Requested: yes indeed, by @PeggyIsAFluffball

Title: Cute Barista Cathy

(y/n)'s POV

For how often I went to The Waiting Lady Cafe, which was pretty often, I never was really recognized by the workers. They were nice, it was run by 5 sweet girls who had a love for baking and their cafe. They never were hiring, and said they preferred it to be small and intimate.

Which was why it was really a shock when they hired a sixth girl to work there. They'd expanded to include a mini coffee shop inside their little homey cafe, and in turn hired a barista.

It was even more shocking that this girl was absolutely gorgeous.

Sure, all the girls were stunning in their own right, but this girl literally took my breath away for a solid second.

She looked up from wiping her counter and made eye contact with a small, intelligent smile.

"Hello, are you ready to order?" She asked quietly. I shook my head, looking up awkwardly to the chalkboard that had the menu written in pretty scrawl.

"Yeah, can I get a medium caramel mocha? To go, please." I asked carefully, eyes still wide. She smiled gently, like she could feel my nerves. Her smile brought a bit of calm over me, and I awkwardly smiled back.

"So, what's a cute girl like you doing without a date to a cafe like this, hm? I can't imagine your girlfriend leaves you alone." She asked while she brewed the coffee. I gasped, sputtering uncomfortably. She just turned to look at me with a knowing look. She was clearly an old soul, and wise beyond her years.

"How'd you know I'm gay?" I asked.

"You'd got a rainbow pride pin on your jacket. And you've got this energy to you. My gaydar hasn't ever been wrong," She informed me smugly. I was still shook, and I felt like I was having a heart attack, but I couldn't help but smile fondly.

"Well that was correct, but I don't have a girlfriend. Just got out a relationship a month ago, though," I explained. She nodded, humming in acknowlegement.

"If you don't mind me asking, why exactly did you two break up?" She asked quietly. I could see her glance in the direction of the kitchen, where almost all the staff probably were right now.

"She got a huge job opportunity out in New York, and she wanted me to come with her. But I really wanted to stay here, and she thought she'd be too busy to make a long distance relationship work. It's fine and all, and we're still friends. We were never really in sync any way, it had to end sometime." I told her quietly, never breaking eye contact somehow. I normally hated eye contact, but this was comfortable.

"That's not great, I'm sorry." She looked sad, her warm brown eyes never leaving mine.

"Yeah, but it's alright. It was for the best." I told her. She smiled, and put a to-go cup in front of me.

"I'm Catherine Parr, by the way, in case you wanted to know." I nodded. She was the third Katherine/Catherine to work here, but the name fit her nicely.

"And I'm (y/n) (l/n). It was lovely meeting you." I told her, accepting the cup. Her eyes widened, looking uncharacteristically shocked.

"Oh, so you're the frequent customer that comes every morning! The girls love you. I can see why," She exclaimed, with pink cheeks. I pinned it on the cold from today, since it was early November and the door was always open.

"I never knew the others even knew my name." I said with my eyebrows high. She grinned, reaching over to grab a napkin and a sharpie. She bent over for a moment, and I just watched. I didn't know if she was writing it for me or not, but it was nice to watch. Her tongue poked out in concentration, and her brows were furrowed together.

She popped up, pressing the cap back onto her marker and holding out the napkin. I accepted it shyly with a slight smile and a blush.

"They adore you, love. Now you should head out. Thank you for coming to The Waiting Lady cafe!" She told me, brushing her fingers on mine as she nearly forgot to let go of the napkin. I noticed she had acrylic nails, alternating black and blue with a little golden crown on her pointer finger.

"No problem. I'll probably see you tomorrow." I said, walking out the open door. I absentmindedly tucked my napkin into my coat, continuing on my way to the studio. I was an ensemble actress in Heathers on West End, and I really needed to get to rehearsal.

*Time skip brought to you by Damien Hubbard obsessing over Danny DeVito*

There was never anything quite as exhausting as a rehearsal fully focused on choreography in full costumes and character shoes, which had heels. I grabbed my coat, not yet putting it on because of the heat I felt, but instead just carrying it on one arm. That was, until some napkin fell out when I was almost at the door to leave.

With a jolt, I remembered that the cute barista had written me a note on a napkin, and I hadn't read it. I scurried to pick it up, carefully unfolding it.

In neat handwriting, the same that had written the menu, there was "I'd love to talk when I'm not on the clock 🖤" along with a phone number at the bottom that had to be hers. I grinned giddily, carefully folding it back up to put in my jeans pocket. I was totally going to text her tonight, probably a while after the cafe closes.

I continued on my merry way back home, absolutely buzzing with excitement. I couldn't even wait until the cafe closed, I just had to text her.

I created a contact in my phone with a grin, instead of her full name I put in "Cute Barista Cathy 💕" and started typing out a text.

"Hey, I know you won't see this for a while but this is (y/n) from this morning!"

I grinned even wider than before as I sent the text. My cheeks were hurting at this point, but I just couldn't stop. This girl had some kind of magnetic pull to her, the kind that just made you want to be near her 24/7 and any contact with her was a gift you didn't deserve. I was like a little kid on Christmas, (not so) patiently waiting for her to text back as I practiced harmony parts quietly alone in my apartment.

The near silence was broken when I heard my phone buzz. I instantaneously picked it up and looked at it, my heart skipping a beat.

Is this what a heart attack feels like?

"Hi (y/n). How was work today?" The words made my heart flutter and gave me actual butterflies in my stomach. I felt like a giddy teenager again.

"It was good, but really hard. I'm an actress for the West End Heathers that's opening soon, and rehearsal was exhausting today." I answered truthfully.

"That's so cool! I wish I was following my dreams like that. I bet you're kinda famous."

"Not really, but I used to live in NYC and I was on broadway a couple times, but never roles notable enough to get more than a couple IMBd credits." I told her. Yes, I was incredibly lucky to live my dream that I had since I was 13, but I was far from famous.

"That's still amazing. Not everyone even has an IMBd page. You're really cool you know." She had gone and made me blush again. I decided that with all this flirting, that she could be interested enough to go on a date with me.

"How about we discuss this stuff further this weekend at dinner or something?" I proposed, and I was so nervous I felt like I could throw up.

"(y/n) (l/n), are you asking me on a date?"

"Indeed I am, Catherine Parr."

"Then yes, I would love to."

I smiled down at my phone, the kind of lovesick grin you get texting someone you're smitten for.

And I didn't doubt that she was wearing the exact same smile, too.

(1395 words)