how the words come

the beginning of the couple in the corner of the coffee shop

he offers to buy her coffee for her.

after weeks of robbing looks and accidental (but wonderful) eye contact, he works the courage to get in line behind her.

when she goes to pay, he says, "this one's on me."
she whips her head around and her mouth has fallen open, and her eyes are so wide he thinks they might fall out of her head.
"is that... okay?" he adds, because suddenly, he is so ridiculously nervous that he's been making all this up, that it's all in his head.

but she stammers out an acceptance and he buys her caramel macchiato for her.
and then, they have a conversation, and he feels like his heart might explode the entire time.

he finds out she's a voice major, which is perfect, because he's instrumental, and she's a year below him, but she's lived in this city her whole life.
she likes caramel macchiatos because she like sweet things, and when she asks about the cappuccinos, he smiles, because that means she has been watching, just like he thought.

"i don't sleep a lot," he answers, and she smiles, a beautiful smile that he decides, in that moment, he wants to see every day for as long as he can.

she gets her drink and then she asks to sit with him and brings her stuff over to his little table in the corner, and they talk, and talk, and talk.
every sentence is another piece clicking into place, like a jigsaw puzzle being put together right in front of them.

the next day, she comes in, and hesitates, glancing between him and her booth, and he waves her over and she heaves a sigh of relief, like she was glad he helped make that decision for her.

from that day forward, they sit together in the corner of the coffee shop.

so he falls in love with her.

he might be going crazy, but he swears she may be falling in love with him, too.

so he asks her out on a date, and then they go on another, and another, and another.

so he kisses her at the end of their second.

so he asks her to be official at the end of their fourth.

so she falls in love with him.

she might be going crazy, but she swears he may be falling in love with her, too.

so she tells him she loves him.

so he tells her he loves her too.

and so she orders a caramel macchiato because she likes sweet things and he orders a cappuccino because he doesn't sleep enough

and the people come in and out

and they watch the couple in the corner of the coffee shop

and they wonder.

they wonder if they'll ever get a sip of something like that.

-c.h.