Chapter Text
Kendra sighed and leaned against the counter, stretching her neck. Her shift barely started but she hadn’t slept well. The advantage of working as a barista was that she could get the coffee for free. This was a lifesaver today. She heard the gentle chime of the door and glanced at the entrance. Her again. Kendra suppressed a smile.
Sara had been coming in every day to order a Flash. She’d sit at one of the tables in the corner and worked on her secret projects as she occasionally sipped the drink. Every time she would take a sip, her face scrunched up in disgust. Sara was Kendra’s favourite customer.
She stood up straight and smiled politely as Sara placed her headphones around her neck and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Hey Kendra, can I have the usual please?”
“One Flash coming right up. Go sit, I’ll bring it to you.” Her hands worked automatically, which was convenient since a question was floating around her mind. She had been wondering about Sara for weeks now. In general, she knew most of her regulars. At least a little. There was one question she wanted to ask, since the first day Sara walked through the door.
“Here you go, one Flash.” She placed the big mug on Sara’s table, waiting for her to move her headphones back down.
“Thanks, Kendra.” Her hands stayed on her headphones, but when Kendra didn’t move, she sat up.
“Okay you’ve been doing this for three weeks now, I have to ask,” Kendra placed her hands on the table.
“Why do you always order a Flash? You never finish it and the faces you pull whenever you drink it are super funny. Is it because you’re kind of tiny and can easily pass as a student? Are you trying to act like a grown-up?”
Sara bit her lip as she tried to hide a smile. “You really thought about this, didn’t you?” She tilted her head.
“Yes. To be fair you are one of the only people who come in this early so I have the time. So, am I right?” Kendra shifted her weight to her back foot, leaning down so she could make eye contact with Sara.
“Fine, you’re right,” Sara sighed and slumped in her chair. “I absolutely despise black coffee. But yes people sometimes take me for a student and I am sick of it. So, I figured I would feel more grown-up if I drank this instead of what I actually like.” She leaned her elbows on the table, wrinkling some of her notes.
Kendra glanced down and raised her eyebrows. “Two questions. One, why do you write whatever you are writing in Arabic?”
Sara looked at her notes, then back up at Kendra. “Because no one here reads Arabic. It’s also not just Arabic, I mixed it. But I’m not telling you what the other language is.” A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. “What’s your other question?”
“Oh, right.” Kendra ignored the mysterious answer. “What are the coffee drinks you actually enjoy?”
“Either a Vibe-uccino with a shit-ton of sweetener or a Killer Frost,” Sara whispered. She winked at Kendra. The chime of the door interrupted their moment and Kendra returned to her spot behind the bar.
Sara had been drinking terrible coffee for three weeks. Kendra had taken three weeks before she actually came up to her. Not that she was wrong when she asked if Sara drank the coffee because she wanted to feel grown-up. But it wasn’t the only reason. The first time she had walked into Jitters, she barely stopped two flirty lines from escaping her mind. Kendra was the most beautiful barista Sara had ever seen, and her new reason for coming into Jitters every day. The reason why she hadn’t made a move was that Kendra was working. And in customer service, you are obligated to be nice to your customers. Sara had to know if Kendra genuinely liked her.
When Kendra bent down, Sara was forced to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from staring at her cleavage. Yes, Kendra came up to talk to her. That did not mean Kendra was into her. Yet.
“Here. One Vibe-uccino with a shit ton of sweetener just for you.” Kendra woke Sara from her thoughts.
“You can’t just give me that for free.” She raised her eyebrows.
Kendra rolled her eyes with a smile. “Fine, give me the Flash. We’ll trade, I haven’t had my coffee yet,” she offered.
Sara pushed the mug full of dark bitterness toward Kendra, gratefully accepting her new coffee. “I don’t understand how you can drink that stuff without pulling a face!”
Kendra casually sipped the coffee, smiling at Sara’s surprise. “It’s a trade secret, want to know?” She leaned towards Sara.
“Obviously,” Sara closed the distance, till their noses were barely an inch apart.
“It’s as dark and bitter as my soul.”
“Aw man, I thought there was an actual secret!” Sara crossed her arms, watching Kendra laugh.
“Sadly there is no secret. It’s just practice. I’ve been drinking black coffee since I was 13.”
“Did you have nothing better to drink?!” Sara asked as she sipped her coffee.
“Of course I did. But back then it was a great way to intimidate boys.” Kendra wiggled her eyebrows.
Sara choked on her drink.
“Shoot, are you okay?” Kendra placed a hand on Sara’s shoulder as Sara tried to reset her breathing. “Yeah, yeah I’m okay. Why’d you want to intimidate boys at the age of 13?” Sara pretended that she hadn’t choked on some gay thoughts.
“So I could steal their girlfriends. And their boyfriends. I was not a good child.” Kendra closely watched as Sara’s expression changed four times.
“Ah. Rebellious teenager. Well as someone who hates black coffee, I can tell you mixed martial arts work too.” She winked, and it was Kendra’s turn to choke on her drink.
“That is good to know.” Kendra gasped. Sara stood up from her chair, moving close to Kendra, close enough to feel her breath.
“So, who do I have to intimidate to get a date with you?”
“No one. But now that I know you love coffee that tastes like candy, you’re always going to be cute to me.”
With that, they exchanged phone numbers. Later that week, they went on their first date to a cafe. Their second date led them to a mixed martial arts class. On their third date, they went home.