love you...you make good money?" he walked over to the sink and sat the blender in it, turning back to me. I raised an eyebrow at him. "I wasn't trying to pry, just wondering." he shrugged and turned to the sink again and I continued wiping the counter down. "I have another job you know, thought maybe you'd be interested in helping out sometime is all." Alex said with his back to me. "And what exactly is this other job?" I asked, stopping what I was doing and staring at the back of his head. He slowly turned to face me, a smirk on his face and a fire in his eyes. It made my cheeks warm. "It's sort of hard to explain." he laughed a little and now I smirked at him, causing him to laugh more. "Fine, why don't you come out with me and my friend tomorrow night and you can tell me more about it." a sense of braveness washed over me. The new Mia who didn't tremble under a boy's stare. I liked her. Alex stopped laughing and stared at me, that fire still in his eyes. "I would love to come out with you and your friend." he said and went back to the blender. 

     "Catch you fuckers later!" Sara hit my back and raced past Alex and I to her car. We had all just clocked out from out shift and were heading out to the parking lot. Sara drove a jeep with no doors and peeled out of the parking lot, heavy metal blasting from her speakers. "So you've got my number, just text me about tomorrow night." Alex said, the two of us walking slowly to my car. "Yeah, for sure. Where's your car?" I looked around at the back parking lot, I noticed the familiar cars of my fellow employees but no new car I didn't recognize. "I walked today." he smiled as he pulled a pair of headphones out of his pocket. "Do you want a ride?" I asked pointing to my bug. He laughed, "I thought you'd never ask." he said walking to the passenger side. Something about him was so...interesting, so fun. He had the same enthusiasm as a toddler. I unlocked the doors and we both slid in. "How old are you?" I couldn't keep myself from asking. From the way he acted I was starting to think he was just a dumb teenager. "Seriously?" he looked over at me and laughed. "What? I'm just asking?" "Isn't it rude to ask that question?" "Just to women." I said and we both busted up laughing. "Twenty-five. I just have a lot of energy." he said through his laughter, taking the aux cord hanging from my radio and plugging his iPhone into it. Seconds later upbeat dance mixes were playing from the speakers. I laughed again, looking at him bob his head next to me before turning up the volume and pulling out of the parking lot. 

     "Nothing you can compare to your neighborhood whore! I'm trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful! Damn girl!" Alex and I were both screaming out the windows along with the song blasting from inside the car. We both were in hysterical laughter when I pulled in front of his apartment complex. "You live here?" I asked looking up at the lofts piled high to my right. "Yeah, I do." he smiled at me as he opened the door to get out. "I like you Mia, you're fun. I'll see you tomorrow." he said and got out, slamming the door and heading up to his loft. I watched him walk to the front doors, my curiosity about this guy piking. I had almost forgotten all about Joe in his presence. It was nice, and easy. Alex was easy to be around, I didn't feel tense and overwhelmed around him the way I did with Joe. "Stop." I told myself, pulling myself away from my thoughts. I plugged my own phone into the stereo now and turned it up, pulling out onto the street.