Coffee Beans

Seventh Coffee

Robin gave a quick glance over Ellie's changed outfit whilst she finished off a coffee. The blonde gave a nod and handed the coffee over to a businessman. "That's two pounds and five pence please," she held out a hand and the young man gave over the change. The till burst open, revealing a bunch of new notes; the café had been busy whilst Ellie was getting her act together.

"Do you want to be on coffees or the till?" Ellie asked, peering over Robin's shoulder.

"I don't mind. We worked well last time with you on coffees, so we could do that again?"

"Sure, that's a good idea."

Robin laughed a little and patted Ellie on the back. "You're strange, you know that?"

Ellie nodded and filled the coffee grinder with more beans; a group of mums was gathering out the front of the shop. A second later, they grew into the available space near the till and ordered a large number of drinks. Ellie leapt into action, mugs going in all directions as they filled with one shot, two shots of coffee, over to the steam wands for milk - some frothy, some gently bubbled. A couple had shots of caramel and hazelnut in, the others having chocolate or cinnamon powder sprinkled on top.

All the while, Robin used her charming nature to talk to the gaggle of mothers. A couple of small children looked bored so she pointed them in the direction of the kids' corner. The mums thanked her and continued their conversations, not seeming to take notice of the long wait for their hot drinks. A minute later than a normal coffee order, their seven drinks were placed beside the till - all labelled to make their lives easier. The mums said their thanks and paid, heading over to one of the larger window tables. The slab of oak was propped up with equally large legs, a pastel pink gingham cloth covering it for practicality. A window seat arched around one end of the table, with a couple of bench seats placed around the other end.

"That was a big order," Ellie said, cleaning up the workspace. "They've come in before and got a bit annoyed with the wait. I need to know what you said to them so I can do the same next time."

"I didn't do much; they just know that your coffees are worth the wait," Robin smirked and Ellie turned back to the coffee machine, avoiding the blonde's gaze. She could feel her cheeks going red - not a good look if she was trying to play things cool. Ellie cringed mentally; no-one says 'play it cool' anymore.

"Are you going to allow us a lunch break today?" Robin was trying not to laugh as she tucked a hair behind her ear.

Ellie sighed and nodded. "Of course I will," she paused before saying, "I still feel bad for that. Not giving you lunch, I mean."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Robin placed a hand on Ellie's shoulder, her flawless smile beaming. "This is the last time I'll tell you; I was happy to help. Besides, you got me dinner later, didn't you?" The blonde's smile faded slightly as her eyes flicked from Ellie's eyes to her lips, and back. "You really are a funny thing," Robin muttered. Her hand moved to the side of the brunette's face, a moment of time slowly stretching to everything stopping altogether.

Ellie's gut reaction was to lean back into the coffee machine and avoid any sort of interaction at all costs. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot. Her mind jumped to Mark; his charming hair and easy smile. His kiss. She blinked at saw Robin once again. There was no point in denying it anymore; she was utterly beautiful. Should she do something as well? What about that woman Robin had been with - that had looked serious.

"Whatever it is you're thinking about," Robin said quietly. "Stop it. Your left ear twitches a little and it makes me laugh." She let out a snigger, her cheeks reddening ever so slightly.

"What's wrong with laughing?" Ellie asked, a hand going up to cover her ear. Robin's hand met hers and removed it, the blonde's fingers entwining with Ellie's. Robin's thumb stroked the brunette's palm as their eyes locked onto one another's once more.

"If I'm laughing, I can't do this-"

A/N: Ooh interesting, right? Worth the wait? I hope so XD

Let me know what you think with a comment - more of this? More of Mark? More socially awkward situations?

The possibilities are endless, although I indeed have plans for these lovely characters. Anyways, enjoy folks :)