a story: braver behind the counter

i belong to a club
of sorts
a kind of secret society
but maybe not so secret...
although i don't publicise myself
like others do
i don't hide either
and it's fun and it's exciting and it's lovely
when members meet
through serendipity
~.~
so there's this girl right, that comes to the coffee shop everyday
i've seen her around uni and stuff
she wears a rainbow wristband
she's even in some of my classes
and she always orders a flat white
2 sugars
personally, i like my coffees frothy with no sugar
but each to their own
and you know how i always get a buzz at work:
the rush, the customers, the heat
i love it
sweat soaked enthusiasm
anyways
we've never spoken before except as coffee server and coffee servee
but like i said,
she's in a couple of my classes
and we've got this assignment
so i ask her how she's going just as she's leaving
and we talk phonetics a little while
velar consonants and imagined aspiration
and she asks
genuinely curious
"how do you know me?"
i'm not at all offended
i have a good memory for faces
"oh i've seen you at lectures and stuff.. and y'know, you're always here.."
"oh ok.. so you're majoring in linguistics too?"
"yeah.. sort of.. haven't decided yet. what other subjects are you doing?"
"history.."
so we talk majors for a little while and she tells me she's doing old english
which i now regret having given up for grammar of english
and she pulls out an exercise book to show me
her handwriting
"look how pretty it is!"
she exclaims
and i think to myself
"look how cute you are!"
and we chatted a bit more until she had to leave
~.~
waiting outside the lecture theatre this morning
i see her coming just as the other class exits
i don't know where to look
suddenly i'm shy
without the counter between us
without work
i sit in the third row
alone
and she sidles in amongst friends behind me
i see her change her mind just as she's about to sit
makes her way carefully
past already seated lecturees
to sit
next to me
a seat away
and says
"hi how's it going?"
to which i answer
"i'm fine thanks how are you?"
and cringe..
her friends are chatting weekends and gossip
i feel she's missing out and that i have nothing quite so interesting to offer
after several minutes awkward silence between us
i'm brave enough to mutter
"wouldn't you like to sit with your friends?"
and cringe again
she looks positively amused
"well, you're a friend"
without a hint of hesitation
i can't help the smile
"well, i'm flattered, would you like to know my name?"
~.~
i swear
nothing makes a girl feel more special
:)