She was back again, Alyssa noted absently as the bell above the shop door jingled merrily upon the opening of the door. The pretty woman always looked so stressed, and spent a few hours every couple of days holed up in one of the corner tables with a laptop, some tattered and much-used notebooks, and a stack of old reference books. Likely a student at the university not far from the coffeeshop, Alyssa assumed. It was a bit strange for her to be coming in so close to closing, especially on a Sunday, but Alyssa was simply glad to see her. Even if she still didn’t know her name or much of anything about her.
“Good afternoon,” she greeted the tired-looking but still beautiful woman. Her wild hair was pulled up into a fluffy-looking bun atop her head today, and the bags beneath her eyes weren’t quite so deep as they usually were. “Triple-shot latte with caramel?” she guessed, and the woman smiled. It was the first time Alyssa had seen a true smile on her face, rather than just a polite upturn of the lips as was more common for her to display.
“Good afternoon,” the woman replied, and Alyssa blinked a few times in surprise. Usually her interaction with this woman would consist of a muttered ‘morning’ or ‘afternoon’ and a blunt coffee order, occasionally with the addition of a pastry or snack, so this was quite out of the ordinary. Alyssa wouldn’t complain, though. “I’m sorry for my horrible manners these past few weeks,” the woman continued, still smiling – though now it seemed embarrassed. Her cheeks had darkened slightly, and Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Oh, no,’ she thought, ‘she’s cute as well as beautiful.’
“That’s quite alright,” she managed to respond, keeping her voice as calm as she usually did. “I can tell you’ve been quite stressed.” There was a pause. “Triple-strength with caramel, or something else today?” she asked when the woman didn’t speak.
“I—” the woman paused, took a deep breath, and determination flashed across her face. “I was actually wondering if I could treat you to dinner? Since you close in half an hour,” she added.
Alyssa was charmed – this beautiful woman was so awkward, and yet she forged onwards bravely.
“Actually, you know what, that was creepy of me, I’m sorry,” the woman babbled when Alyssa didn’t respond for a moment, her cheeks now much darker with her blush. Alyssa reached out and caught one of the hands that the flustered woman was waving around, managing to silence and still her with just that meagre contact. Alyssa smiled, a little shy but genuinely happy for the invite.
“I’d like that,” she responded simply.
**
Her name was Eva, and she’d been frantically working to finish her first draft of her PhD during those hours she’d spent in the coffeeshop at which Alyssa worked. She’d been struggling, she admitted – much later, true, but a confession was a confession – to finish her thesis, and Alyssa’s smile had, according to her, been enough to push her to continue when she felt like giving up. Her best friends had teased her for it, and she’d finally sworn that as soon as she’d submitted her draft for review by her supervisor, she would ask Alyssa on a date.
Alyssa was very glad she had. She’d been fond of Eva since the moment she saw her, something in her chest reacting to the woman’s presence as if they were meant to meet and be together, and so she was immensely pleased that they were now dating. And about to move in together, now that Eva had gained a position at the university and Alyssa’s father had finally recovered enough from his car accident that she didn’t need to live with him anymore.
She looked around their new apartment, smiling happily to herself as she listened to Ben, Cy, and Louis argue over something in the study, the three men soon interrupted by Eva’s strict tones ordering them about. Julie wandered into the kitchen, a box labelled ‘crockery’ in her hands, and set it gently on the counter.
“Good thoughts, Alyssa?” she asked, and Alyssa smiled even brighter at her childhood friend, who she never would have reconnected with if she’d not met Eva.
“Very,” she admitted easily, and then giggled when Eva’s arms wrapped around her waist from behind and a kiss pressed against her cheek.
“Glad to see you happy, Sunshine,” Eva murmured against her cheek, and then was gone again a moment later. Julie just laughed at Alyssa’s startled and then pleased smile, and Alyssa returned to her unpacking.
Life had gotten much better for Alyssa since the day Eva walked into her coffeeshop and asked her out to dinner, and she was immensely happy for the woman’s presence in her life.
**