Anne showed her coffee maker to the stranger whom she had just forced into the coffee shop without any word of introduction. Anne forgot the most important part because she couldn't think.
Her mind was frantic since the coffee shop opening time was ten minutes away. In front of the shop, there were five people ready to go inside. However, Anne was trying to hold them back. She had not replaced the CLOSED sign on her coffee shop window into OPEN.
"Can you operate this coffee maker?" asked Anne in panic.
"This 100 SS coffee maker is very easy to operate. You take it easy. I'm an expert in mixing coffee using this machine," replied the stranger with a smile.
"I'm so relieved to hear that, I'll go out and serve the customers. They have been waiting a long time. You just get ready. Usually this morning, the coffee addicts are arriving," said Anne quietly, patting the shoulder of her impromptu barista.
Anne then walked to the front door and turned the CLOSED sign to OPEN, then she opened the main door and invited her customers to come in with a big smile. For her, the customer was king, therefore Anne always tried to be friendly to her customers even though she was in a bad mood.
The coffee addicts immediately lined up in front of the new barista whose name Anne didn't know. She was just too happy to find someone to replace Jack at the last minute.
Anne then came to the cashier table when someone ordered cookies. She happily served her customers while occasionally glancing at the barista who seemed to be very good at making coffee.
Even the customers who have enjoyed the coffee made by the new barista did not complain. They seem to be enjoying coffee as usual while eating their cookies.
"Miss Anne, please pack three almond cookies, two chocolate cookies, and one smoked chicken sandwich," said one of Anne's loyal customers.
"Yes, Sir. I'll prepare them for you in a moment," replied Anne kindly. She then opened the inner window display and put the customer's orders quickly into a special bag.
"Here is your order and the change, Sir," said Anne as she handed a medium-sized paper bag to the customer.
"Just take the change, Miss Anne. All your cookies taste amazing," said the customer quickly as he reached for the bag given by Anne. When he reached for the bag he ordered, the man deliberately touched Anne's hand so that it made Anne startled and immediately pulled her hand quickly.
The customer, without feeling guilty, just smiled at Anne's attitude. He then left the coffee shop quickly to his car which was parked in front of the shop. The man was a regular customer who always came every day. He always packed cookies for take away.
"Are there many buyers like him?" asked the new barista softly in Anne's ear. His voice made Anne startled. "I'm just asking you a question, why are you so shocked?"
"I-if you want to ask me something, you don't have to be that close," Anne said in a stutter. Her face flushed red suddenly while holding the nape of her neck.
"Aaron, my name is Aaron. We haven't introduced ourselves," Aaron said with a big smile as he reached out his hand towards Anne.
THUMP
Anne swallowed hard as she heard the words of her new barista who introduced himself with the name Aaron. She just realized that she had done a fatal mistake.
"Anne ..." answered Anne quietly as she reached out her hand towards Aaron.
Aaron shook Anne's hand with a smile. He was happy to finally meet the girl he had been looking for in the past two days. A customer who ordered coffee forced Aaron to take his hand off Anne.
The man then served the customer's request quickly. As a coffee connoisseur, it was not difficult for Aaron to use Anne's coffee maker, especially in the coffee shop, there are many toppings and ingredients that he could mix and match.
Feeling guilty, Anne finally decided to go to the kitchen, even though she didn't make cookies. There were many cookies she made from last night in the apartment.
She went to the kitchen because she wanted to calm down and get rid of the embarrassment of what she did this morning.
If Aaron didn't take the initiative to tell her his name, maybe Anne would never ask the man's name. In the kitchen, Anne cursed her carelessness. She felt very sorry for Aaron who was busy in front of the coffee maker.
When it was lunchtime, Anne finally ventured out of the kitchen. She brought two large sandwiches that she made in the kitchen.
"Eat first, Aaron. You must be tired," said Anne quietly as she handed a plate of sandwiches to Aaron.
"Which one is yours?" asked Aaron quickly.
"You just take it first, then the rest is mine," said Anne briefly. Usually, when she prepared lunch for Jack, she always got the second choice after Jack took the first sandwich.
"No no no ... Ladies first," said Aaron briefly, holding out the plate towards Anne.
Anne was silent to see what Aaron was doing. She was in a daze for a long time until finally, Aaron snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"Come on. I'm already hungry, Miss Anne," Aaron said softly with a pitiful face.
"Well, I'll take the little one," said Anne in a stammer as she reached for the smaller sandwich on the plate.
Aaron smiled at Anne, and soon he was enjoying a sandwich that was not chosen by Anne. Aaron looked very eager to eat the sandwich made by Anne. In an instant, the large sandwich was finished, while Anne's only got two small bites. The sandwich in her hand still looked intact.
"Why aren't you eating?" Aaron asked softly as he licked his hand that got the sauce from the sandwich.
"I-I'm still full actually," Anne lied, seeing Aaron eat voraciously made her appetite disappear.
"Then, may I ...?"
"May what?" asked Anne quickly, interrupting Aaron's words nervously.
A smile appeared on Aaron's face. He then walked slowly toward Anne, who was sitting on a chair that was lower than the bar table. Unexpectedly, Aaron lowered his face and ate the sandwich that was still in Anne's hand. His action shocked the girl.
"It's mine," said Anne quietly.
"Didn't you say you were still full? I happen to be very hungry. One sandwich won't be enough for me," Aaron replied nonchalantly as he chewed on Anne's sandwich he had already taken.
"Aren't you disgusted?" asked Anne unconsciously.
"No. After all, this sandwich only gets better after it touches your lips," Aaron replied with a grin.
Anne's face immediately felt hot when she heard Aaron's words. Anne slowly grabbed the edge of the table to use as a grip because she wanted to get up. But accidentally, she knocked a glass filled with water.
"Aaaawwww ...."