The hum of the espresso machine filled the café as Gianna slipped into her usual routine. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the customers scattered across the tables. It had been a steady day so far—nothing out of the ordinary. But as the hours ticked by, a strange tension began to settle in her chest.
Adrian hadn't shown up.
Gianna hadn't consciously been waiting for him, or so she told herself. It wasn't like she'd wanted him to come in again, to sit at his usual table and order the same coffee, with the quiet intensity that made her question everything she thought she knew about herself. But as the minutes stretched into hours, she found herself glancing at the door more often than she would have liked.
It was stupid, really. After all, wasn't this what she wanted? For things to go back to normal? For her shift to pass without the awkwardness of bumping into him and fumbling over simple words? Adrian was just another customer. There was no reason for her to be so on edge about his absence.
Yet here she was, wiping down the counter for the third time, unable to shake the unease that had settled into her bones.
"Everything okay over there?" Taylor asked, raising an eyebrow as she carried a tray of dirty dishes to the back.
Gianna forced a casual shrug, trying to keep her voice even. "Yeah, fine. Just… bored, I guess."
Taylor snorted. "Well, you've been scrubbing that counter like it personally offended you, so maybe try doing something else before you wear it down to nothing."
Gianna rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Taylor always knew how to break the tension, even when Gianna didn't realize she was carrying it. "Okay, okay. Point taken."
She set the rag aside and busied herself with making a fresh pot of coffee, her movements automatic. But her mind kept wandering back to Adrian. It had been almost a week of running into him—at school, at the café, in awkward, coincidental moments that made her heart race in ways she didn't understand. And now, without him showing up, she couldn't help but wonder why.
Maybe he finally decided that he was tired of your face, she thought with a sigh. And that's a good thing, right?
But even as she told herself that, a tiny pang of disappointment settled in her chest. It was stupid, really. She didn't even know him. And yet, she found herself missing his quiet presence, the strange sense of tension that always hung in the air whenever he was around.
Her shift dragged on, the minutes blurring together as she tried to focus on her tasks. The café filled and emptied, customers coming and going, but none of them were him. By the time the late afternoon lull set in, Gianna had convinced herself that it was for the best.
Maybe it was better this way, she thought. If Adrian stopped coming around, she wouldn't have to deal with the confusion and awkwardness that seemed to follow their every interaction. She could go back to normal—no strange encounters, no silent conversations with herself about a boy she barely knew.
But as the day wore on, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off. What if something had happened? What if he wasn't coming in because something was wrong? The thought flickered briefly in her mind before she pushed it away.
He's probably fine. Just busy. Or bored of this place. Stop overthinking it.
Still, she found herself glancing at the door one last time as her shift came to an end, half-expecting to see him walk in at the last minute. But the café remained quiet, the door unmoved.
Gianna grabbed her bag and clocked out, slipping into the cool evening air outside. She told herself it didn't matter—that his absence was a relief, if anything. But deep down, the unanswered questions lingered.
Why was she worrying about him? Why did it feel like something was missing now that he wasn't around?
As she made her way home, Gianna tried to shake off the unease. Adrian was just a customer. Just a guy who came in for coffee. She had no reason to be concerned about whether or not he showed up.
And yet, she couldn't help but feel like their strange, accidental connection had become a part of her daily routine—and now that it was gone, she didn't know what to do with the empty space it left behind